Men’s March Madness live tracker: Updates on Michigan-Tennessee
Illinois and Arizona clinched the first two tickets to the Final Four. Now it’s time to decide which teams they’ll face in Indianapolis.
The ESPN college basketball team is following all the action live from Sunday’s Elite Eight, starting with Michigan-Tennessee.
Elite Eight Live Tracker
2:15 p.m. ET, CBS
Borzello’s prediction: Michigan, 80-68
Medcalf’s prediction: Michigan, 85-69
How Tennessee can advance to the Final Four: To reach the national semifinals for the first time in program history, the Vols will need to execute a perfect game plan. The X’s and O’s of this game will count, but they won’t be able to beat Michigan unless Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie combine to have a collective performance worthy of being in the seminal “One Shining Moment.”
Felix Okpara, who has 10 blocks in the last three games, will also have to hold his own against America’s best frontcourt. He must avoid mistakes to be available throughout the sequence. The Vols will also have to dictate this game by making it a battle in the paint – the only place they can win because they are the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the country. Still, it seems likely that they will need an extraordinary effort to survive in Michigan.
How Michigan can advance to the Final Four: An Alabama team ranked third nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency made 31 shots in the second half of its loss to Michigan, and 23 of them were 3-point attempts. The Wolverines not only protect the paint — opposing teams make just 48.9 percent of their shots in the post against them, according to Synergy Sports — but they also limit the type of shots opponents can make.
Michigan’s offense has been virtually unstoppable this season. His giant range is a problem only three teams have solved (Duke, Purdue, Wisconsin). If the Wolverines can limit second-chance opportunities for a Tennessee team that ranks first nationally in offensive rebounding rate and force the Vols to shoot outside the paint, Michigan could be on its way to the Final Four. — Medical calf
5:05 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
Borzello’s prediction: UConn, 71-70
Medcalf’s prediction: Duke, 76-64
How UConn can advance to the Final Four: The Huskies can reach their third national semifinal in four seasons by outplaying Duke in the paint. It starts with Tarris Reed Jr. avoiding foul trouble. Cameron Boozer is 53rd in the nation in fouls committed per 40 minutes – a few quick fouls against Reed could be the difference in this game.
Boozer’s fault is turnovers; he had four in Duke’s two losses this season (Texas Tech and North Carolina). The Huskies must force and capitalize on turnovers. And they have the depth and size at guard to harass Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans less than 100% on the perimeter. They need to force Duke into tough shots, then avoid scoring droughts like the one that caused them to squander a 25-6 lead against Michigan State. This can be costly against the Blue Devils.
How Duke can advance to the Final Four: It is clear that the Blue Devils are not 100%. Patrick Ngongba II has played just 29 total minutes in two NCAA Tournament games since returning from a broken right foot that cost him five games. And although Foster scored 11 key points in the second half of their Sweet 16 win, he didn’t look like the standout guard we’ve seen all season long. Still, the Blue Devils can move forward with the same punishing approach in the paint that worked for them in the playoffs.
Since the start of the ACC tournament, Duke has made only 30% of its 3-point attempts. He also made 57% of his shots inside the arc and made 45% of his missed shots, giving him a top-five mark over that span. Even though the Blue Devils have been cold from the perimeter, they continue to win by following Cameron Boozer’s lead and owning the paint. They’ll have to figure out Tarris Reed Jr., though. The Huskies’ 6-foot-11 center has been a force on both ends of the court as of late, posting double-doubles in two of his three NCAA tournament games thus far. — Medical calf
