[Cactus Jack]

Thoughts and predictions here?

I'm a big fan of Evangel's Isaiah Chitapa. He might not be their leading scorer, but I don't think that they're the same team without him and could see him wreaking havoc defensively and on the glass. Doerr and Tilley will need to shoot the ball well. Will be interesting to see how well Evangel responds early on-- they're coming off a late game tonight and had a very tough opponent in Trinity. A few hours might not seem like a big deal, but I'm a big believer in the rest and recovery process, especially for a team that had a lot of kids cramping. Eagles will need to stay out of foul trouble, especially when it comes to putting Huff or Noah on the line and letting them see the ball go through the net.

For Harlan County, I think it goes without saying that Noah and Huff will need to bring their A-games. If Huff is taking good shots and gets hot, it brings another dimension. The supporting cast will need to give the Bears some help and limit mistakes and mental errors if they want to come out victorious, but it isn't impossible. 

I suspect that this will be Noah's toughest test when it comes to getting clean looks, possibly even if Black Bears were to move on and face Great Crossing. I thought Warren Central had some good defenders but suspect that Evangel is going to play more man across the board and are physically able to play it a bit more aggressively than the Dragons. Not trying to knock Campbell County's kids, because they had some very, very skilled players, but their game was much more finesse and they weren't what I'd call an overly physical team, especially when compared to some rough mountain kids.

If the Black Bears can take care of the basketball and keep it close, I'd have to imagine that the crowd will really be getting behind them, which can be a very big deal in a Sweet 16 game.