Half of the Elite 8 is set. No major surprises so far. Will we see some more upsets from the crazier right side of the bracket? Let's take a look.
7:15PM, CBS - (11) UCLA vs. (2) Gonzaga - UCLA has done pretty well for themselves for a team most people didn't think should even be in the tournament. Remember, this is a team who lost 5 in a row in late December and early January. They're 6-1 over their last 7, though, including their win over a good SMU team in the first round. The Bruins are also familiar with their opponent. They played Gonzaga on December 13 and lost - the first of that aforementioned 5 game losing streak. The Zags won that game by 13 points, which was closer than the game really was. Gonzaga cruised. UCLA has improved since then, but have they improved enough?
7:37PM, TBS - (8) NC State vs. (4) Louisville - When Louisville lost 3 of 4 in mid-February, not many people would have picked them as a Sweet 16 team. They also lost 2 of their last 3 games before the tournament including a loss in their first game in the ACC Tournament to North Carolina. But that's what makes the NCAA Tournament so unpredictable because here they sit in the Sweet 16. Credit Pitino for getting his guys tournament ready. And while we're talking about surprising Sweet 16 teams, let's talk about NC State. The Wolfpack got a signature win over Duke on January 11. They followed that up by losing 6 of their next 8 games. They were in danger of missing the tournament altogether. They rallied, though, and won 6 of 7, including a 9 point win against Louisville on the road. Will that game give them confidence coming in? No doubt. Will that matter? We'll see.
9:45PM, CBS - (5) Utah vs. (1) Duke - It's not that Utah is bad offensively because they aren't. It's just that they're so good defensively, that's what people focus on. The Utes give up just 56.9 points per game. That total is up over their last 9 games to 60.7 points per game - a stretch in which the Utes are just 5-4. And that should tell you all you need to know about the key to the game for Utah. They have to keep Duke's offense in check. The Blue Devils shoot better than 50% from the floor and score more than 80 points per game. If this game is in the 80s, Duke will win. If it's in the mid-60s, give the edge to Utah.
10:07PM, TBS - (7) Michigan St. vs. (3) Oklahoma - Michigan St. had a very Tom Izzo-like year. They were solid but not spectacular in the regular season. They went into the Big 10 Tournament on a roll and made a run to the championship game where they took 1-seed Wisconsin to overtime before losing. And since the ball tipped in their first round NCAA Tournament game, they have been playing great basketball. That's what Izzo seems to do every single year. He has his team ready to go for March. Virginia fell victim this year (and last). Oklahoma will be the next team to try to slow down the Spartans. The Sooners had to be glad to see Iowa St. get eliminated. Oklahoma has lost to the Cyclones twice in the month of March. The good news? That's the only team Oklahoma has lost to since February 14. Nobody else has gotten to the Sooners - not Texas, not Kansas, not Oklahoma St. Will Michigan St. be the next to fall to the Sooners or will the Spartans keep their run going?
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