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March Madness is well underway and we'll giving a full breakdown on each region for the upcoming Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games.
This NCAA Tournament has been one of the wildest March Madness seen in years. I'm here to tell you some teams that I believe in for the next two rounds of the tournament. Hopefully these are the teams you have alive in your bracket! Now let's get to it. You can also find our analysis of the South and West Regions here.
Editor's Note: If you are interested in more college basketball columns, you can also check out our CBB DFS lineups picks and daily league predictions.
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Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight Picks for the East and Midwest
#1 Virginia will take on #4 Iowa State in the first of four games on Friday. Iowa State has a dynamic offense led by Georges Niang, scoring 94 and 78 in their first two tournament games. The Cyclones were the 13th highest scoring offense this season, averaging 82 points a game. But Iowa State's defense lags far behind their offense, as they were 244th in the NCAA, allowing 75 points a game. Virginia's offense may not be so good, they rank 214th, but anyone can score on Iowa State. As we already know, defense wins championships. Virginia had the second best scoring defense allowing 59 points a game. Cavaliers defensive stud Malcolm Brogdon will take out Georges Niang, leading to Iowa State's offense to stagnate. Virginia should take care of the Cyclones.
#10 Syracuse plays #11 Gonzaga in the game after Virginia- Iowa State. Syracuse should not have made the tournament, and I don't care they made the Sweet 16. The Orange were 19-13 entering the tournament, I still don't understand how a team gets in with under 20 wins. They beat Dayton and were extremely lucky to face Middle Tennessee in the second round. No way they would have beaten Michigan State. Gonzaga has been the hottest team in the tournament, dismantling Seton Hall by 16 points and Utah by 23 points. Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer have been playing fantastic and look unstoppable. Sabonis is the perfect player to beat Syracuse's 2-3 zone. He can pass, shoot, and expand the zone. Syracuse looked shaky against Middle Tenesse and trailed by two points in the second half before blowing it open, winning by 25 points. Syracuse gets their comeuppance in this one.
If Gonzaga were to play Virginia in the Elite Eight, it would give the Zags a chance to become the fourth 11-seed to advance to the Final Four. They are tall and long, but Tony Bennett is such a great defensive coach and his team is so disciplined I think it will be hard for Gonzaga to beat them. You have to be near perfect to defeat Virginia and I am not sure Gonzaga can play that kind of game. Virginia must be thrilled to see Michigan State go out in the First Round, due to the Spartans defeating Virginia two straight years in the NCAA Tournament. This year is the year for Virginia to advance to the Final Four.
#6 Notre Dame plays #7 Wisconsin in the early game in the Midwest region. Wisconsin got to this point by beating Pittsburgh in the most boring game of the tourney thus far, winning 47-43. Then beat Xavier on a Bronson Koenig 3-point buzzer beater from the corner. Notre Dame had two really tough games, coming from behind in both to beat Michigan and Stephen F. Austin. This game will be really even throughout. Wisconsin will really need Nigel Hayes to step up, as he has been non-existent in the tourney thus far. I think the Fighting Irish eke out a close one though. Zach Auguste has been playing great and when he plays that well, Notre Dame clicks. I also give the coaching edge to Mike Brey. Wisconsin lost a ton of talent to the NBA this season and it will show in this game.
#5 Indiana vs. #1 North Carolina is a heavyweight matchup. This game will be the best game of the Sweet 16. Yogi Ferell against Marcus Paige will be some point guard showdown. Carolina will need Paige to step up after two games where he underperformed. Carolina big man Brice Johnson is a beast on the boards. He out jumps everyone and is simply near-impossible to stop. Indiana has been helped vastly with the play of OG Anunoby. He can wreak havoc on the defensive side and will be a key player off the bench for the Hoosiers. Carolina can not get off to a slow start like they did against Florida Gulf Coast and Providence. Indiana will jump all over them in that case and Carolina will not be able to come back against them. Whoever wins this game is going to the Final Four and I am going to go with the Hoosiers in what will be an incredible game.
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