DETROIT — And then there were eight. The Elite 8.
After two games at Little Caesars Arena on Friday night — 1-seed Purdue took down 5-seed Gonzaga 80-68 in the first opener before Tennessee beat Creighton 82-75 in the nightcap — the matchups which will determine the final four are set, including the matchup of the top two teams in the Midwest region which will take place Sunday afternoon in downtown Detroit.
Below are picks from Michigan State beat writer Chris Solari and Michigan beat writer Tony Garcia, as they select who will advance to next week’s Final Four in Phoenix.
East (Boston) − 1-seed UConn vs. 3-seed Illinois
Garcia: Illinois, the nation’s top offense in the regular season, just defeated Iowa State and its No. 1 rated defense. Now it takes on defending national champion UConn. Terrance Shannon Jr. has been the best player on the court for the past month, but the Huskies have not stopped dismantling teams. It won’t be the same level of blowout as their first three games, but the Illini’s turnover problems come back to bite them as coach Dan Hurley starts to put himself in some elite company with another Final Four trip. Pick: UConn 89, Illinois 80.
Solari: As much a difference as Shannon has made for the Illini in their deepest run since their NCAA runner-up finish in 2005, no team in the country has been more consistent or dominating as UConn. Not even advance scouting on former Rutgers star Cam Spencer will help Illinois against a deep Huskies squad that has scoring and versatile threats aplenty. Pick: UConn 84, Illinois 73.
West (Los Angeles) − 4-seed Alabama vs. 6-seed Clemson
Garcia: It sounds more like a College Football playoff matchup as Alabama’s high-octane offense orchestrated by former River Rouge coach Nate Oats, against a Clemson team many picked to lose in the first round. The Tigers can fill it up, namely with PJ Hall, but it’s just too much Tide offense for the Tigers to keep up with. Pick: Alabama 88, Clemson 83.
Solari: Someday, this could be an SEC matchup. Instead, the Southern belles will battle in the Big Dance for a spot in the Final Four. Stopping the Hall will be a tough task for the guard-oriented Crimson Tide, but Clemson won’t be able to shut down Ohio transfer Marc Sears as Oats’ team controls the pace and rolls into its first Final Four. Pick: Alabama 86, Clemson 77.
Midwest (Detroit) − 1-seed Purdue vs. 2-seed Tennessee
Garcia: Purdue’s performance vs. Gonzaga was surgical Friday. The Boilermakers had assists on 70% of its made shots, and made 45% (9 of 20) of their 3-pointers, while Zach Edey had a ho-hum 27 points and 14 rebounds, Braden Smith nearly had a triple-double with 14 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds, and Lance Jones and Fletcher Loyer both chipped in double-figure scoring. The Boilers don’t feel like they have a weakness right now and are rolling at the right time, even if Dalton Knecht has led Tennessee to just its second Elite 8 in program history. Pick: Purdue 78, Tennessee 69.
Solari: Sure, the Vols are coming off a strong showing defensively against Creighton’s 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner. But as Gonzaga learned, facing Edey is like a heavyweight title bout the way the 7-4, 300-pound reigning national player of the year wears opponents down. Like UConn, the Boilermakers have been consistent all season and finally end their 44-year Final Four drought. Pick: Purdue 75, Tennessee 68.
South (Dallas) − 4-seed Duke vs. 11-seed N.C. State
Garcia: It’s an ACC clash to get to the Final Four as Duke and N.C. State meet for the third time this month, having split the first two meetings. Kyle Filipowski vs. DJ Burns. Jeremy Roach vs. D.J. Horne. Cinderella vs. the big bad Blue Devils. This is the good stuff, unless you’re a fan of the Wolfpack whose dream season comes to a crushing end. Pick: Duke 75, NC State 71.
Solari: As if you thought Duke would disappear with Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement, Jon Scheyer’s team outslugged No. 1 seed Houston in a dogfight to advance after bowing out in the first weekend of last year’s NCAAs in his debut season. The Wolfpack knocked the Blue Devils out of the ACC tournament quarterfinals, so Filipowski and Co. will have revenge on their minds and make it look more like their 15-point road win in their only regular season meeting. Pick: Duke 82, NC State 68.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Eight 8 predictions: Final Four picks for 2024 NCAA tournament
