After three rounds of March Madness, we have finally reached the Elite Eight. The lack of Cinderella runs has been a little disappointing this year, but having eight of the top nine teams in the nation in the regional finals will give us some fantastic basketball on Saturday and Sunday.
Last round in the Sweet Sixteen, I was so close to a perfect round, but my risky choice of taking a Maryland upset failed. I went 7-1 in the round and now sit at 45-11 overall. But this isn’t bad — I’m already beating my 42-21 record from last year. Time to finish off the year with seven straight, and it starts with these four games in the Elite Eight.
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 3 Texas Tech: These two teams had very different Sweet Sixteen matchups. Florida dominated Maryland, winning 87-71. As for Texas Tech, they had the second largest comeback in Sweet Sixteen history, coming down from as much as 16 to force overtime and win 85-83 in OT. Texas Tech had an absolutely dominant performance on the offensive glass, but that will be a much harder task against Florida with their overall skill at all positions and physicality on rebounds. They are so insanely well rounded, from Walter Clayton, Jr., running the point, to Rueben Chinyelu down low. For Texas Tech to win this one, they will need a better shooting game from Darrion Williams. I have Texas Tech in my bracket, but something is telling me to pick Florida to move on.
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 Alabama: Duke had themselves a close one against Arizona, and despite Arizona’s Caleb Love dropping 35 points, Cooper Flagg did number 1 pick things and dropped 30 to propel the Blue Devils. Alabama did what they do best, and despite BYU’s impressive 88 points, Alabama scored an absolutely unbelievable 113 points. Duke showed that Bama’s offense isn’t as big of a concern to them as they dropped 100. The big fact is, Alabama was so reliant from three-shooting 25-51 from behind the arc, and Duke was able to be very efficient, shooting 33-55. I wish these two could play in San Antonio, but only one moves on, and I have to go with Duke. They have a top 5 rated defense and the no. 1 offensive rating according to the KenPom, and Alabama simply won’t be able to match that.
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 2 Tennessee: Houston survived a nailbiter against Purdue, winning 62-60 off a wild inbound play to take the lead with 0.9 seconds left. In every game, Houston has held their opponent to 10 or more points less than that team’s season average. Their defense is elite. Tennessee had a fantastic game, finally getting their win over Kentucky as they beat them down 78-65. Their ability to limit fouls and get to the free throw line was a huge factor. For their matchup against Houston, it will be much harder for the Volunteers to succeed on both sides of the court. Looking at how both teams play — and they play very similarly — I like Tennessee and really like Chaz Lanier’s ability to get buckets. But Houston is better at both aspects of the game: best defense in the country and a slightly more trustworthy offense. Give me the Houston Cougars to be my third team in San Antonio.
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Michigan State: Auburn wouldn’t even be playing on Sunday if it weren’t for Tahaad Pettiford turning up in the second half. He turned the momentum on the side of the Tigers and they came out with a 78-65 win against Michigan. As for the Spartans, they also showed themselves to be a second-half team, scoring 42 in the final 20 to outlast Ole Miss 73-70. Michigan State did what they do best once more, scoring lots of points off the bench, with 21 bench points in the Sweet Sixteen win. In the second round they had 36 bench points, and in the first round they had 46 bench points. I cannot count Auburn out so fast though, they are another extremely well-rounded team, being third in offensive and eighth in defensive rating. This game is circled on my calendar, as I think Michigan State gives Auburn a tough matchup with their great defense and coaching, and the Spartans are able to take down the no. 1-overall seeded Auburn Tigers to take the last spot in the Final Four.
There you have it: My official Final Four matchups are no. 1 Duke versus no. 1 Houston, and no. 1 Florida versus no. 2 Michigan State.
Bryce Norwood can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu