Thursday's Sweet 16 Preview

March Madness continues tomorrow with 4 more games to decide who will advance to the Elite 8.

Marquette vs Miami (FL)

Top Prospects: Shane Larkin (59), Kenny Kadji (89), Durand Scott (90), Vander Blue (121)

Marquette remains standing after coming out on top in two of the most exciting games of the tournament - vs Butler and Davidson. Vander Blue has been beyond clutch in each of the games and has drawn a deeper focus from NBA scouts. He's basically living off the tournament hype though, and considering he's shooting below 50% and has 6 turnovers to only 2 assists in this two game stretch, this "breakout performance" isn't even that impressive. Yes he has been clutch and Blue is a guy who can make even the toughest of baskets, but he has a lot of other issues to overcome. He struggles to find and create easy shots and his efficiency has suffered. He's also not a very good shooter, only showing signs of improvement this year. And an undersized scoring two guard who can't shoot tends to have an uphill battle to climb.

Blue will continue to try to climb up that hill against Miami and will likely draw the defensive attention of Durand Scott in this one. Scott is another undersized two guard who makes some impressive plays and hits tough shots, but struggles to be efficient and make simple plays. He has proven to be an intense defender this season though, and should provide Blue some trouble with his physical tools. Those tools make Scott the more intriguing prospect as he projects better as a defender and a finisher at the rim.

Arizona vs Ohio State

Top Prospects: Shannon Scott (49), Deshaun Thomas (55), LaQuinton Ross (69), Kaleb Tarczewski (70), Brandon Ashley (74), Solomon Hill (79), Aaron Craft (85), Nick Johnson (120)

This game features a lot of young prospects who could eventually find themselves in the first round, but are currently ranked rather low in rankings because the are viewed to be at least a year away. Two of the more NBA ready prospects in this game will be Deshaun Thomas and Solomon Hill, who could end up battling head to head for much of the game.

Arizona has been playing their best basketball as of late in large part because of a shift towards a smaller lineup. Solomon Hill has been playing a lot more PF - a position he played a lot last year when he averaged almost 8 rebounds per game and shot over 50% from the field. It will be interesting to see if he will look to attack Thomas in isolation situations. Hill has a very solid all-around game and has improved an area of his game each year. This year he's been a much better slasher than in years past. Thomas is more of a one dimensional player, but is great at the one thing he does - shoot. And he shoots often and in any situation. He's played tougher this season and it will be interesting to see who has the edge when it comes to rebounding and banging inside.

LaQuinton Ross had a big game against Iowa State, but he's still got a lot to learn. His defense stops him from getting more minutes and he takes too many uncalled for jumpers. But he's certainly one to watch and may have more potential than anyone in this game.

Syracuse vs Indiana

Top Prospects: Victor Oladipo (5), Cody Zeller, (7), Michael Carter-Williams (26), CJ Fair (43), James Southerland (117), Christian Watford (124), Will Sheehey (126)

Cody Zeller will face tons of length and bodies against the zone inside which is the exact kind of situations he's struggled with this season. Zeller tends to try to go right at shotblockers - which is what you are coached to do - but he just doesn't have the strength yet to finish with the contact. Zeller could excel in another spot against the zone though and that is at the foul line. We saw what Otto Porter and Gorgui Dieng could do in this spot and Zeller is another guy with a high IQ who can hit the jumper and pass from this spot. Zeller may be more aggressive than either of them when it comes to putting the ball on the floor and he could create open looks that way too. Zeller is a very good passer off the dribble, almost like a guard.

Watching Oladipo against the zone will be interesting too. He'll be asked to operate more in the halfcourt offense and his athleticism will be taken away from him against the zone. Oladipo will need to show the ability to get himself in the right spots to score and the skillset to be able to breakdown the zone. This game will be more of a chess match than he is used to, but he's a smart player. This game gives him a chance to showcase that.

CJ Fair has had a solid tournament for Syracuse and continues to be their most consistent offensive player. His perimeter game has developed a lot this year and he's extended his range to beyond the 3-pt line. Fair has always been able to shoot though and his small sample size from deep shouldn't be a reason to dismiss his shooting ability. Another big development in his game has been his off the dribble game. Thanks to a nice floater, his mid-range game has always been solid, but now he is willing to do more than simply just take one dribble and shoot a floater. He's getting more comfortable dribbling the ball and the next step for him is to be able to make plays for others. He'll have a big opportunity as "the guy" next year if he does come back to take yet another step in his development. He's an intriguing prospect who looks like an early second rounder at the moment.

LaSalle vs Wichita State

Top Prospects: None

No top prospects in this one, but Ill take the Shockers to advance to the Elite Eight.

Notes on Otto Porter vs Marquette

Marquette 49, Georgetown 48

This was a tight game the whole way through between two great defensive teams. Both are tough to drive on - for Georgetown it is because of their length, while Marquette's defenders have quick hands that create a lot of steals. This was more of a great defensive battle that was fun to watch as opposed to an ugly offensive affair.

Otto Porter finished with 13 points and lead the Hoyas with 13 shot attempts. He was able to get a lot of good looks in the mid-range area, where he is generally very successful with his jumper. Porter isn't a guy who creates these mid-range looks with the ball in his hands, instead he has an old school approach where he actually spots up from 15-18 feet. He has no problem getting his shot off in this area with his quick, high release. Porter also gets mid-range looks off curls and post up opportunities. He has solid fundamentals in the post and can hit contested turnaround jumpers.

His ball handling isn't very creative and he lacks an explosive first step. On a couple of occasions, he had trouble creating any kind of space against Jamil Wilson. Porter's go-to off the dribble move is a behind the back move, which is mainly only successful in creating a small space for jumpers.

When he does get penetration, Porter is a great passer and has the length and smoothness to finish at the rim - but again, he isn't very explosive. One thing I like about Porter is that he is always around the boards when the shot goes up and looking for someone to box out. There are a lot of parts that scream "old school" about his game and his toughness is one of them. It goes back to the days of pickup basketball against his dad and uncles.

Defensively, Porter is a great team defender who creates problems with his feel for the game and length. He stuffs the box score with steals and blocks. He is versatile and can cover just about anyone in the college game. In the NBA, his versatility, IQ, and length should make him an above average defender although he will struggle more with the spacing of the NBA game. He is not especially quick laterally.

Vander Blue - Blue continues to hit jumpers this year, a new development in his game. He takes some extremely tough, acrobatic shots and has a knack for making them. These high percentage shots aren't ideal, but certainly show his talent. He needs to be a much more reliable threat spotting up though. He's like a wide receiver who makes the highlight reel plays, but struggles to make the routine plays consistently.

After a strong game against UConn, Junior Cadougan couldn't make anything vs Georgetown. Cadougan is the heart and soul of the offense and as he goes, so does the scoring. He still was able to manage the game as always though, and helped Marquette squeeze out an ugly win.

Trent Lockett has struggled finding his role with his new team, but played one of his best games thus far, grabbing 10 rebounds. He should become more of a factor in the physical battles that the Big East brings.

Marquette vs Southern California

After getting blown out by Illinois and then getting their first win in Maui against Texas, up a fight against Marquette. They ended up losing 72-64, but it was an entertaining game.

Junior Cadouan has always been a steady point guard on both ends and was good again today. He never stands out, but just does his thing and provides a steady hand on the ball. Once Blue went out with an injury, Cadougan finally made his presence known by closing out the game. He scored all 11 points in the second half - when he was needed. Defensively, he shut down Jio Fontan which conversely, may have kept USC in the game.

There is the Ewing Theory where teams are better without a certain player. I would say this is applicable to Jio Fontan, but it is generally used when a player gets injured. Fontan was still in the game, he just was unable to launch up as many shots as he normally does. For this, its kind of like the opposite of what Shane Battier likes to do.

If Battier was playing, he would have let Fontan take as many forced contested jumpers inside the arc as he would have liked. Its what Fontan normally does and it leads to a very stoic offense. Nobody else gets involved and Fontan shoots a low percentage while turning it over.

Today, Fontan couldnt get a shot off which is saying a lot - he always manages to find a way to shoot. It put him in facilitating mode early and he actually used his quickness and ability to slash to get his teammates going.

He found the hot hand of JT Terrell, who ended up hitting five 3-pt shots on the night.

That kept them in the game, but ultimately Marquette's cohesiveness overcame a hot shooting night of one of the group of transfers Kevin O'Neill is trying to mend together.

If Cadougan is the steady hand of Marquette, Vander Blue is the opposite hand that shakes up the drink a little. Blue has a point guard's build, but has never had the pass-first mentality. He was coming off two good games against Butler and Mississippi State and showed some more nice things today.

He finished with only 6 points on 3-11 shooting, but made his impact felt. His shooting appears to be improved from his previous two season, shooting 5-11 from three this year. He didn't make a three today, but did hit a long 2 off the dribble on a one on one move.

Blue is a good ball handler and a crafty passer when he has his head up. He dribbles a lot though and his dribble is usually intended to create his own shot. He is able to weave through defenders with a crafty handle and quick change of direction, and gets off the court quickly when rising towards the rim.

Unfortunately, Blue doesn't have much of a position at the next level. Perhaps his best quality is his defense, which appears to be more disciplined this year. That is his best hope to make the league. He will probably stay for his senior season, but I doubt he will take over point guard. Blue has never had the maturity or mentality of a natural point guard and top 100 recruit Duane Wilson could start.

Other notes:

Devante Gardner is super crafty in the post and is impossible to keep out of the paint. In fact, Kevin O'Neill was complaining to get a 3 seconds in the key call all came. It is very fun to watch him execute below the rim post moves - he has a quick release and a very soft touch.

He abused Dewayne Dedmon down low and Dedmon picked up a technical and probably should have picked up another one later in the game. Dedmon should have been frustrated against Gardner, but he needs to learn to deal with it because this could be a frustrating campaign for him. His guards didn't get him any touches, well ok, he got 2 touches by my count. One he made the bucket through contact and got the foul shot. The other he found a teammate for a nice assists. He finished with 3 points and 1 assist - go figure. Dedmon may not be a draftable player, but he deserves a better chance than this. He has a nice body, shows some fight, and is active. He's rebounding the ball at a nice clip as well.

Jamil Wilson appears poised for the Hayward/Butler/Crowder role. At 6-7, Wilson is able to get own shot and has been hitting jumpers at a nice clip. He blocks some shots and picked up two steals today. He's not exactly in the same class as his predecessors, but he looked good today.