The road to the Final Four is shrinking as the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is in the books. 16 teams are still hoping to earn a ticket to Indianapolis, with a slew of blue bloods and power conference threats contending for one of the coveted Final Four slots.
Anyone betting on Florida to get to the Final Four has seen their bracket busted while some teams's expectation levels have changed after seeing them in action for a pair (or trio in the case of Texas) of tournament games. Let's re-set the landscape and break down who will get to the Final Four out of each region.
West Region
There is a lot of intrigue out West, with San Jose seeing some intriguing matchups loaded with NBA talent. The highlight figures to be Arizona and Arkansas, which could feature three lottery picks with Braydon Burries, Koa Peat and Darius Acuff Jr.
Acuff has been the star of the tournament, averaging 30 points per game and delivering big shots on Saturday night to help the Razorbacks survive an upset-minded High Point group. The depth that Arizona has, however, will be enough to push them past Arkansas and into the Elite Eight.
The other game in the West features the only double-digit seed left in Texas, which earned its way to this point with three wins over quality foes to go from the First Four to the Sweet 16. Sean Miller has done an excellent job in his first year in Austin but the Longhorns don't have the firepower to contend with Purdue, which has shot well in the NCAA Tournament.
The regional final between Arizona and Purdue could be electric as Matt Painter's veteran group features several players who were a part of the Boilermakers' national runner-up team from two years ago. The talent gap does matter, however, and the Wildcats take care of business to help Tommy Lloyd reach his first Final Four.
Prediction: Arizona
East Region
The heavyweight matchups the committee was hoping for on paper materialized after the first weekend. Duke wobbled a bit but made it to take on St. John's, which is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999, while UCONN and Michigan State take stage in the nightcap of an incredible doubleheader in Washington, D.C. on Friday night.
The return of Patrick Ngbonga II on Saturday was huge for Duke, which needs him to be their defensive anchor in the paint. The Blue Devils have the kind of massive front line that should allow them to copy Kansas' game plan against St. John's, which packed the paint and dared the Red Storm to beat them from the perimeter. The Red Storm took the bait, taking 35 threes and hitting just 11, and if they duplicate that effort against Duke they will be bounced since the Blue Devils have a lot more fire power.
The other game is projected to be one of the tightest of the entire round as UCONN is just a 1.5-point favorite over Michigan State. The Spartans' rugged defensive style can give the Huskies fits but Michigan State's own perimeter issues will lead to their downfall, setting us up for a Duke-UCONN regional final on Sunday that should be the late game in the CBS doubleheader.
As frustrating as it has been to see UCONN play down to its competition once league play began, there is a championship level product in there. The Huskies finally show it and take down the Blue Devils, who finally pay for the absence of Caleb Foster in this matchup.
Prediction: UCONN
Midwest Region
Expect the United Center to be lit up with maize and blue as Wolverines' faithful make the short trip to Chicago to support one of the favorites to win a national championship. There were some concerns for Michigan as they struggled a bit down the stretch but Dusty May's group looked very sharp in their first two NCAA Tournament games.
Alabama draws the unenviable task of facing Michigan first and will hope to ride their electric offense, which put up 90 points in back-to-back tournament games, to one of the bigger upsets in this year's dance. The absence of guard Aden Holloway, their second-leading scorer who was suspended after being arrested prior to the tournament, will be too much for the Crimson Tide to overcome here.
The other matchup between Iowa State and Tennessee may well come down to the availability of two injured stars: Joshua Jefferson of the Cyclones and Nate Ament of the Volunteers. Ament has been playing through pain in March while Jefferson is hoping to return for Friday's game, but the depth that the Cyclones have will prove to be the difference here.
The regional final between Michigan and Iowa State will be a competitive affair as the Cyclones have shown the ability to take down some of the best teams in the country. The advantage that the Wolverines have in terms of size and length will prove to be too much, however, helping May reach the Final Four for the first time with Michigan.
Prediction: Michigan
South Region
There are two big storylines to watch in the South Region: Houston's home court advantage at the Toyota Center and the fact that three Big Ten teams are also here. The Big Ten hasn't won a national championship since Michigan State cut down the nets in 2000, making this region one to watch for fans of the proud basketball conference.
The region's top seed was already bounced as Florida was upset by Iowa, making the Houston-Illinois showdown the top game to watch here. Having home court advantage will be big for the Cougars, but the Fighting Illini's ability to get hot from the perimeter will allow them to advance and ruin Kelvin Sampson's dreams of winning his first national championship.
Few would have pegged Iowa and Nebraska as a Sweet 16 matchup at the start of the tournament, but we will be lucky to watch this matchup between two programs that absolutely cannot stand each other. The Cornhuskers are very motivated to avenge a mid-February loss in Ames, which saw Hawkeyes' fans storm the court after an upset of then-No. 9 Nebraska, and Fred Hoiberg keeps their dream season alive with a trip to the Elite Eight.
That will set the stage for an all-Big Ten showdown between Nebraska and Illinois, which could turn into a Nebraska home game as their fans are highly motivated to travel for this contest. The teams split their regular season series, with each winning on the other's home floor, but a neutral site should favor the team playing better down the stretch, which is Illinois.
Prediction: Illinois