We're down to just eight NCAA Basketball teams in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, with quite a few surprises to this point. Just one No. 1 seed remains after Bay.
They’ll need it against North Carolina in the Elite 8 matchup but after beating a 2, 3, and 7 seed, beating an 8 seed shouldn’t be that difficult. We still have a few juggernauts left that have to think they’re the favorites to win the national title but who is truly the best? And they’re not the only double-digit seed left, as Miami defeated Iowa State to get to this point.
A closer look at the Elite Eight games on Saturday's slate for the NCAA Tournament.
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On Saturday, two teams will reach the Final Four. Villanova takes on Houston at 6:09 p.m. and Duke faces Arkansas at 8:49 p.m. Both games are on TBS. The ...
9:20 p.m.: Matchup TBD at New Orleans (TBS) 8:49 p.m.: Matchup TBD at New Orleans (TBS) No. 1 Kansas vs. 6:09 p.m.: Matchup TBD at New Orleans (TBS) No. 4 Arkansas at San Francisco, 8:49 p.m. (TBS) No. 5 Houston at San Antonio, 6:09 p.m. (TBS)
Your bracket is now just smoke in the wind. Let it dissipate. Invite yourself to be thankful, dare I say Zen, about your defeat...
(Also keep in mind that this was Iowa State, the nation’s fifth-best defense per KenPom.) The Boilermakers started to feed 6'10" senior Trevion Williams, who after scoring just two points in the first half finished with a game-high 16. A rocky relationship with the program seemed to hamper his progression. Slowly. They only grabbed their first lead with just under six minutes remaining in the game. This was when the crowd started to smell whatever enters the air when Cinderella appears at the top of the stairs. Purdue went without a field goal in the first six minutes of the second half. Super-center Chet Holmgren was conspicuous in his absence, confined to the bench for much of the first half thanks to two early fouls and fouling out with 3:30 left. The team has always struggled with shot selection, and in this game heaved up a lot of off-balance, heat-check type garbage, as reflected in their 7-of-25 conversion rate from three. Duke just survived the nation's No. 1 defense per KenPom in Texas Tech, so Arkansas won't be much of a novelty. Arkansas is associated with rock fights, but they like to get out in transition, too, and could use their speed to stay ahead of Duke’s bigs. Even with all this, Banchero still got his in the end, and he did it when it mattered most. That was a needed addition to the production they get from star guards Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore.
Gonzaga and Arizona are out after losing in the Sweet 16. How will their exits shake up the rankings for the Elite Eight teams?
Remy Martin’s emergence has become an X-factor for Kansas as Bill Self’s team is set up nicely to at least reach the national championship game, giving them the best shot to win of anyone still standing. It’s hard to believe that this team was squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble a month ago. This ranking is based purely on the talent disparity between Saint Peter’s and the teams above them but the Peacocks have shown that anything can happen in a 40-minute game. Eric Musselman did a tremendous coaching job by getting his team to push Gonzaga around and knocking the nation’s highest-flying offense out of whack. It’s safe to say that the ranking exercise of the Sweet 16 teams goes to show that predicting March Madness is a fool’s errand. The Peacocks have shown no fear of the moment and are incredibly well-coached, giving them an excellent chance to win on any given night.
Elite Eight action in the NCAA Tournament begins on Saturday and we are bringing you our best bets for the two games.
The Blue Devils rank second in opposing free-throw rate and hold opponents to the third lowest percentage of points from the free-throw line. The Hogs’ aggressive style of basketball is part of the reason why they are 26th nationally in free-throw rate and score the eighth highest percentage of points from the charity stripe. Look for the Cougars to win and cover as they book a trip to the Final Four. It’s a big reason why the Cougars are favored in this matchup; in fact, they are suddenly the second favorites to win it all (behind only Kansas), now that Gonzaga and Arizona are both gone. Houston also boasts a fundamentally sound offense and it is a great rebounding team – especially on the offensive end of the floor. Despite being a No. 5 seed in the Big Dance, the Cougars are second in both KenPom’s and BartTorvik’s efficiency rankings.
Tipico Sportsbook provides the odds and game lines ahead of Saturday's Villanova-Houston matchup in the Elite 8.
But are these two defenses actually going to hold the opposing offenses to such inefficient nights? When these two teams take the court on Saturday they’ll have a lot in common — toughness, elite coaching and top-tier defenses, just to name a few. I also have seen Jay Wright, over the past six years, lead his teams to two national championships. Houston is the favorite to win this game. It’s somewhat surprising when you factor in who its opponent is, but I can’t say that the Cougars aren’t worthy of the expectation. So what should we expect when the two squads get together on Saturday in San Antonio for their Elite 8 matchup?