Tickets to the Final Four are on the line. Here are predictions of who will win the Elite Eight matchups and earn a trip to New Orleans.
The road to the Final Four has been filled with chaos as top seeds have gone down in dramatic fashion throughout March Madness. Gonzaga and Arizona, two of the remaining 1-seeds entering the Sweet 16, both fell on Thursday night while Duke’s dramatic survival means that Mike Krzyzewski’s history-making final ride stays alive for at least one more game.
Who will win in the Elite Eight and find their way to New Orleans next Saturday night? Read on for predictions of each matchup set to take place over the next two days.
March Madness predictions for the Elite Eight on Saturday, March 26
South Region: No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 5 Houston – 6:09 p.m. ET on TBS
There hasn’t been a scarier team in the field than Houston, which has won all three of its tournament games by at least a dozen points, including a 72-60 beating of Arizona on Thursday night. Villanova has played well thus far in March Madness but they are going to run into a buzzsaw as the Cougars return to the Final Four for a second straight year.
Prediction: Houston
West Region: No. 2 Duke vs. No. 4 Arkansas – 8:49 p.m. ET on TBS
Arkansas’ toughness overwhelmed Gonzaga, whose guards couldn’t score enough to win a slower-paced game. Duke has done that in two consecutive rounds with wins over Michigan State and Texas Tech so look for Jeremy Roach to stay hot as the Blue Devils help Krzyzewski get back to the Final Four for the final time.
Prediction: Duke
March Madness predictions for the Elite Eight on Sunday, March 27
Midwest Region: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 10 Miami – 2:20 p.m. ET on CBS
The Jayhawks withstood a second-half push from Providence to get to the Elite Eight, giving them a great shot to be the only 1-seed to reach the Final Four. While the Hurricanes have had a great year and deserve a ton of credit for getting here they simply don’t have the horses to get past Kansas in this one.
Prediction: Kansas
East Region: No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s – 5:05 p.m. ET on CBS
It’s hard to believe what we’ve seen with Saint Peter’s, which has gone on the greatest Cinderella ride in March Madness history to come within 40 minutes of reaching the Final Four. Bad coaching from Matt Painter cost Purdue a chance to win on Friday night but the red-hot Tar Heels should have enough to outlast the Peacocks to get to the Final Four in Hubert Davis’ first year as head coach.
Prediction: North Carolina
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