2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen Preview: Picks, Predictions and Team Rundowns

The 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament saw the first weekend fly by, and now the Sweet Sixteen Round is set to be played. Here is a rundown of each of the games, and a prediction for each of the games.

West Region (Thursday, March 26, 2009)

Sweet Sixteen Game 1: #5 Purdue at #1 Connecticut -- Glendale, Arizona, 7:07 PM EST

This is an intriguing Sweet Sixteen matchup, and should be an exciting one to watch. The Purdue Boilermakers have had a rough road getting here, but they got here. Their first round game against Northern Iowa was a true nailbiter, but they ended up winning, 61-56. The Boilers had a difficult second round matchup against #4 seeded Washington, but they were able to squeak out a two-point victory.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut Huskies have steamrolled both of their opponents, flying by Tennessee-Chattanooga and Texas A&M. Expect monster games from G AJ Price and F Jeff Adrien, as the Huskies take this one in comfortable style.

Pick: Connecticut Huskies

Sweet Sixteen Game 2: #3 Missouri at #2 Memphis -- Glendale, Arizona, 9:37 PM EST

Many people have picked the Memphis Tigers to go to the Final Four, in place of the Connecticut Huskies, so this will be a key game in determining if they have the firepower to defeat the Big East favorite.

The Missouri Tigers defeated Cornell in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, but they had a close one against Marquette in the second round. No one expected Marquette to get that close to defeating Missouri, but they played a tough game. A silly turnover on the Golden Eagles' end opened up the game for the Tigers.

The Memphis Tigers are a solid team, but do not possess the depth that Missouri has, which could cause some matchup issues to be exploited. That said, Memphis has one of the NCAA's best starting five, led by G Tyreke Evans.

In a close battle of the Tigers, look for Memphis to prevail by a few points. This one could be the game of the weekend.

Pick: Memphis Tigers

East Region (Thursday, March 26, 2009)

Sweet Sixteen Game 3: #4 Xavier at #1 Pittsburgh -- Boston, Massachusetts, 7:27 PM EST

Pitt hasn't had the easiest road to the Sweet Sixteen, but that doesn't mean that they don't have the roster to win it all. Pitt should easily be able to handle the Xavier Musketeers.

Xavier cruised by Portland State and Wisconsin in the first two rounds of the tournament. The Musketeers turn the ball over way too much, and even a few turnovers puts this game squarely into Pitt's hands.

Pitt's F Sam Young and F DeJuan Blair make a nasty one-two punch, and combined with the great passing of G Levance Fields, will be able to pull off this one. Sam Young won't record 32 points in this one, but he will be the star of the game.

Pick: Pittsburgh Panthers

Sweet Sixteen Game 4: #3 Villanova at #2 Duke -- Boston, Massachusetts, 9:57 PM EST

This is a solid matchup which will make for some great basketball viewing. Villanova snuck past American University and blasted the UCLA Bruins to get to the Sweet Sixteen, and it looks like very few opponents can stop them. The Wildcats have two star players in F Dante Cunningham and G Scottie Reynolds.

The Duke Blue Devils qualified for this year's Sweet 16, and they also have a very strong roster. They got past Binghamton easily in the first round of the tournament, but they struggled with G AJ Abrams and the Texas Longhorns in the second round.

This game will be a game of pure shooting and high scoring. Look for the Villanova Wildcats to upset the higher-seeded Blue Devils in an exciting, fast-paced matchup.

Pick: Villanova Wildcats

Midwest Region (Friday, March 27, 2009)

Sweet Sixteen Game 5: #12 Arizona at #1 Louisville -- Indianapolis, Indiana 7:07 PM EST

About everything that could go right for the Arizona Wildcats has gone right, and they find themselves in the Sweet 16. Arizona was the last team into the tournament, and it is clear that they wanted to make a statement about their inclusion in the field. They are led by experienced F Chase Budinger and G Nic Wise, with F Jordan Hill capping the Wildcat's star trio.

Meanwhile, the Louisville Cardinals have been considered one of the favorites to win it all in the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and they should have their hands full with this trio. Louisville is led by one of the best NCAA Men's Basketball coaches in Rick Pitino, and G Terrence Williams and G-F Earl Clark will wreak havoc.

Look for the Cardinals to come out of this one fairly easily.

Pick: Louisville Cardinals

Sweet Sixteen Game 6: #3 Kansas at #2 Michigan State -- Indianapolis, Indiana), 9:37 PM EST

This should be one of the most intriguing games from Friday's slate of games. Kansas cruised by North Dakota State and Dayton to get to the Sweet 16, and they did it mostly through their star power. G Sherron Collins and G Cole Aldrich lead this young but fiesty team into Indianapolis.

Michigan State is well-coached, and has an incredibly deep roster. Their depth proved to be the difference in a close game against F DeMar DeRozan and the USC Trojans in the second round. With the combination of coaching and depth, look for F Raymar Morgan to lead the Spartans to the Elite Eight.

Pick: Michigan State Spartans

South Region (Friday, March 27, 2009)

Sweet Sixteen Game 7: #3 Syracuse at #2 Oklahoma -- Memphis, Tennessee, 7:27 PM EST

In what should become one of the classic Big East-Big 12 matchups, the Orange will take on the Sooners, and this one will be awesome. Syracuse killed Stephen F. Austin in the first round, and took Arizona State fairly easily in the second round. Led by their tough-as-nails G Jonny Flynn, the Orange have played two solid games in the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Sooners have a star pro prospect in F Blake Griffin. Griffin scored 33 points and recorded 17 rebounds against the Michigan Wolverines in the Sooners' second round game.

Who will come out of this one victorious? It will be close, but I like the Sooners in a well-fought basketball game. Syracuse put together a nice run at the Big East Championship Tournament, as well as the NCAA Tournament, but they will end their tournament run on Friday.

Pick: Oklahoma Sooners

Sweet Sixteen Game 8: #4 Gonzaga at #1 North Carolina -- Memphis, Tennessee, 9:57 PM EST

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have a solid roster led by G Matt Bouldin and F Josh Heytvelt, but do not expect them to get past the experienced UNC Tarheels. The Bulldogs struggled getting past the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky, and WKU was a 12 seed.

Not much needs to be said about the UNC Tarheels. Tywon Lawson is one tough cookie, and he was the team's leading scorer in their second round matchup against the LSU Tigers. Look for Roy Williams and North Carolina to prevail in this one, fairly easily.

Pick: North Carolina Tar Heels