Elite 8 Picks: Will Favorites Roll Again?

As expected, the regression was hard and swift. After a 2-1 Thursday, Gonzaga collapsed in epic fashion, and underdogs Iowa State and Indiana had fleas and were toast by halftime. There seems to be no value in the Elite 8. Two big ACC favorites, a tossup out West, and the game of the weekend in Kansas vs Villanova.

Kansas -2 vs Villanova: The world seems to be on Villanova. Like a fool, I’ll back Bill Self and the Jayhawks, who have a history of losing as a #1 seed in the Elite 8 (see VCU in 2011 and UCLA in 2007). Can the Wildcats stay hot against Ken Pom’s #5 overall defense? I’ll guess no.

UNC -9.5 vs Notre Dame: Irish will be looking for revenge after the 31-point loss a few weeks ago. Eventually, bad defense catches up with you – the Irish are, by far, the worst defensive team left in the tournament. The Irish are the much better 3-point shooting team here, and they’re going to need all of them, especially if the Tar Heels shoot as well as it did against Indiana.

Excited for Oklahoma vs Oregon, but rooting for Buddy Hield, and don’t have a play. Have a feeling Oregon wins. I’d like to take Syracuse +8.5 (and dropping), but I’m so pissed Gonzaga gagged, I may not even watch this game until the 2nd half. Virginia’s outside shooting concerns me. Malcolm Brogdon is 2-of-10 on 3-pointers in the tournament (and was 2-of-9 in the game before that, the ACC Title game).