The Sweet 16 games from the left side of the bracket were a mixed bag. On the one hand, we had the great games between Arizona and Xavier and Wisconsin and North Carolina. On the other, we had Kentucky and West Virginia. That's all behind us now, though, and it's time to focus on the Elite 8.
6:09, TBS - (2) Arizona vs. (1) Wisconsin - Both of these teams were popular pre-season picks to make the Final Four. Both were popular picks to come out of this bracket. So far, they have both lived up to the hype. This is going to be an epic game between two teams who are well coached, evenly matched, and familiar with each other. Remember, Arizona was knocked out of last year's tournament by Wisconsin in the Elite 8. Revenge will certainly be on the minds of the Wildcats, but revenge alone won't win this game. Just like confidence won't win the game for Wisconsin. Both teams will have to execute and defend. Both teams are capable and deserving Final Four teams, but only one can come away from the game with tickets to Indianapolis.
8:49, TBS - (3) Notre Dame vs. (1) Kentucky - Kentucky had no problem with West Virginia's press. The Wildcats absolutely dismantled the Mountaineers in statement-making fashion. Word of advice to Notre Dame: don't smack talk. It's becoming more and more obvious that the best way to beat Kentucky is to catch them off guard. West Virginia made sure that wasn't going to happen, and they paid for it. Notre Dame won't make that same mistake, but can they figure out Kentucky's defense? Notre Dame is one of the best shooting teams in the country, and they can knock down the 3. They will spread the floor and try to out-shoot Kentucky. That's their best bet because the Irish are woefully undersized compared to UK. Notre Dame doesn't rebound well against their average competition, and, it's safe to say, this is their average competition. To make up for the beating they're going to take on the interior, they will need to hit a lot of those 3s.
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