Quarterbacking the Chicago Sweet Sixteen

Four Floor Generals

(Chicago, MO) – Four outstanding point guards will be quarterbacking the Chicago Sweet Sixteen. Iowa State, Tennessee, Alabama and Michigan each have truly outstanding floor generals. During a season when the talk of college basketball has been about the resurrection of the big man game, these distributors will be the keys to success.

Quarterbacking Game One

Alabama (25-9) faces Michigan (33-3) and neither team broke a sweat in their first two games of this tournament. Alabama beat Hofstra by twenty-points and Texas Tech by 25. Michigan dispatched Howard by twenty-one points and Saint Louis by 17.

These are offensive juggernauts with each ranking in the top six in kenpom’s offensivie efficiency rankings and they’ve scored at least 90 points in each of their NCAA Tournament games. Talent abounds, but the point guards are the conductors of these offensive orchestras.

The point guard matchup in this one is intriguing. All Southeastern Conference guard Labaron Philon Jr and all Big Ten honorable mention point Elliot Cadeau each played a year of Prep School ball at Link Year Academy (Branson, Missouri).

Philon is an outstanding scorer and adequate distributor and Cadeau is an aggressive distributor. Cadeau spent two seasons at North Carolina before joining the Wolverines and Philon has spent both of his collegiate seasons at Alabama.

Cadeau says Philon is one of the best guards in the country and a three-level scorer. During March Madness Philon had one game with 29 points and handed out twelve assists in the next. Cadeau has 16 ‘helpers’ in the Wolverines’ first two tournament games.

Cadeau says going to Link was like going to college a year early. While at Link Cadeau and the Lions won a national championship and his experience there was invaluable.

“I felt like when I went to Link, I went to college a year early,” said Cadeau. “It was literally set up as a college. We had a college coach and multiple NBA players on the team. It kind of showed me like what the level of college was. We won the national championship there and my coach was very great.”

Philon is the tallest of the four quarterbacks in this regional and most prolific scorer.

Floor Generals of Game Two

Tennessee (24-11) meets Iowa State (29-7) in a similar point guard show down. Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey has spent his four collegiate seasons for his home town team. Tennessee’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie started his career at Belmont, spent last season at Maryland playing his senior season for his home town team.

Lipsey is one of the all-time greats in Iowa State history. The Ames, Iowa native has tallied nearly 1,500 points, grabbed over 500 rebounds and is three assists away from 600 during his four-year Cyclone career.

While Gillespie has spent time in three different programs, he has scored over 1,900 points and is 19 helpers away from 600. These two have jaw-dropping numbers.

Lipsey says the Cyclones need to stay ‘urgent’ if they’re going to be successful. He says Gillespie is a talented offensive player.

“He’s a great shooter from the outside,” said Lipsey. “I love going against other great point guards. Having a matchup against a great point guard is always fun to just compete and try to beat his team. I have a lot of respect for him as a player.”

The two hometown guards are hoping to lead their childhood teams to victory.

The talent in the players quarterbacking the Chicago Sweet Sixteen teams is unique and dynamic.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo is Ja’Kobi Gillespie.