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And Then There Were Eight...

  • Zach
  • Mar 24, 2018
  • 3 min read

We're already through the first three rounds of the tournament; 56 games down and only seven games to go. How crazy is that? What's even crazier is the wild results we've had all March long.

Though our pick to win it all, West Virginia, was outgunned and outrun by Villanova, this is still the year of the upset and we're presented with an intriguing Elite Eight matchup. In just two days we'll know our Final Four, so here's how we did with our predictions and who we think our Final Four will be.

Our Correct Predictions:

  • Loyola-Chicago kept its reign going as it overcame Nevada

  • Michigan blew Texas A&M out of the water

  • Texas Tech comfortably defeated shorthanded Purdue

  • Clemson couldn't compete against Kansas

  • Duke was able to hold Syracuse at bay

What we Missed:

  • Kentucky failed to overcome Kansas State

  • Florida State rose above Gonzaga

  • West Virginia couldn't handle Villanova

Sweet Sixteen Score: 5/8

Overall Score: 39/56

Elite Eight Decisions:

  • Loyola-Chicago is going to keep the March Madness magic going as they overcome a fourth higher seed in Kansas State. The Wildcats of course proved their two-way prowess against the formidable Kentucky and demonstrated an ability to go on scoring runs. The Ramblers, on the other hand, have shown themselves to have a very underrated team defense that can run both the press and the zone coverage with ease. With offensive star center Cameron Krutwig working down low and moving the ball around, the offense moves seamlessly and has no difficulty handling even the strongest defenses. Kansas State, similarly to all of the Ramblers' opponents thus far, will have to rely on their play in the paint and their rebounding on the offensive end to take advantage of Krutwig's defensive shortcomings.

  • Michigan has finally done it. Not only have they not lost in 12 games, but they have finally hit full stride as they looked like one of the most dominant teams in their 17 point win over the Texas A&M Aggies. Though Florida State has now knocked down two of the most adept teams in the tournament in Xavier and Gonzaga, their relatively weak defense, solid offense, and athleticism won't carry them over the 16th best defense in Michigan. Additionally Michigan has the 13th best average margin of victory and should be able to comfortably overcome the Seminoles off the hot hands of Moritz Wagner, Muhammed-Ali Abdur-Rahman, Charles Matthew, and the clutch play of Jordan Poole.

  • Villanova was able to defeat the most overall shutdown team in college basketball, West Virginia, and have so proven themselves to be the most dominant team in the tournament. The Wildcats were in a defensive, yet high paced grudge match with the Mountaineer that still resulted in a 90-78 result. Texas Tech on the other hand was able to comfortably defeat shorthanded Purdue with freakish athleticism, plenty of second chance opportunities, and the help of Purdue's extremely sloppy play that resulted in 17 turnovers. Villanova, as the top scoring offense in D1 and possessing the 2nd highest margin of victory, should be able to comfortably handle the relatively sloppy and inefficient Texas Tech.

  • Kansas got off to a solid start against the extremely inefficient Clemson, but ended up letting them go off on a monumental run in the second half and nearly lost. Kansas has also struggled with Penn and especially Seton Hall, who has a star big man in Angel Delgado. Duke has overcome arguably their biggest challenge yet in the lengthy Syracuse and their tandem of forwards played excellently, and so should be able to top the play of the out-of-form Jayhawks. Duke, Villanova, and Michigan are absolutely the most in form teams in the tournament and Duke should win by a comfortable margin over Kansas.

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