SB Nation Kansas City: All Posts by Jeff Briggshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48935/kc-fave.png2013-04-06T07:00:04-05:00https://kansascity.sbnation.com/authors/jeff-briggs/rss2013-04-06T07:00:04-05:002013-04-06T07:00:04-05:00Wichita St. tries to continue its Cinderella run
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<figcaption>Jeff Gross</figcaption>
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<p>The Wichita State Shockers try to continue their Cinderella run when they face the top-overall seed Louisville Cardinals in the Final Four on Saturday.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/wichita-st-shockers" class="sbn-auto-link">Wichita St. Shockers</a> will try to pull off another upset when they face the top-seeded <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/louisville-cardinals" class="sbn-auto-link">Louisville Cardinals</a> in the first Final Four matchup on Saturday.</p>
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<p><br id="1365035267786"> The No. 9 seed Shockers have surprised everyone with their postseason run, knocking off No. 8 Pittsburgh, No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 13 La Salle, and No. 2 Ohio State en route to their first Final Four appearance since 1965. Wichita State has gotten it done with a team effort, spreading the scoring around evenly. Guard <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100872/malcolm-armstead" class="sbn-auto-link">Malcolm Armstead</a> was named the West Regional's Most Outstanding Player, but six different players have scored in double figures during the tournament for the Shockers.</p>
<p>If Wichita State wants its run to continue it will have to play its best game of the season on Saturday against Louisville. The Cardinals have won 14 straight games and breezed through the tournament, winning by an average margin of 21.75 points per game. Armstead needs to have a strong game against the Louisville pressure defense for the Shockers to have a chance.</p>
<p><b>Game Date and Time</b>: Saturday, April 13, 6:09 p.m. ET</p>
<p><b>TV</b>: CBS</p>
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https://kansascity.sbnation.com/2013/4/6/4180884/ncaa-final-four-wichita-state-vs-louisville-game-time-tv-scheduleJeff Briggs2013-04-03T19:57:59-05:002013-04-03T19:57:59-05:00Wolverines the popular pick to advance past Orange
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Most experts believe the Michigan Wolverines will top the Syracuse Orange and advance in the second Final Four game on Saturday.</p> <p>If Wichita State can find a way past Louisville, they will face the winner of the second Final Four game between the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/michigan-wolverines" class="sbn-auto-link">Michigan Wolverines</a> and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/syracuse-orange" class="sbn-auto-link">Syracuse Orange</a>. The experts are predicting that the Wolverines will figure out the Orange 2-3 zone defense and advance.</p>
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<p>Syracuse and Michigan took relatively similar roads to get to this point, reaching the Final Four as the No. 4 seeds out of their regions. Both teams knocked off their respective No. 1 seeds, although Syracuse dispatched Indiana with ease, while Michigan needed a fantastic last effort from <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145685/trey-burke" class="sbn-auto-link">Trey Burke</a> to push Kansas to overtime and eventually defeat the Jayhawks.</p>
<p>The Orange are two-point underdogs against the Wolverines, and the expert picks back up the odds. All four CBS Sports experts <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/ncaa-tournament/expert-picks/straight-up/national-semifinals">predict a Michigan win</a>, advancing them to play against Louisville in the championship. At OddsShark, their modeling system projects a tight game, but an <a href="http://www.oddsshark.com/ncaab/final-four-prediction-michigan-wolverines-visit-syracuse-orange-in-college-basketball-clash-april-06-2013">80-79 Wolverines victory</a>. Predictions expert Nate Silver at the <i>New York Times</i> blog Five Thirty Eight gives Michigan a slight advantage, with a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/18/sports/ncaabasketball/nate-bracket.html?_r=0">51.9 percent chance of victory</a>.</p>
<p>Silver gives the Shockers a 4.7 percent chance of cutting down the nets on Monday night, by far the lowest of the four remaining teams.</p>
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https://kansascity.sbnation.com/2013/4/3/4180980/final-four-predictions-syracuse-michiganJeff Briggs2013-04-03T18:57:55-05:002013-04-03T18:57:55-05:00Experts all picking against Shockers in Final Four
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<figcaption>Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY</figcaption>
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<p>No one is giving Wichita State much of a chance against Louisville.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/wichita-st-shockers">Wichita St. Shockers</a> will face the overall No. 1 seed <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/louisville-cardinals">Louisville Cardinals</a> in the Final Four on Saturday and few believe they have much of a chance to win. Every expert is predicting a Cardinals victory, but none of them thought the Shockers would make the Final Four to begin with.</p>
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<p><br id="1365033360598"> Wichita State ran through the West Region as the No. 9 seed, reaching their first Final Four since 1965. Along the way they knocked out both No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Ohio State, surprising everyone. They will have their toughest test yet on Saturday against a Louisville team that has decimated its opponents, winning by an average of 21.75 points in the tournament.</p>
<p>The Shockers are 10.5-point underdogs and few experts are giving them a chance to knock off the mighty Cardinals. All four CBS Sports experts not only <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/ncaa-tournament/expert-picks/straight-up/national-semifinals">predict that Louisville will win</a>, but also <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/ncaa-tournament/expert-picks/against-the-spread/national-semifinals">predict that they will cover</a> their 10.5-point spread. At OddsShark, they predict things will be a bit closer as their models <a href="http://www.oddsshark.com/ncaab/final-four-prediction-louisville-favored-by-95-against-wichita-state-on-saturday-april-06-2013">project a 82-75 Louisville victory</a>. Predictions expert Nate Silver of The New York Times blog Five Thirty Eight gives the Cardinals a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/18/sports/ncaabasketball/nate-bracket.html?_r=0">84.6-percent chance of advancing</a> to the championship. Shocker fans shouldn't be too worried, as <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/parity-in-n-c-a-a-means-no-commanding-favorite/">Silver only gave them a 1.3-percent chance of advancing to the Final Four</a> at the start of the tournament.</p>
<p>Tip off is scheduled for 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday.</p>
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https://kansascity.sbnation.com/2013/4/3/4180806/wichita-state-vs-louisville-final-four-predictionsJeff Briggs