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Syracuse vs. Butler

The Line: Syracuse -6 1/2

Syracuse has looked exactly like a #1 seed is supposed to look in the first two rounds, winning games one and two by 23 and 22 points, respectively. While the Big East in has looked less than intimidating, in general, the Orange have looked like close to unbeatable. Many figured center Arinze Onuaku would be back by now for Syracuse, but hes not. And it stil doesnt seem to be a problem. Syracuse does not intimidate too many people down low without the presence of Onuaku, but they havent needed to thus far. The Orange do an incredible job with their match-up zone of keeping teams on the perimeter, which is where Butler likes to live. The question then becomes can the Bulldogs shoot the three as well as the Orange defend it?

Butler has surprising good size inside for a mid-major, with the focal point being Gordon Hayward, but they dont use that size to crash the offensive glass as much as you would think. Since they rely on their outside shooting, many misses result in long rebounds, which can lead to fastbreaks for their opponents. After barely holding off a strong Murray St. squad, the Bulldogs will have their hands full with the Orange and Wesley Johnson, who is watching his draft stock soar in March.

Kansas State vs. Xavier

The Line: Kansas State -5

After Ohio State, Kansas State may have breathed the biggest sigh of relief following the exit of their cross-state rival KU. The Jayhawks handled the Wildcats twice this season, and KSU undoubtedly realized that in order to get to the final, they would have to face Bill Self and Co.. With the Jayhawks gone, the Wildcats can now focus on the game at hand, which is with a Xavier team they have dominated once already.

Its easy to say that the Xavier Musketeers are not the same team that lost by 15 points to Kansas State earlier this season in Manhattan, Kansas. Since that time, the team has bought in to coach Chris Macks philosophy, especially Jordan Crawford, who has become an absolute stud.

But, its also fair to say that Kansas State is not the same team, either. They have gotten better each week in the competitive Big 12 and are one of the hottest teams in the country. While Mack has his Musketeers bought in to his ideas, Kansas State coach Frank Martin has probably scared his team into playing up to its potential. If there were a bet on which coachs head would explode on the sideline a la the movie Scanners, Martin would have even odds against the rest of the 16-team field. The guy coaches with a crazy intensity that has rubbed off on his players, including guard Jacob Pullen, who is averaging 25 points a game in the tournament. For a team best known for its defense, the Wildcats have been extremely productive on the offensive end, which should allow them to squeak by Kansas State.