3 key things to look for when the Zags take on FSU

After knocking off Missouri in a first-round West Region matchup, the No. 9 Seminoles responded with an impressive win over top-seeded Xavier. These two teams last met in 2013 in a game MI won 82-80.

Kansas State knocked off No. 5 seed Kentucky 61-58 Thursday and Florida State defeated Gonzaga 75-60 to put those two No. 9 seeds just one game away from the Final Four.

If the Noles can turn Gonzaga over and hold them near 46 percent shooting or less it should be a recipe for success.

Florida State streaked to a 23-11 lead shortly before the midway point of the first half, but Gonzaga calmly replied with a 16-3 run to reclaim the lead.

That said, it hasn’t been an easy path to the Sweet 16.

Next up for the Noles is MI, who boat raced Texas A&M in the first game of the Thursday night doubleheader from LA. But worldwide players also learn the game differently, with more emphasis on skill development rather than an endless parade of games.

– Gonzaga is 1-1 against nine seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga has had tougher matchups than originally expected against UNC-Greensboro and Ohio State, however, the Bulldogs are still one of the best two-way teams left in the tournament and now rank 10th in scoring offense and 51st in scoring defense. “They allow us to challenge them and to coach them”.

That was followed up by an absolute dominant performance by the Michigan Wolverines over Texas A&M. Forrest also dished out a game-high six assists while Mfiondu Kabengele blocked a game-high four shots in the win.

Lloyd had seen Hachimura in a FIBA under-17 world championship game when he scored 25 on a US team that featured Jayson Tatum and Caleb Swanigan.

Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura moves the ball against UNC-Greensboro during an NCAA men’s college basketball tournament first-round game, Thursday, March 15, 2018, in Boise, Idaho. The last player opponents want to foul is Josh Perkins, who has hit all 17 of his shots during that stretch.

It was a game of runs beginning with an action-filled back-and-forth first half.

Florida State is 3-11 SU and 4-10 ATS in its past 14 games against the Big Ten.

MI is 2-6 ATS in its past eight games against the ACC. Sounds like a recipe for a high-scoring, Hollywood-style game.

I am taking MI in this showdown.

The Seminoles magical run may not be done just yet, but the national title runner-up from a year ago is poised to get back to the top and win the title this time.

There’s plenty of drama in the South Region, where the top four seeds are done and watching the NCAA Tournament on TV. They weren’t even a lock to get a berth, having lost three of their final four games, including to Louisville in their first game in the ACC tournament.

GOING DEEP: Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton uses 11 players extensively on a regular basis.

Hachimura, playing a bigger role on short notice, finished the game with 16 points and nine rebounds. Both teams match up extremely well against one another and it’ll be interesting to see if the Seminoles can pull off yet another upset.