I didn't get to picks for the second half of the Sweet 16 but for the record, I would have taken Gonzaga over UCLA, Duke over Utah, and Louisville over N.C. State. I'm not sure who I would have taken in the Oklahoma-Michigan State game, honestly, so I'll say I would have went 3-1 yesterday and 6-2 in the Sweet 16 overall.
Today
No. 2 Arizona (34-3) vs. No. 1 Wisconsin (34-3) in Los Angeles, 6:09 p.m. TBS
These teams have similar models for winning and have identical overall and conference records. I thought at the beginning of the tournament Arizona was one of the only teams that could beat Kentucky. UK of course looked amazing in whipping West Virginia and Arizona struggled with Xavier but I'm going to stick to my guns and pick these Wildcats in a close one over the Badgers, who also had a tight win over North Carolina.
Arizona 70, Wisconsin 68
No. 3 Notre Dame (32-5) vs. No. 1 Kentucky (37-0) in Cleveland, 8:49 p.m. TBS
Now the Fighting Irish get a shot at Kentucky. No one perhaps looked better in the Sweet 16 than Notre Dame in its impressive victory over Wichita State in basically controlling the game from start to finish. There's one caveat, though. Notre Dame did not look better than Kentucky in its absolute demolition of West Virginia. How can I not pick the Wildcats after that showing? Good luck Irish, and don't poke the bear like the freshman from WVU did. The Irish will need to hit lots of 3s to stay in it, but I don't think they have the size to score enough points on the Wildcats.
Kentucky 70, Notre Dame 60
Sunday
No. 7 Michigan State (26-11) vs. No. 4 Louisville (27-8) in Syracuse, 2:20 p.m. CBS
It is pretty crazy either of these teams have gotten this far. MSU has 11 losses and has not been your typical Tom Izzo-coached team this year but has gotten hot at the exact right moment. I noticed it in the Big Ten title game when Sparty nearly knocked off Wisconsin. Louisville looked like a shell of itself after losing suspended point guard Chris Jones in February, but has somehow survived and advanced through the tournament after barely hanging on to beat UC Irvine in the second round. The Cardinals I would say have looked slightly better overall so I'll give them the nod in a game that pits Hall of Fame coaches against each other.
Louisville 66, Michigan State 63
No. 2 Gonzaga (35-2) vs. No. 1 Duke (32-4) in Houston, 5:05 p.m. CBS
I have been surprised by how good Gonzaga has looked. I expected the Bulldogs to once again be overrated but instead, they have made their first Elite Eight since 1999. Unfortunately, Duke has looked pretty good, too, and I'm unconvinced Gonzaga can pull out a win over the Blue Devils. I have never been a fan of Gonzaga, ever since it beat Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but I will pull for the Bulldogs in this case.
Duke 69, Gonzaga 65
Today
No. 2 Arizona (34-3) vs. No. 1 Wisconsin (34-3) in Los Angeles, 6:09 p.m. TBS
These teams have similar models for winning and have identical overall and conference records. I thought at the beginning of the tournament Arizona was one of the only teams that could beat Kentucky. UK of course looked amazing in whipping West Virginia and Arizona struggled with Xavier but I'm going to stick to my guns and pick these Wildcats in a close one over the Badgers, who also had a tight win over North Carolina.
Arizona 70, Wisconsin 68
No. 3 Notre Dame (32-5) vs. No. 1 Kentucky (37-0) in Cleveland, 8:49 p.m. TBS
Now the Fighting Irish get a shot at Kentucky. No one perhaps looked better in the Sweet 16 than Notre Dame in its impressive victory over Wichita State in basically controlling the game from start to finish. There's one caveat, though. Notre Dame did not look better than Kentucky in its absolute demolition of West Virginia. How can I not pick the Wildcats after that showing? Good luck Irish, and don't poke the bear like the freshman from WVU did. The Irish will need to hit lots of 3s to stay in it, but I don't think they have the size to score enough points on the Wildcats.
Kentucky 70, Notre Dame 60
Sunday
No. 7 Michigan State (26-11) vs. No. 4 Louisville (27-8) in Syracuse, 2:20 p.m. CBS
It is pretty crazy either of these teams have gotten this far. MSU has 11 losses and has not been your typical Tom Izzo-coached team this year but has gotten hot at the exact right moment. I noticed it in the Big Ten title game when Sparty nearly knocked off Wisconsin. Louisville looked like a shell of itself after losing suspended point guard Chris Jones in February, but has somehow survived and advanced through the tournament after barely hanging on to beat UC Irvine in the second round. The Cardinals I would say have looked slightly better overall so I'll give them the nod in a game that pits Hall of Fame coaches against each other.
Louisville 66, Michigan State 63
No. 2 Gonzaga (35-2) vs. No. 1 Duke (32-4) in Houston, 5:05 p.m. CBS
I have been surprised by how good Gonzaga has looked. I expected the Bulldogs to once again be overrated but instead, they have made their first Elite Eight since 1999. Unfortunately, Duke has looked pretty good, too, and I'm unconvinced Gonzaga can pull out a win over the Blue Devils. I have never been a fan of Gonzaga, ever since it beat Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but I will pull for the Bulldogs in this case.
Duke 69, Gonzaga 65
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