Sweet 16 Breakdown: The South Region

A Final Four is there for the taking, as there really is no favorite in the South.

Yeah, I know, Duke is the No. 1 seed and has played like it, but Baylor matches up well with them. So does St. Mary's. And you really are going to count out Purdue now?

Personally, I think that Houston is by far the least likely to have their regional champ win the national title, but that doesn't mean that these three games won't be fun to watch. There are intriguing story lines, great personal matchups, and a lot of interesting strategy to keep an eye on -- how will Baylor defend St. Marys? How is Purdue going to match up with Duke without Robbie Hummel? If Purdue going to box out Duke's big guy?

Hopefully, it will live up to my expectations:


Most Memorable Game: Purdue 63, Texas A&M 61 OT

I'll be honest -- Purdue shocked me. I really did not think this team was going to make a run in the tournament. Robbie Hummel was such a big part of what they wanted to do, and after watching their collapse against Minnesota, I made the decision to rid my bracket as early as possible. The team didn't look like they had quit, they just looked demoralized.

Well, I was wrong. Purdue has come out in the second half of both games in the tournament with a vengeance. Against A&M, it was the play of Chris Kramer, who sparked a 17-2 run in the second half that erased an 11 point deficit. The Aggies and the Boilermakers would go back and forth the last 10 minutes of regulation before heading to overtime tied at 55. Again, the two teams traded blows in the overtime, but Purdue eventually got a stop, forcing a Brian Davis miss. Chris Kramer blew off his coach's play call, isolating himself at the top of the key, putting the ball on the floor, and finishing with a layup at the rim. And with that bucket, the Boilers reached the Sweet 16.

In the mix: S. Mary's 85, Villanova 78; Old Dominon 51, Notre Dame 50


Most Memorable Performance: Omar Samhan, St. Mary's

Omar Samhan has become the face of this tournament. He's a throw back big man that plays with energy and emotion, unabashedly running his mouth at opponent's and reporters alike. Words like Pittsnoggled were derived as a result of a goofy looking big man's unique game. The term 'Samhandled' may very well be on the way to reaching that same status.

Not without reason either. Samhan was a monster in both of his first two games, absolutely dominating on the block. He averaged 30.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and shot 75% -- 24-32 -- from the floor. If you sent a double team at him, he just simply spun away from it or tossed the ball back out to one of the many shooters the Gaels have on the perimeter. It will be interesting to see, however, how Samhan handles to size and athleticism of Baylor.

All-South Region First Weekend Team:

• Chris Kramer, Purdue - 13.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.5 spg
• Mickey McConnel, St. Mary's - 19.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
  
• Ekpe Udoh, Baylor - 14.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 bpg
• JaJuan Johnson, Purdue - 17.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 bpg
  

Friday: 7:27 pm: (3) Baylor vs. (10) St. Mary's

If anyone has become the darling of this NCAA Tournament, it is Omar Samhan.

A big, goofy-looking, throwback post player, Samhan has feasted on the smaller post players he has faced on Villanova and Richmond. Baylor is not a small team in the front court. Josh Lomers is going to be able to matchup Samham in size. Ekpe Udoh and Quincy Acy are as athletic as any big men Samhan has had to face this season.

Will he be able to score against them?

The Bears are not known for their defensive prowess. They give up too much penetration in their zone, and it results in kick outs for open three. The Gaels have shooters -- that much isn't up for debate -- but do they have guys that can get the ball into the paint and create?

Baylor, on the other hand, is going to be a tough matchup for the Gaels defensively, as well.

Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn are two very capable back court players. Carter went from being almost an after thought on Baylor's last few teams to one of the best scorers and playmakers in the conference. If James Anderson was the best pure scorer in the Big XII this season, Dunn wasn't far behind.

As good as Matthew Dellavedova and Mickey McConnell are offensively, they are not the best defenders. St. Mary's cannot afford to allow one, or both, of those guys to get it going on Friday.

Another aspect of this game to keep an eye on is foul trouble. Omar Samhan has a tendency to get into foul trouble. He has been in both of St. Mary's first two tournament games, and neither Villanova or Richmond has the bigs that Baylor does. Udoh is really only big that is a threat to create his own shot, but Baylor will give him the opportunity. Udoh does get minutes as the center for this team, and it will be a tough matchup for Samhan.

Samhan also has a tendency to go for blocks. Given the athleticism of Baylor's front line -- especially guys like Udoh and Acy -- he is going to have to avoid that and avoid picking up useless fouls if St. Mary's is to have a chance.

Friday: 9:57 pm: (1) Duke vs. (4) Purdue

Purdue was on track to be a No. 1 seed in this tournament.

But after Robbie Hummel popped an acl, that hope was lost.

And many believed the Boilermakers tournament hopes were lost as well.

But those people, myself included, underestimated the heart of this Purdue team. With Robbie Hummel out, they needed some of their role players to step up, and step up they did. Keaton Grant scored 11 points in a 15-0 run that blew open a close game against Siena. Chris Kramer scored seven of his 17 points in a 17-2 run that erased an 11 point Texas A&M lead, and eventually hit the game winning layup in overtime.

But Duke is a better team than either Texas A&M or Siena.

The Blue Devils have three very good scorers on their perimeter. Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, and Jon Scheyer are all capable of getting 25 on a given night, and if those three all get going, Duke is a very difficult team to beat.

Purdue, even without Hummel, can stll defend. Where the Boilermakers need to be careful is on the defensive glass.

You see, Hummel was their best rebounder. Without him, this is a small basketball team, at times having to esentially use Chris Kramer as a four. For all of the complaints about Duke's big men, the one thing that that group can do effectively to rebound at the offensive end. Brian Zoubek developed into a force on the glass by the end of the season. Miles and Mason Plumlee are both long and athletic and can get on the glass. As good as JaJuan Johnson is, he has never really been known as a top notch rebounder.

If Purdue is going to advance further in this tournament, the biggest key is going to be limiting Duke to one shot.