(4) Kentucky Wildcats vs (1) Ohio State Buckeyes
Friday, March 25, 9:45 p.m. ET
Sportsbook favorite: Ohio State -5.5
Kentucky versus Ohio State isn't a David-versus-Goliath in terms of seeding, as Kentucky is clearly no slouch as a No. 4 seed. It's more about the interesting youth-versus-experience dynamic.
Kentucky was supposed to regress after John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe left for the NBA. But its phenomenal freshman crop looks to be way ahead of schedule.
In Kentucky's opening matchup, the young-gun trio of Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb was a bit lost, combining for just 19 points as the Wildcats edged Princeton. But Knight's only two points came on the game-winning field goal and it was a sign of things to come.
Against West Virginia, Knight exploded for 30 points as the freshman trio jumped from 19 to 48 points. So the top-ranked team in the nation. Ohio State, obviously can't sleep on these guys. If the Buckeyes early-tournament performance is any indication, though, that won't be a problem. Ohio State crushed its first two opponents by an average of 30.5 points.
Can Kentucky stop Ohio State's ridiculous three-point attack? It shot 50 per cent against Texas-San Antonio from beyond the arc and 61.5 per cent against George Mason. Of the teams' 16 threes in that game, David Lighty nailed seven (on seven attempts). These guys look like a video game.
(11) VCU Rams vs (10) Florida State Seminoles
Friday, March 25, 9:57 p.m. ET
Sportsbook favorite: Florida State -3.5
A 10 versus 11 in the Sweet 16? Who knew? The craziest thing about this matchup is that neither VCU nor Florida State is playing like a Cinderella. They're not draining breathtaking buzzer beaters to slay giants; they're cruising.
VCU over Georgetown was a pretty popular sports betting upset pick; fair enough. But the Rams really turned heads when they dropped 94 points on a good Purdue team and won by 18. It looks like we have to take them seriously.
Same goes for FSU. The Seminoles made it look somewhat easy in dispatching another hot betting pick, Notre Dame. The most interesting story out of Florida State hasn't simply been Chris Singleton's return, but that the team hasn't really needed him. He's shown plenty of rust, playing 26 minutes and tallying only five points in the Seminoles' two wins. If Singleton can find his legs, FSU could become very dangerous.
