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John GasawayESPN Insider
But it happened, and, sweet mother of VanVleet and the Harrison twins, this is one incredible round of 32 matchup. In 2014, Kentucky, as a No. 8 seed, beat top-seeded Wichita State -- ending the Shockers' bid for a perfect season -- in a game for the ages.
The rematch between the Shockers and the Wildcats headlines Sunday's second-round action. Here are all eight games ranked according to their "Gasaway Factor," a highly proprietary secret formula that determines just how enthusiastic you should be about a given game.
1. No. 10 Wichita State vs. No. 2 Kentucky (2:40 p.m. ET)
Three years ago the roles were reversed -- kind of. Wichita State was the high seed and Kentucky was a No. 8 that had played its way down to that line by finishing six games behind Florida in the SEC. It was a second-round matchup between two of the best teams in the country, with the Wildcats winning 78-76 and going on to play in the national championship game.
Is it too much to hope for a repeat? Not at all. These two teams are a combined 24-1 since the start of February.
Somehow, Marshall's not being included in national coach of the year discussions despite the fact that, one year after the departures of Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker, his team is widely seen as a worthy foe for Kentucky.
De'Aaron Fox and Isaiah Briscoe were a combined 15-of-25 on their 2s against the feisty but undersized Norse. All well and good, but that alone is unlikely to get it done against the excellent interior defense of the Shockers. With some timely offensive boards, particularly from Bam Adebayo, and a few putbacks, and by limiting giveaways against a Wichita State defense that does not force many turnovers, the Wildcats could get a healthy number of chances to score.
Few defenses are as reliant on defensive rebounding as Kentucky's. The Wildcats have been quietly unbelievable on the glass at that end of the floor, but the flip side is that in SEC play, their opponents' field goal percentage was equivalent to the league average. That could matter against a Shockers offense that features the highly accurate likes of Landry Shamet, Conner Frankamp and Shaquille Morris. Don't be surprised to see a high-scoring game, just like the 2014 version.
2. No. 9 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Kansas (5:15 p.m. ET)
Is Tom Izzo really being March-variety Tom Izzo again? If so, is Kermit Davis the only known kryptonite? Here is what we know: Michigan State is a solid defensive team that excels at making shots, but turns the ball over frequently and seldom gets offensive boards. Or so we thought before the Spartans' blowout win over Miami.
Nick Ward and Miles Bridges are coming off huge games against the Hurricanes, and it's been well documented that this Kansas team isn't up to Bill Self's usual standards on defense. Then again, the Jayhawks are a multiheaded 3-point-making hydra, with Frank Mason III, Josh Jackson, Devonte' Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk all perfectly capable of hitting shots from beyond the arc. What happens when two storied programs led by two legendary coaches collide? Most likely a high number of points.
3. No. 7 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Duke (8:40 p.m. ET)
It is said that this is a "home" game for South Carolina -- it's being played in Greenville, South Carolina -- but the Palmetto State's never been known as a particularly fearsome destination for opposing teams. At any rate, Duke's pretty good and this is a Gamecocks team that has dropped six of its past 10 games. Don't bemoan the injustice being done to the Blue Devils just yet.
The one wild card here is Sindarius Thornwell, who had one of the better individual performances of the tournament so far in the first round (29 points on 10-of-19 shooting). Yes, that was against a highly questionable Marquette defense, but we are speaking of the SEC Player of the Year. The Gamecocks senior will want to reprise that outing, because with Luke Kennard, Jayson Tatum, Grayson Allen and Frank Jackson, Duke has an absurd number of potential sources for huge Thornwell-level games.
4. No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 2 Louisville (12:10 p.m. ET)
On paper this should be a strength-on-strength collision. The elite Louisville defense against the now white-hot Michigan offense, which Rick Pitino has likened to that of the Golden State Warriors.
I'm not so sure. The Wolverines' offense is everything Pitino says, no doubt, but the Cardinals have shown they too can win a shootout. Three weeks ago Louisville prevailed at home 94-90 against Virginia Tech, which late in the season was putting the ball in the basket with Michigan-level frequency. That game may provide the best precedent for this matchup between the Wolverines and the Cardinals. One thing we know: John Beilein's team has scored at least 1.15 points per trip in four of its past five games.
