2016 NCAA Tournament: Elite Eight Preview

Mar 24, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason III (0) celebrates during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins in a semifinal game in the South regional of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

2016 NCAA Tournament: Elite Eight Preview

Who will advance to the Final Four in Houston? I have my picks here for those of you that are still playing the round by round games. My full bracket still has a chance, which tells you just how many people had the old guard winning. Michigan State, Duke, and Kentucky were all popular picks!

South Region:

(1)Kansas vs. (2)Villanova

Chalk held in both Saturday games. Kansas blew the doors off of Maryland in the second half. Villanova is probably playing their best basketball of the season, and it couldn’t come at a better time for them.

I’ve said the whole time that Kansas might be the most complete team. Outside of Xavier, they are the deepest team. They are likely going to need all of that against a red hot Villanova team. The Wildcats are racking up 82 points a game in March. Kansas plays at a pace that might allow the Wildcats to make 80 again, but if they do. I think it favors Kansas.

I do think that Villanova keeps it close. If Kansas has bouts of inconsistency like they did against Maryland, they could lose this game. Villanova’s high energy guards will keep Kansas busy, but its hard to go against the athletes and experience of Kansas.

Pick: Kansas

Next: West Region

March 24, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Jordan Woodard (10), forward Ryan Spangler (00), guard Buddy Hield (24) and guard Christian James (3) huddle before play against Texas A&M Aggies during the second half of the semifinal game in the West regional of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

West Region:

(1)Oregon vs. (2)Oklahoma

Oregon dismantled a pretty good Duke team in the second half. Duke finally ran into a team that could wear them out. Oklahoma put on one of their most dominant performances of the season against Texas A&M. If Jordan Woodard can play like that for the rest of the tournament, the Sooners will be tough to beat.

Oregon gets a team with another thin bench in Oklahoma. They aren’t quite as thin as Duke, but they are close. The problem for the Ducks is that Ryan Spangler and Khadeem Lattin could dominate the middle. Duke had no size in the middle. Teams with size have fared better against Oregon.

Oklahoma is playing more like a team than they have at any other point this year, and that includes the game in which they dominated Villanova in December. I think that gives them a slight edge over Oregon, but if Oklahoma goes cold or Oregon shuts down the supporting cast, Oklahoma loses this game.

Homerism wins again! I’m not giving up on the team now!

Pick: Oklahoma

Next: East Region

Mar 24, 2016; Philadelphia , PA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) reacts with teammates during practice the day before the semifinals of the East regional of the NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

East Region:

(1)North Carolina vs. (6)Notre Dame

The closely called game favored North Carolina, and they were never really tested by Indiana. Wisconsin gave the game away. The Irish finished the game on a 8-0 run, fueled by three Wisconsin turnovers in the last 30 seconds.

This is not a good matchup for the Irish. Brice Johnson can dominate the interior and no one has been able to stop Marcus Paige. Zach Auguste had another good game, and he will have to play out of his mind to keep the Irish in this. If they go cold at any time like they did for most of the first half against Wisconsin, they will get blown out of the building.

Pick: North Carolina

Next: Midwest Region

Mar 24, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Anthony Gill (13) and guard London Perrantes (32) during practice the day before the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

Midwest Region:

(1)Virginia vs. (10)Syracuse

Virginia started fast and was able to hold off Iowa State whenever they got within six points. Georges Niang did everything he could, but no one else got going for the Cyclones. The Virginia defense was just too tough. The Orange were well on their say to getting dismantled by Gonzaga before a furious second half flurry. By the way, I am really glad that Syracuse wasn’t screwed over by the missed call. I wanted to see Gonzaga win, but not like that.

Virginia only beat Syracuse by 8 in Charlottesville earlier this year, but after watching Virginia the last two weeks, they are playing like a team on a mission. They are tough. They play really good defense, and this year the offense has caught up. Syracuse wont lie down, but I have a hard time seeing them beating Virginia right now, no matter how well they play.

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