On to the 3rd Round of the NCAA tournament and we will see the top seed Louisville Cardinals take on the Colorado State Rams. The game is scheduled for a 5:15 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on CBS. Currently the Odds for the game have Louisville favored by 10.5 points while the total sits at 135.
Analysis: The Rams had to hold off Missouri 84-72 in the 2nd round to get the program's first victory in the NCAA Tournament since 1989. Perhaps the most impressive part of Colorado State's opening performance is the fact it came with leading scorer Colton Iverson in foul trouble. The Minnesota transfer grabbed 13 rebounds, but was limited to four points. He will need to be more of a factor at the offensive end against the Cardinals. The Rams probably shouldn't expect things to go as smoothly at the offensive end as they did against Missouri - Colorado State shot 49 percent while rolling up the program's highest scoring total in an NCAA Tournament game, but said they are well-equipped to handle Louisville's pressing defense. "We're going to prepare for that," guard Jon Octeus said. "We've done a good job of pressuring each other. I think we'll be able to handle all the pressure they bring." The biggest advantage the Rams have against the Cardinals is their prowess on the boards. Colorado State ranks fourth in the nation in rebounding (40.5) and leads the nation in opponents' rebounds (28.1), creating the No. 1 rebounding margin in the country. Colorado State is 20-2 when scoring 70 or more points and has the same record when leading at halftime.
Top-seeded Louisville backed up its claim as the hottest team in the NCAA Tournament with a dominant showing in its opening game. The Cardinals rolled past North Carolina A&T 79-48 on Thursday for their 11th consecutive win, notching their 30th victory in the process, and had the luxury of resting their starters for much of the second half. Louisville has been outstanding since a three-game losing streak in January, winning 14 of its last 15 with the setback a five-overtime loss at Notre Dame on Feb. 9. The Cardinals have turned up the defensive intensity during their winning streak, and coach Rick Pitino has harped on the number of deflections his team has produced. Pitino said the 58 deflections against Villanova in the Big East tournament marked a record for one of his teams, but the Cardinals shattered that with 67 on Thursday. "We all know what defense can do," guard Russ Smith said. "It got us to the Final Four last year. So we just stay solid and just keep playing our defense." Smith also led an impressive offensive performance against the Aggies, scoring 23 points as the Cardinals shot a season-best 57.4 percent. Louisville is 42-8 all-time as the higher seed in NCAA Tournament games, but 5-11 as a No. 1 seed. The Cardinals are 26-0 this season when leading at halftime.
Pick: I have to go with the Cardinals here. Beating a Missouri team that flat out sucks on the road is one thing, but playing against the best team in basketball right now is a whole different ball game. According to Ken Pom Louisville has the 12 rated offense and top rated defense and that is vs the 11th toughest schedule. The Mas are 7th in offense, but 97th in defense and vs a slightly less 49th rated schedule. The Cardinals defense is dominant and very consistent as they have allowed 57.7 ppg on the year and come in having allowed 58 or less in 6 of their last 7 games. CSU has allowed 63.8 ppg on the year, but less than 64 points just twice in their last 8 games, while allowing 75+ in 4 of their last 8. Big edge to the Cardinals on defense. The Cardinals have shut down every high scoring offense they have faced this year and will do so again here. The Rams had a good game vs Missouri, but still nearly folded in the end and I just don't see them being able to keep pace for the full game here. The Cards get stronger in the 2nd half and that's where they will run away in this one.
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