2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament: West Preview & Prediction - Second Round (March 21)

Gonzaga defeated Florida State 67-60 and Syracuse defeated Vermont 79-56 to advance to the second round. In my preview, I correctly predicted the outcomes of these games.

Gonzaga dominated Florida State for much of the entire game. With both teams briefly tied early in the first half, the Bulldogs ended the half in their favor 35-19. With nine minutes left to play in the game, the Seminoles closed the gap to with four points, but Gonzaga held on to win 67-60. Solomon Alabi led FSU in scoring with 13 points and Matt Bouldkin scored 17 for Gonzaga.

Syracuse dominated Vermont, leading by as much as 27 points in the first half. The Orange won the first half by the score of 37-25. Syracuse won the second half as well, outscoring the Catamounts 42-31, to win the game 79-56. Marqus Blakely scored 17 for Vermont, while Wes Johnson scored 18 for Syracuse.

Gonzaga and Syracuse rolled to victory easily in their first round games, so this second round between them with the first true test for each team of the tournament. I predict Syracuse will win this game.

(6) Xavier v. (3) Pittsburgh

Xavier defeated Minnesota 65-54 and Pittsburgh defeated Oakland 89-66 to qualify for the second round. In my preview, I correctly predicted the outcomes of these games.

The first half ended with Xavier and Minnesota tied at 26 points each. For the first five and half minutes of the second half, the second half seemed to be a repeat of the first as the Musketeers and the Panthers traded the lead until Xavier took the lead for good with 14 minutes left in the game. Jordan Crawford led Xavier in scoring with 28 points and Lawrence Westbrook led Minnesota with 19 points.

Oakland dominated the first 13 minutes of the first half, until Pittsburgh took the lead 19-18, and never relinquished it. The first half ended in favor of the Panthers 39-26. In the second half, Pittsburgh outscored the Golden Grizzlies 50-40. Jermaine Dixon led Pittsburgh in scoring with 17 points and Keith Benson led Oakland with 28 points.

Pittsburgh will face its true test of the tournament in Xavier, as its game against Oakland provided a nice warm-up. I predict Pittsburgh will win this game and advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

References:

ESPN, Gonzaga 67 Florida State 60, ESPN Men's Basketball

ESPN, Pittsburgh 89 Oakland 66, ESPN Men's Basketball

ESPN, Syracuse 79 Vermont 56, ESPN Men's Basketball

ESPN, Xavier 65 Minnesota 54, ESPN Men's Basketball

Adam Hornbuckle, 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament: West Region Preview and Prediction - First Round, Associated Content Website