March Madness games today: Everything to know about NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight schedule
Two spots remain for a trip to the greater Phoenix area, site of next weekend’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament Final Four. Those reservations will be secured via Sunday’s regional finals in Dallas and Detroit.
This much we do know. An ACC team will grab one ticket, and the other will go to a program with very hungry fans that will either experience championship weekend for the first time in nearly half a century or possibly the first time ever. We also know that no matter what we think will happen, this event always delivers twists and turns, and there are sure to be more. Without further ado then, let’s get to the matchups.
No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 2 Tennessee, 2:20 p.m. ET, CBS
The Midwest Regional is the only one of the four in which the top two seeds held, setting up this Elite Eight showdown that guarantees elation for one fan base and continued misery for another. Such is the nature of sport. These teams already met this season in the star-studded field at the Maui Invitational in November, with the Boilermakers prevailing 71-67 in a foul-filled affair. This contest will also not lack for physicality, as the Volunteers are well aware that generating turnovers with ball pressure is the best way to derail Purdue’s attack. Tennessee’s lock-down defender Santiago Vescovi could help with that if he’s available, but he sat out Friday’s game with flu symptoms. Regardless, there’s more to the Boilermakers’ offense than just getting the ball in deep to Zach Edey, particularly when Fletcher Loyer and Lance Jones are knocking down threes. The key to the whole operation is Braden Smith, who is having a superb tournament running the point thus far, including 15 assists against Gonzaga on Friday. Tennessee is also capable of going on a lengthy scoring run, like the one they used to pull away from Creighton in the region semifinal. The Vols would like to get Dalton Knecht and Josiah-Jordan James going early from the arc, but ultimately the game could hinge on whether Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka can hold their own on the boards against Edey and Trey Kaufman-Renn.
No. 4 Duke vs. No. 11 North Carolina State, 5:05 p.m. ET, CBS
So Dallas has become an ACC city a little ahead of schedule it would seem. To fully appreciate just how improbable this run by N.C. State truly is, keep in mind that the Wolfpack concluded the regular season on a four-game losing streak. So to say they didn’t exactly have momentum on their side before their odyssey through the ACC tournament is an understatement. They’re certainly familiar with Duke, whom they’ve played twice in March already. The Blue Devils took the first encounter during that aforementioned N.C. State skid, but the Wolfpack won the rematch in the tourney quarterfinals thanks to more contributions from their perimeter scorers. D.J. Horne and Casey Morsell have been integral to N.C. State’s postseason success, but Duke still figures to have the edge in the backcourt depth with Jeremy Roach and Jarrod McCain leading the way. The great equalizer for the Wolfpack will be in the paint, where D.J Burns and Duke’s Kyle Filipowski will test their very different skillsets against each other.
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