2017 NCAA Tournament – Elite 8 tips off March25
March Madness continues as the 2017 NCAA Tournament enters the fourth stage called the Elite 8.
Entering the second weekend of the 2017 NCAA Tournament or fourth phase the field has been narrowed from 68 teams to eight. Better known as the Elite 8 this Saturday March, 25 and Sunday March 26 will narrow the field to the Final 4.
If you are still alive in your tournament bracket you had the foresight to select the right top seeds along with the correct upsets. Take it from someone who was leading her bracket until Thursday night good fortune can take a down turn quickly.
Whether you remain in the running for bragging rights the four weekend games will offer excitement and several prospects to focus on with the upcoming deep 2017 draft this summer.
Saturday March 25 Games:
Game One:
Action begins Saturday when the top West seed the Gonzaga Bulldogs take on number 11 seeded Xavier Musketeers who made their way up the ladder via some major upsets. The game tips off at 6:09 PM ET on TBS. Xavier beat Maryland, Florida State and Arizona to reach the Elite 8. Gonzaga beat South Dakota State, Northwestern and West Virginia as they worked their way to the Elite 8.
Related: A Guide to the NCAA Tournament East Bracket for OKC Thunder Fans
Related: OKC Thunder Fan Guide to 2017 NCAA Tournament West Bracket
Game Two:
The second game features the Midwest’s number one seed Kansas Jayhawks who tip off versus the Oregon Ducks, also airing on TBS with an anticipated tip off of 8:49 PM ET. To gain entry to the Elite 8, Kansas beat UC Davis, Michigan State and Purdue (who I had great expectations for by the way). The Ducks gained entry via victories over Iona, Rhode Island and Michigan
Related: OKC Thunder fan guide to the NCAA tournament South bracket
Sunday March 26 Games:
Game one:
Sunday features an earlier tip off of 2:20 PM ET on CBS with the East bracket launching the festivities. The matinee features the lowest two seeded teams remaining with number 4 Florida facing number 7 seeded South Carolina.
The Florida Gators beat ETSU, Virginia and Wisconsin to reach this stage. Their opponent has quite possibly the best team name in the tournament (at least from this scribes perspective) the South Carolina Gamecocks. With all due respect to Xavier, the Gamecocks can make a case for the most impressive three rounds as they usurped Marquette, Baylor and Duke.
Related: OKC Thunder fan guide to the NCAA Tournament Midwest Bracket
Game Two:
The top two South seeds feature number one North Carolina Tar Heels versus number two Kentucky Wildcats. Tip off is anticipated for 5:05 pm ET, on CBS. To reach the Elite 8 Kentucky beat Northern Kentucky, Wichita State and UCLA while the Tar Heels beat Texas Southern, Arkansas and Butler.
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Winners from these four games will advance to the Final 4 which takes place in Phoenix next Saturday. Then the 2017 NCAA Championship occurs 2 days late on Monday April 3, also in Phoenix.