2018 Elite Eight Bracket Picks and Expert Predictions

by Trevor Whenham - 3/24/2018

And now there are eight. And, I must say, when one of the eight remaining teams is the one you live and breathe for, the tournament generally holds a bit more excitement. Yes, what I am saying is that the world is a better place when Michigan is playing basketball in March. And, even more so, in April. Needless to say, I had Michigan winning their last game and heading to the Elite Eight and beyond. That's the good news. The bad news is that for me, and most of the rest of the continent, the rest of the left side of my fresh Sweet 16 bracket took a serious beating. I saw Kentucky and Gonzaga winning with some serious style points. Oops. I know the Loyola-Nevada game would be close, but I severely underestimated the power of Sister Jean. She is a singular force of nature.

South

I truly believe it would have been impossible to see this result coming. Not tough. Not challenging. Actually impossible. The only way you were picking Loyola and Kansas State is if you went to one school and your mom went to the other. If you don't have personal connections and you picked this pairing then you are either brilliant, smart, or incredibly stupid. Now it comes down to the final task for us - figuring out which team prevails.

There are bizarre things happening on both sides. Loyola has won three tournament games by a total of four points. Can only get one point tighter than that - and you really wouldn't want to. K-State has somehow gotten this far without their best player and with a season that hardly inspired anyone.

This is just so strange. And unique - the previous seven times a No. 11 made the Elite Eight they were playing a No. 1. I gave the Wildcats almost no chance of beating Kentucky, so I am clearly not an authority on them. But that victory had as much to do with Kentucky losing as the opposite. I still feel like Loyola is the better overall team, though I wish they would win more decisively. What the heck - let it ride on Sister Jean. Loyola wins the region.

West

Michigan is doing something right in the karma department. They have a chance to make the Championship Game while never playing anything higher than a No. 6 seed. Insane. That win over Texas A&M went as well as a game can possibly go, but the strong defense and dialed in offense is no fluke - I was telling you guys this team was good, and not just because I'm a fan. I like the matchup against Florida State a lot. The Seminoles beating Gonzaga was as impressive as it was unexpected, but Michigan creates issues on both ends of the court. Florida State needs to push the pace and disrupt the shooting for Michigan while shooting the best they have all tournament. That's a lot to hope for, and it just isn't going to happen. Michigan keeps winning.

Midwest

I keep waiting to be impressed by Kansas, and it just isn't happening. I really didn't like that Clemson team at all, but it was a much closer game than it should have been. Kansas feels like a fragile team just looking for a cliff to plunge off. And Duke should be that cliff. Things were a little tougher against Syracuse than would have been ideal, but it's March so the Orange are going to be feisty. Duke's offense is sound right now, and their defense is dialed in. Neither of these teams has any consistency, so it's hard to have a ton of faith. But Duke has deeper talent, and they are playing better right now. Duke wins the region.

East

I've had Villanova winning the tournament since before it began. And because everything has gone to heck time and again already in my brackets, I'm going to scrap that and gamble. What do I have to lose at this point? Villanova looked tired in the second half of their win. It was as if the effort of playing a full game was too much for them physically. I didn't like seeing that. And this Texas Tech team plays heavy and is going to wear them down. They played dominant ball on both ends of the floor against Purdue, and they are playing with real belief. I was concerned coming into the tournament that their lack of institutional experience would be a problem, but it sure hasn't been. I'm gambling and taking the Red Raiders. This is indeed a gamble, though, the Villanova squad is a veteran team that knows not to panic.

Final Four

Sorry Sister Jean, but your chariot turns into a pumpkin here. Michigan is, by a wide margin, the best team Loyola will have faced, and it will be too much. Loyola can't be overlooked - we have learned that by now - but they will find it hard to come from behind in this one. And no sooner did I have Texas Tech pull off a shocking upset than I have them losing here. Duke is better and more experienced, and the zone will create too many issues. And for the final game. My heart obviously tells me that Michigan will beat Duke. And my head? Sometimes you have to tell your head to screw off. I don't even care what it has to say in this situation. Go Blue!

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2018 Elite Eight Bracket Picks and Expert Predictions

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