NCAA Tournament Pick: 12 Richmond Spiders vs 1 Kansas Jayhawks
Friday, March 25, 2011
By Gordon P. Quinn
No. 12 Richmond Spiders (29-7) vs. No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (34-2)
The upstart Richmond Spiders face college basketball blueblood Kansas in a Southwest Region Sweet 16 contest at the Alamadome in San Antonio, Texas, tonight at 7:27 PM ET.
The Richmond Spiders, winners of nine straight games and 13 of their last 14 upset fifth-seeded Vanderbilt 69-66 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and beat 13th-seeded Morehead State 65-48 in the Round of 32 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1988.
The Kansas Jayhawks advanced to the Sweet 16 with relative ease; dispatching 16th-seeded Boston University 72-53 in the first round, and beating ninth-seeded Illinois 73-59 in the Round of 32.
The Jayhawks have opened as 10½-point favorites on Sportsbook.com’s but now Live NCAA Tournament Odds.
Two of the better face-up power forwards in the country will go head-to-head when Kansas' Marcus Morris and Richmond's Justin Harper battle on Friday. Morris is an All-American, capable of scoring with his back to the basket or with mid-range jumpers. He draws fouls and is highly efficient from the field. Harper is a 6-foot-10 physical specimen who can score inside and out, and is an adept rebounder.
Down low, Markieff Morris is the main option for the Jayhawks. He is an outstanding rebounder at both ends of the floor. Richmond's Dan Geriot is going to have a load of trouble keeping him off the glass. Kansas' sixth man, Thomas Robinson, would start on most teams around the country. Rounding out the group for Richmond is lockdown starter Kevin Smith, as well as bench players Darius Garrett and Francis Cedric-Martel. Kansas is a terrific rebounding team, while Richmond has struggled on the boards.
The key match-up on the perimeter comes at the point guard position. Kansas uses Tyshawn Taylor, a veteran floor general who is a solid distributor and can create his own offense. On the other side, though, Richmond has one of the best point guards left in the field. Kevin Anderson has been fantastic down the stretch, averaging 20.3 points in his last eight games. He is capable of taking over a game.
Kansas’ supporting cast and depth is what sets it apart from most teams. Tyrel Reed can shoot from the perimeter, while Brady Morningstar is a very good defender. Mario Little is another player who can score, and Josh Selby has the potential to be an elite playmaker. Richmond will counter with Darien Brothers, a decent scorer, and freshman Cedrick Lindsay.
Interestingly, Richmond might be playing the better of the two teams heading into the Sweet 16. Kansas struggled through wins over Boston University and Illinois, while Richmond upset Vanderbilt and then handled Morehead State with ease. The Jayhawks are far more experienced, talented and deep, both in terms of personnel and on the sidelines, but Richmond is playing with house money right now. The Spiders have nothing to lose. One storyline that could be interesting is the fact Kansas is playing in Texas, home to multiple Big 12 rivals. Will those fans root for Big 12 brethren or against a conference foe?
Breaking this game down by strengths and weaknesses will obviously result in Kansas' favor. What Richmond needs to do in order to pull off the upset is continuing to exploit personnel advantages. Against Vanderbilt, the Spiders had an edge at the point; against Morehead State, they had versatile big man to draw Kenneth Faried and company away from the basket. Kevin Anderson has the ability to beat Tyshawn Taylor off the dribble and get into the lane; he needs to take care of the ball and control tempo. Moreover, Richmond has to keep Kansas off the offensive glass. In the end, Kansas is simply too good at both ends of the floor to fall victim to the Spiders.
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The Pick: Kansas Jayhawks
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alamadome - brady morningstar - cedrick lindsay - dan geriot - darien brothers - darius garrett - francis cedric-martel - josh selby - justin harper - kansas jayhawks
