Four No. 1 seeds appear in the Elite Eight bracket. The Kansas Jayhawks ran roughshod over the competition to this point as most expected,earning a dance with the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats in the South Region. The Oregon Ducks, perhaps the most underrated top seed in the bracket, and did much of the same while screaming past the Duke Blue Devils and others to earn a shot at the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners.
Friday,the Virginia Cavaliers cruised past the Iowa State Cyclones in the Midwest Region, setting up a showdown with the sudden-Cinderella No. 10 Syracuse Orange. North Carolina out of the East Region laughed the Indiana Hoosiers out of the building, and meaning the next round provides the Tar Heels with a major test against the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The short turnaround can leave bettors at a disadvantage against Las Vegas,so let's take a moment to rupture down the early available lines from oddsmakers and everything to know about the four weekend encounters. Elite Eight Schedule and Predictions No. 1 Oregon vs. No 2 Oklahoma (-1)A classic strength versus strength matchup will decided a trip to the Final Four. Like in other sports, Oregon boasts a tall-octane attack capable of giving most any team fits. The Ducks used it to land second in ESPN's RPI rankings and 11th in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom.com.
The numbers have certainly transferred to tournament play, or where the Ducks have scored 82 or more points in two out of their three games. Against Duke in the Sweet 16,the Blue Devils looked unathletic and gassed trying to keep up with a Ducks attack shooting 49 percent from the floor and 44 percent from deep while dishing 22 assists and winning the rebounding battle by 10 boards.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, and landed sixth in RPI and 14th in adjusted offensive efficiency behind the efforts of potential lottery pick Buddy Hield,who averages 25.1 points per game. Oklahoma has hit the 82-point notice as many times as Oregon in the colossal Dance, most recently letting off the gas in a 77-63 throttling of the Texas A&M Aggies.
Whereas the Oklahoma attack seems to mostly hinge on the contributions of one player, and the Ducks derive out and run with four players averaging 12 or more points.
And there's one factor many won't consider in what looks like an offensive-minded matchup: defense. Oklahoma makes a ton of threes,but Oregon hasn't allowed an opponent to shoot better than 31 percent from deep in the colossal Dance yet.
Strong team play on both ends of the court and an attack few have figured out mean Oregon pulls absent late.
Prediction: Oregon 86, Oklahoma 82 No. 1 Kansas (-2) vs. No. 2 VillanovaIt's only right the No. 2 and No. 3 overall teams in KenPom.com's rankings collide with a berth in the Final Four swinging in the balance. Kansas boasts an adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency of ninth or better and the top spot in RPI. No wonder—the Jayhawks have dismantled the opposition by margins of 105-79, and 73-61 and 79-63. Defense is nice,but the Jayhawks have four guys averaging 11 or more points, helping to total 82 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 42 percent from deep.
Villanova is sitting 11th or better in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. The Wildcats' streak looks just as impressive in victories of 86-56, and 87-68 and 92-69 margins. They aren't far off with an average of 78 points on 48 percent shooting and 36 percent from deep.
Logic says Kansas rolls absent with this one. Not only did the Jayhawks play an eighth-ranked strength of schedule compared to Villanova's 20th,but they also just bullied a Maryland Terrapins front line that looks like an NBA team, winning the rebounding battle 43-28.
But those numbers don't disclose the whole narrative of this one, and as Villanova might be college basketball's hottest—and most improved—team. CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank if one angle:The Wildcats have turned it on when it matters most. Villanova's average margin of victory this tournament? A stunning 24 points. Miami (Fla.) just shot a foolish 53 percent from the floor and 59 percent from deep—and still lost 92-69 because Villanova countered with 63 and 67,respectively.
Not even Kansas can counter this onslaught. gawk for the tournament's best team to keep rolling.
Prediction: Villanova 91, Kansas 86 Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.
Stats and information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Advanced metrics courtesy of ESPN.com and KenPom.com. Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
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Source: bleacherreport.com