The Elite 5 and the Cinderellas

3 of 8 isn’t bad right? That’s a better percentage than every bracket made so far.  I don’t know if that’s true, but what I do know is the month of March never goes as planned.  In my Sweet 16 picks the Ramblers lived up to expectations winning by a single point. Michigan took down A&M with ease and Villanova surpassed West Virginia pulling away late.  My two biggest upset predictions, Clemson and Syracuse, both lost by less than 5 points which would’ve stunned the Midwest region.  Lastly, the two biggest shockers were the wins of K-State and Florida State.  Those I did not see coming.  Now we move on to the next stage and the predictions continue.

Loyola-Chicago vs. Kansas State (-1)

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas State is coming off of huge upset win over the top ranked team that remained in the South region.  They only put up 61 points on Kentucky, but as a team they shut down the Wildcats offense.  K-State forced 15 turnovers and were picked up by awful free throw shooting by PJ Washington.  As for Loyola-Chicago the improbable run continues.  They live and die in the paint with 24 of their 29 makes last game coming under the basket.  Their biggest shot though is not a two-pointer, rather a three.  In the first round and in the Sweet 16 the Ramblers have come away with a win because of a three point shot at or near the buzzer.  They also rank top five in scoring defense nationally and have a secret weapon that most teams don’t have.  That weapon is Sister Jean.  The Ramblers basically have God on their side so expect another miracle when time expires.  Upset Alert!

Prediction: LCHI   66 – 62   KSU

Florida State vs. Michigan (-4)

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First Xavier, now Gonzaga? Florida State is one of the hottest teams still remaining in the tournament.  They dominated Gonzaga and were led by Terance Mann who scored 18 tacking on 5 rebounds.  This run is about to end.  They are going up against their toughest opponent yet.  Michigan is coming off of their biggest win of the tournament.  The Wolverines put up 99 points against Texas A&M shooting over 60% from the field and 58% from three.  They are also one of the best defensive teams remaining in the tournament.  They totally dismantled A&M as a team giving up just 28 points at half.  This game will remain close but expect Michigan to continue on to the Final Four.  The Wolverines were lead last game by Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman who put up 24 points shooting 9 of 16 from the field.  Michigan will disrupt the offensive force of FSU with their defensive pressure and with how well they share the ball on offense.  They won’t lose.

Prediction: FSU   67 – 74   MICH

Texas Tech vs. Villanova (-6.5)

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Villanova is the obvious favorite in this game.  They are led by Jalen Brunson who averages 19.3 a game and makes over half of the shots he takes.  The Wildcats had a roller coaster of a game against West Virginia until the final 10 minutes when Brunson took over.  He ended the game with 27 points shooting 8 of 15 from the field.  He was backed by both Bridges and Spellman putting up double digits in the scoring column.  The Wildcats have another tough match up.  The Red Raiders bring their defensive pressure and that’s about it.  Keenan Evans has been the heart and soul of Texas Tech averaging over 17 a game.  In addition, he has been the leading scorer for the Red Raiders throughout the tournament but expect Nova to shut him down in this one.  The top scoring team in the nation will easily handle this one and make their way to their 5th Final Four appearance.

Prediction: TTU   71 – 84   VILL

Kansas vs. Duke (-3)

Miranda Anaya/KANSAN

This match up looks more like an expected Elite Eight game.  A one seed against a two seed.  However, most would not expect the two seed to be the favorite.  Duke is a 61% favorite to win this game and rightfully so.  They are the overall better team.  We can’t ignore the play of Devonte’ Graham all tournament long but what we can do is look at the logistics.  Duke is the better team talent wise.  They are led by Marvin Bagley III who averages 22 ppg and shoots 61% from the field.  Bagley has put up 22 points in all three tournament games so far and expect that to continue.  Duke had a close battle with Syracuse previously but Kansas had a near nail biter against Clemson, too.  The reason I favor Kansas in this game is because it’s practically a home game for them.  The location of the game is in Omaha, just over 3 hours from Lawrence, and Kansas plays well in front of a fan base that travels well.  They are 14-4 at home this season and although this isn’t a true home game, but compared to Duke, Omaha is in Kansas’ backyard.  Based on the spread consider this an Upset Alert!

Prediction: KU   85 – 80   DUKE