With the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament completed, the excitement for the Sweet 16, which begins Thursday, is strong. Former famous Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski discussed what he witnessed over the weekend during his Sweet 16 preview on his Sirius XM show, “Basketball & Beyond with Coach K,” on Tuesday.
With the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament completed, the excitement for the Sweet 16, which begins Thursday, is strong. Former famous Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski discussed what he witnessed over the weekend during his Sweet 16 preview on his Sirius XM show, “Basketball & Beyond with Coach K,” on Tuesday.
No. 7 seed Kansas and No. 2 seed St. John’s, who were viewed by some as possible Final Four and possibly national title candidates, were defeated by the Razorbacks in spectacular upset victories. “I really thought that the team that was the star team of the weekend was Arkansas,” Krzyzewski stated. “Because of who they had to beat-Kansas and St. John’s-and in doing that, John Calipari had to go against Bill Self, who’s as good as there is, and Rick Pitino.”
Due in large part to their season’s ups and downs, the Razorbacks were seeded in the double digits by the SEC going into the tournament. But more important than seeding is when you start to find your rhythm and get hot at the right moment, which appears to be Arkansas at the moment. This is comparable to what N.C. State accomplished last season as a No. 11 seed when they won the ACC Tournament, advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and made it to the Final Four.
During an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, John Calipari disclosed that Adou Thiero, who has been out since February 22 and averages 15.6 points per game, will be available on Thursday night when Arkansas plays the No. 3 seed Texas Tech Red Raiders. However, Arkansas still needed to win two games to reach this point.
