2011 NCAA Tournament - Round of 32

The drama returned on Saturday. Pitt and Butler had an ending unlike any other. In the end Butler continued their recent string of Tournament success and moved on to the Sweet 16. We also got a double overtime thriller from San Diego St. and Temple. The Aztecs held on in the end and advanced to their first ever Sweet 16. Sunday's games should provide more drama.

2 North Carolina -5 vs. 7 Washington

North Carolina showed they can still run and gun as they won a high scoring match with Long Island in the Round of 64. Washington held off a feisty Georgia squad to advance to today's game. There should be plenty of points in this one as well. Carolina will feed off of the hometown crowd and freshmen Harrison Barnes and Kendall Marshall will come up big as the Tar Heels move on.

Prediction - North Carolina 84 Washington 70

1 Duke -11.5 vs. 8 Michigan

How appropriate is it that these two schools face off a week after the "Fab Five" documentary debuted? Michigan doesn't have the same bad boy image that they did in the early 90s. Duke's reputation has stayed the same. And that reputation is one of winning. Both teams blew out the competition in the Round of 64. Duke beat Hampton by 42 and Michigan beat Tennessee by 30. This one won't be quite as easy for either. The Blue Devils prevail in the end behind the leadership of Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.

Prediction - Duke 71 Michigan 58

1 Ohio St. -11.5 vs. 8 George Mason

Ohio St. won easily in their opener, blowing out UT-San Antonio. George Mason used a late rally to get past a talented Villanova squad. The Patriots probably won't be quite as endearing to this crowd as they were during their Final Four run in 2006. This will certainly be a pro-Buckeye crowd in Cleveland. George Mason will put up a fight, but in the end OSU will prove why they are the nation's number one team.

Prediction - Ohio St. 75 George Mason 66

4 Texas -6 vs. 5 Arizona

Texas staved off a furious rally by Oakland to hold on for a victory in the Round of 64. Arizona trailed throughout much of their game with Memphis, but took a late lead and got another game-sealing block from Derrick Williams. Texas has been very inconsistent in recent weeks. They will need a big game from Jordan Hamilton. He will be matched up against Williams. Ultimately, Williams leads his team to another win.

Prediction - Arizona 72 Texas 63

3 Purdue -9.5 vs. 11 VCU

Purdue was very impressive in their Round of 64 victory over St. Peter's. VCU already has 2 victories in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Their most recent win, came in a surprising blow out of Georgetown. Purdue continues to get major contributions from JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore. The Rams will need to slow these young men down if they hope to pull off another upset.

Prediction - Purdue 74 VCU 70

3 Syracuse -4.5 vs. 11 Marquette

This is the second of two all Big East matchups in the Round of 32. Syracuse and Marquette each controlled their Round of 64 games in their entirety. The Orange dismantled Indiana St., while Marquette never let Xavier think they could win that game. Marquette won the only meeting of these two in the regular season. Syracuse gets revenge today and moves on to the Sweet 16.

Prediction - Syracuse 75 Marquette 62

1 Kansas -8.5 vs. 9 Illinois

Bill Self squares off against his former team today. Kansas struggled a bit versus Boston U. on Friday. They do not want to follow the same path that they took last year, losing in the Round of 32 to 9th seeded Northern Iowa. Illinois is looking to make up for a disappointing season. Beating the Jayhawks today could certainly provide some feelings of redemption. The Illini will scare Kansas but won't get over the hump.

Prediction - Kansas 67 Illinois 64

2 Notre Dame -5.5 vs. 10 Florida St.

Notre Dame seemed to have control throughout the game against Akron, but could never pull away. They got the victory though. Florida St. played phenomenally on the defensive end and held Texas A&M to 50 points. Chris Singleton returned and provided a huge boost for the Seminoles. FSU needs to be just as good defensively today. Notre Dame needs to consistently knock down open jumpers. The Irish have enough shooters to advance to the Sweet 16.

Prediction - Notre Dame 72 Florida St. 59

Ringer's NCAA Tournament Record
ATS: 23-21
SU: 31-13

Teams I like to cover the most: Notre Dame, Syracuse, Arizona