Sweet Sixteen: D.C.

D.C.- D.C. features one of the tournament favorites in UConn and also features two mid-majors in George Mason and Wichita State. Because of the West Coast bias, not many people have been able to see what Washington has done this season. All the Huskies have done is beat Gongaza and UCLA twice en route to a 2nd place finish in the Pac-10 this season.

(1) UConn vs. (5) Washington

How they got here
UConn: wins vs. (16) Albany 72-59 and (8) Kentucky 87-83
Washington: wins vs. (12) Utah State 75-61 and (4) Illinois 67-64

Things to look for:
Marcus Williams - the PG from UConn has never seen the spotlight because of star players Rudy Gay, Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong and while many people see him as maybe one of the best distributors in the college game today it has become apparent that Williams is the Huskies man during crunch time. His numbers the past two games cannot be more clear (21 pts 8 asts and 20 pts 8 asts) more importantly is his ability to drive the ball at the basket to create for himself or teammates when it matters most.

Rebounding- Although Washington led the Pac-10 in rebounding margin this season the same cannot be said of their work on the glass so far during the tournament. Both games so far they have been out rebounded, the effort was clearing lacking against Utah State as they got pounded on the boards 32-19. They will have to work their hardest against UConn's tall and athletic frontline. They will have to be careful how aggresive they are going for offensive glass because UConn is very good at scoring in transition.

Scoring - Brandon Roy maybe one of the most unappreciated players in the nation has been the main scoring source for the Huskies for the regular season and also during their 2 games in the tournament. Besides Roy none of the Huskies has really stepped up with their output in the first two rounds. Freshman G Justin Dentmon is the only other Washington player to hit double figures in both NCAA games, one of the other Washington starters will have assert himself more at the offensive end in order to give Washington a chance.

Line: UConn -6.5
UConn ATS- 14-13-0 (0-2 NCAA tournament)
Washington ATS- 15-15-0 (2-0 NCAA tournament)

Pick - UCONN
Jim Calhoun recently said that UConn has its "swagger" back, that can only mean bad things for the rest of the field. Although Washington has covered in both of their previous games, their lack of complementary scorer to Brandon Roy really hurts them. Whereas UConn can realistically get double digit outputs from 6-7 different players. Washington will not be able to play inside with UConn's forwards, UConn has yet to play a dominate game in the tournament and this is a perfect matchup for them to make a statement.

(7) Wichita State vs. (11) George Mason

How they got here:
Wichita State: wins vs. (10) Seton Hall 86-66 and (2) Tennessee 80-73
George Mason: wins vs. (6) Michigan State 75-65 and (3) UNC 65-60

Things to look for:
Homecourt advantage- I thought UConn was the #1 seed in the bracket?? I am not accusing the NCAA selection committee of looking past teams but I don't think many people saw George Mason beating perennial powerhouses Mich. St and UNC. Like a surreal dream George Mason is pretty much playing in their backyard for the round of 16.

Mid-Major Madness- In previous years any mid-major team that made it to the round of 16 would have the unlucky fate of playing one of the big boys from one of the nation's premiere conferences. However because of the rising parity in college basketball two mid major teams have finally made it to the second weekend for a chance to play in the elite 8.

Line: George Mason -2
George Mason ATS - 17-9-2 (2-0 NCAA tournament)
Wichita State ATS - 15-13-1 (2-0 NCAA tournament)

Pick - George Mason
I will be honest and tell you I really do not know too much about both of these mid major teams. That said, I believe with George Mason playing at home basically and the fact that they beat Wichita St. @ the Shockers arena earlier in the year justifys the pick. Wichita St. deserves credit for the games they won, although Seton Hall was probably the Big East's weakest selection and Bruce Pearl's kids started to look fatigued because of the high tempo game they play. George Mason took a much tougher path beating Final Four regulars Michigan St. and the defending National Champs in North Carolina.