The Bum's Friday's Pod's !

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"Sweet 16" showdown pits Tennessee against Ohio State

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - For the second time in four years, Ohio State and Tennessee meet in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, as the second- seeded Buckeyes clash with the sixth-seeded Volunteers tonight at the Edward Jones Dome. The winner of this bout will meet the survivor of the Northern Iowa/Michigan State matchup in the Midwest Regional finals on Sunday.

These two clubs last met in the Big Dance in 2007, with the top-ranked Buckeyes capturing an 85-84 victory in the regional semifinals in San Antonio. OSU would go on to play for the national title that season. Overall, the Buckeyes own a 4-1 edge in the all-time series with Tennessee, which won the most recent meeting, 74-69, in 2008.

The Vols navigated their way to the program's third Sweet 16 appearance under head coach Bruce Pearl with wins over San Diego State (62-59) and Ohio University (83-68) in the first two rounds last week. This is the school's sixth all-time appearance in the regional semifinals and Tennessee has yet to move on past this round.

On the flip side, the Buckeyes took care of UC Santa Barbara (68-51) and Georgia Tech (75-66) in the first two stages and they have now won nine consecutive games. OSU is making its fifth appearance in the Sweet 16 and the school's first since reaching the championship game in 2007.

The Vols shot a blistering 56.7 percent from the floor and outscored Ohio in the paint, 58-12, as they notched an 83-68 win on Saturday. Tennessee also slowed down the Ohio attack, holding the Bobcats to just 37.9 percent shooting from the field. J.P. Prince, who had 15 points in the first round, scored 18 points to lead the way and Scotty Hopson tacked on 17. Wayne Chism and Brian Williams combined for 17 points and they each grabbed 12 caroms as well. On the season, Hopson paces Tennessee with 12.5 ppg and he also has 36 steals to his credit. Chism adds 12.7 ppg and a team-high 7.2 rpg for the Vols, who rely on a balanced attack.

Evan Turner rebounded from a poor performance by tallying 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a win over Georgia Tech on Sunday. Turner was also responsible for half of the team's 18 turnovers, but it was still a much better showing than his nine-point effort in the first round. Jon Diebler scored 20 points in the win over Georgia Tech, while David Lighty had 18 points and three assists. A Naismith Trophy candidate, Turner is the player that make this team go and he leads the squad with 20.0 ppg, 6.0 apg and 9.2 rpg. William Buford follows with 14.4 ppg and 3.1 apg, and he had 25 points in the first two rounds. Jon Diebler, who led the team with 23 points in the first round, averages 13.3 ppg for the season, and Lighty pitches in with 12.8 ppg and 2.9 apg.

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Purdue meets Duke in "Sweet 16" matchup

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Hoping to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2004, the Duke Blue Devils will take the floor at Reliant Stadium against the Purdue Boilermakers in an exciting Sweet 16 matchup in the South Region.

The Boilermakers limped into the tournament, but after two games the team looks poised to continue its impressive run. Purdue, which is now 33-23 all- time in the NCAA Tournament, opened this event with a 72-64 victory over Siena, and followed that with a thrilling, 63-61 overtime decision against Texas A&M. The win over the Aggies put the Boilermakers into the Sweet 16 for the second straight season, and a victory over Duke would land Purdue in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2000.

The Blue Devils had no trouble in their first-round matchup, as they pounded the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, 73-44. Duke, which is playing as the one-seed for the ninth time in the last 13 seasons, followed that victory with a convincing, 68-53 decision over California in second-round action. As a number one seed the Blue Devils are 39-8 and all-time in the NCAA Tournament and the Blue Devils are now a sensational 90-30. This is the 11th time in the last 13 seasons that Duke has reached the Sweet 16.

The Boilermakers have won four of the six matchups against Duke in the all- time series. However, Duke won the last meeting on the hardwood in the BigTen/ACC challenge a year ago.

The winner of this matchup will take on either Saint Mary's or Baylor in the South Regional final.

The Boilermakers went into halftime down seven points to Texas A&M, but the second stanza is where Purdue fought back and eventually forced the Aggies into overtime. In the extra session, Chris Kramer scored six of Purdue's eight points, including the game-winning layup with four seconds remaining in overtime. Kramer finished with a team-high 17 points and also pulled down seven rebounds, while E'Twuan Moore added 15 points and six rebounds. JaJuan Johnson tallied 11 points, while D.J. Byrd posted 10 points. Kramer has really stepped up after averaging a modest 6.7 ppg this season. Moore has been the go to player for Purdue all year long, leading the team with 16.4 ppg and 92 assists. JaJuan Johnson has been the interior force for Purdue, as the big man is posting 15.3 ppg and a team-high 7.2 rpg. However, Johnson has had to endure more pressure with the loss of Robbie Hummel and his 15.7 ppg. As a whole, the team is producing a mediocre 70.9 ppg, but for the Boilermakers to get past Duke they will need to continue their stingy defensive play, as the team is surrendering just 61.0 ppg.

The Blue Devils were not at their best in their second-round matchup against California, but Duke still managed to come away with a 15-point victory and a spot in the Sweet 16. Duke shot a respectable 47.4 percent from the field, but the team finished just 3-of-17 from long range. Nolan Smith led the way in the win with 20 points, while Kyle Singler added 17 points. Brian Zoubek dominated in the paint, as the center recorded a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. However, the team's leading scorer, Jon Scheyer, finished with just seven points in the victory. Despite the low output, the guard is still pacing the squad with 18.1 ppg, and has also dished out a team-high 175 assists. Singler and Smith have also been important pieces to the puzzle this year, as Singler is netting 17.7 ppg and grabbing 7.0 rpg, while Smith is contributing 17.2 ppg to go along with 99 assists. The Blue Devils have been outstanding at the offensive end of the floor this season, averaging 77.6 ppg, behind a respectable 44.3 percent shooting effort. However, often overlooked is the team's efforts defensively, as Duke is limiting the opposition to just 61.0 ppg.

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Gaels and Bears square off in Houston

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - In a NCAA Tournament that has been filled with surprises the Saint Mary's-CA Gaels are one of those "Cinderella" teams that are looking to continue their tremendous run, but to do so they will have to get past the Baylor Bears this evening in a Sweet 16 matchup at Reliant Stadium.

This will be the second Sweet 16 appearance for the Gaels in the program's history and the team's first since 1959. Saint Mary's posted their first NCAA Tournament win since that 1959 season with a first-round decision over Richmond, and followed that victory with a thrilling, 75-68 victory over Villanova in the second round. Saint Mary's, which is 3-5 all-time in the tournament, tied a school record for wins in a season with 28.

The Bears will be participating in their first-ever Sweet 16 when they take the floor this evening. Baylor, which is now 5-7 all-time in this event, opened the tournament with a 68-59 victory over Sam Houston State and followed that win with a 76-68 decision over Old Dominion in the Second Round. With the win over the Bearkats in the first round the Bears set a school record for wins in a season, passing the 1945-46 squad that collected 25 victories.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the hardwood, and the winner of this matchup will move into the Elite Eight and will face either Purdue or Duke.

The Gaels continued their solid play in a second-round meeting against Villanova, as Saint Mary's upended the second seed in the South Region by a seven-point margin. The Gaels shot a solid 50.0 percent from the floor and connected on 20-of-26 attempts from the foul line. Once again the team relied on the inside presence of Omar Samhan, who poured in 32 points, to go along with seven rebounds. The backcourt tandem of Mickey McConnell and Matthew Dellavedova also got involved, as McConnell tallied 15 points, while Dellavedova posted 14 points. Samhan, who has dominated in the two tournament matchups, is currently pacing the Gaels with 21.5 ppg, 10.9 rpg and 97 blocks. McConnell has been a tremendous floor general throughout the season, and comes into this contest averaging 14.0 ppg, to go along with a team-high 172 assists. Dellavedova has distributed 146 assists on the season and is netting 12.3 ppg for Saint Mary's, which as a whole is producing an impressive 79.4 ppg. The Gaels are shooting a respectable 48.8 percent from the floor on the year, and come into this matchup netting an outstanding 41.1 percent from behind the arc.

Baylor led by as many as 14 points in the first half against Old Dominion, and never looked back, as the Bears defeated the Monarchs in second-round action by an eight-point margin. LaceDarius Dunn overcame six turnovers by pouring in 26 points, to go along with six rebounds. Josh Lomers added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Tweety Carter dished out eight assists, to go along with 12 points. Dunn is clearly the best scoring option for Baylor, as the guard is averaging an impressive 19.4 ppg. Dunn has been very dangerous from behind the arc throughout the season and is netting 42.0 percent of his attempts from long range. Carter has been a tremendous floor general, as the guard has distributed a team-best 181 assists, to go along with a 15.1 ppg.Taking control of the play in the paint has been Ekpe Udoh, who is posting 13.9 ppg, to go along with team highs in rebounds (9.7 rpg) and blocks (128). As a whole, the Bears are producing a respectable 77.3 ppg, behind an equally impressive 48.9 percent shooting effort.

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Sides has been golden tonight in the NBA and College Hoops..the Totals have sucked big time..........