We are now down to the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament. Despite the countless upsets, we still have all #1 seeds alive heading into the second weekend. UConn won their games by a total of 56 points. They are looking to become the first repeat champion since the 2007-2008 Florida Gators. Houston needed OT to barely edge Texas A&M and earn a trip to the Sweet 16. Purdue has also dominated their first two opponents also. They beat down Grambling and Utah State by a total of 67 points on their way to the Sweet 16. The final top seed in North Carolina cruised by their first two opponents too. They beat Wagner and Michigan State by a total of 44 points. Can they all reach the Final Four? Who will get upset before we reach the Final Four?

East Region

We kick things off with the top seeded UConn Huskies taking on the 5^th seed San Diego State Aztecs. The Huskies have looked like a team of destiny for the entire season. They dominate on the inside and outside. Can they defeat the Aztecs and move one step closer to the Final Four? Will the do the Aztecs like they did to Stetson and Northwestern? San Diego St. had a nail-biter in their opening round against UAB. After playing in such a close game, they blew out Yale by 28 points. Jaedon LeDee will need to come up with another huge performance if they’re going to upset UConn. Can it happen? Of course it can, but will it happen? I’m not seeing it and think the Huskies will move on to the Elite 8. Winner: UConn

We have the 2 vs. 3 matchup as the Iowa State Cyclones battle the Illinois Fighting Illini. Illinois cruised past both of their opponents en route to the Sweet 16. Iowa State won both of their games by double figures. The Cyclones use their balanced scoring and smothering defense to get the best of teams. Iowa State had four players score in double figures in their win against Washington State. Can they maintain this kind of production? Terrance Shannon Jr. lead the Illini with 30 points in their route over Duquesne. Shannon Jr. is scoring 28 points a game in their first two contests. Can he continue to score at that pace against a tough Cyclones defense? Illinois also has others that can score, and this could be the difference. I’m picking the Illini to advance to the Elite 8 to take on UConn. Winner: Illinois

East Region Finals

This would be the 1 versus 3 matchup to see who advances to the Final Four. The UConn Huskies have been my favorite ever since the tournament started. The Huskies jump out on you quick and before you know you’re trailing by 15 points. Donovan Clingan is a rebounding machine, and he blocks almost anything in the paint. Clingan finished with 14 boards and 8 blocks in their game against Northwestern. Terrance Shannon Jr. will need to have another monster game if they were to upset UConn. Can the Illini pull off the upset and head to the Final Four for the first time since 2005? Will the Huskies move to their second consecutive Final Four? I’m going with the Huskies to head back to the Final Four. Winner: UConn

West Region

We kick things off with the top seeded North Carolina Tar Heels battling the 4^th seed Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tar Heels cruised past Wagner in their first-round matchup. In the second round, they defeated the scrappy Michigan State Spartans to advance to the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels are one of the favorites to cut down the nets in April. RJ Davis has been playing great on the perimeter. Armando Bacot continues to be vital in the paint for the Heels. Alabama started their journey by defeating Charleston in the opening round 109-96. The Tide took down Grand Canyon to reach the Sweet 16. North Carolina is a much bigger test for the Tide has faced in the tournament. Alabama has speed that could be an issue for Carolina, but the Heels are the better team. I’m picking the Tar Heels to advance to the Elite 8. Winner: North Carolina

The Arizona Wildcats will battle the Clemson Tigers in what should be a good game. The Wildcats are the 2^nd seed in the West, while the Tigers come in as the 6^th seed. Arizona blew out Long Beach State in the opening round. In a closely contested matchup, Arizona ran away from Dayton to advance to the Sweet 16. Clemson took care of New Mexico in the first round by beating them by 19 points. In the second round, Clemson pulled off the upset by beating the 3^rd seed in the Baylor Bears. The Tigers fought off a tough Baylor team to make it to the Sweet 16. The size and athleticism of the Tigers could give the Wildcats trouble. This should be a close game, but I’m rolling with the Wildcats to win. Winner: Arizona

West Region Finals

The West Region Finals will put the top two seeds against each other. The North Carolina Tar Heels would battle the Arizona Wildcats for the right to go to the Final Four. This would make an interesting contest seeing Caleb Love used to play for North Carolina. Love was on the 2022 team that finished runner-up to the championship. Love could be the difference in this game with his ties to the Heels. Both teams were expected to make a nice run in the tourney. In their game against Dayton, they had problems containing their bigs. North Carolina has got a few they can throw at you. When you add RJ Davis to the mix, it’s hard to pick against this Heels team. I’m picking the Tar Heels to win and advance to the Final Four. Winner: North Carolina

South Region

We head to the South Region and the first game will be the 1 versus the 4 seed. The top ranked Houston Cougars will battle the Duke Blue Devils. After blowing out Longwood in the opening round, the Cougars barely edged the Aggies. Houston needed overtime to beat Texas A&M and reach the Sweet 16. Duke beat their first two opponents in Vermont and James Madison handily. Duke is a team that many isn’t talked about like in previous years. Jared McCain seems to be the one that can put this team on his back. How will Houston counter his ability to create shots? Despite almost being upset by the Aggies, the Cougars have been one of the best teams all season. The Cougars will get back on track and defeat the Blue Devils and head to the Elite 8. Winner: Houston

In the second game, we have the Marquette Golden Eagles battling the N.C. State Wolfpack. Marquette began the tournament with a blowout win over Western Kentucky. In the second round, they barely edged the Colorado Buffaloes. The Golden Eagles is one of the teams many wouldn’t be surprised if they made a Final Four run. With N.C. State, their Cinderella Story continues into the Sweet 16 round. A couple weeks ago, the Wolfpack were outside looking in the tournament. By defeating the Tar Heels to win the ACC Tournament, they have been on a tear ever since. The Wolfpack brand of basketball could propel them to the Elite 8. Marquette should be a little more prepared and could expose N.C. State. I’m going with the Golden Eagles to advance to the Elite 8. Winner: Marquette

South Region Finals

If my predictions are true, then we will have another final between the top two seeds. The Houston Cougars taking on the Marquette Golden Eagles would be a great matchup. The Cougars didn’t come into this game with only four losses for nothing. Houston is led by Senior Jamal Shead. Shead had 21 points, 10 assists, and 5 boards in their win over the Aggies. The Cougars are hoping to continue to get great shooting from Emanuel Sharp. The issue Marquette may have against Houston is their depth. Houston could try to wear down the Golden Eagles and take over in the second half. With Houston playing up to 10 people and the Eagles only 7, this will be a factor. In the end, I’m riding with the Cougars to beat the Golden Eagles and advance to the Final Four. Winner: Houston

Midwest Region

We head over to the Midwest Region with the first game being the 1 versus the 5 seed. It will see the Purdue Boilermakers battling the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Purdue defeated Grambling and Utah State by a total of 67 points. Zach Edey has dominated in both games like he has all season. Gonzaga also looked great, and it started with a blowout win over McNeese in round one. In the second round, the Zags blew out the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas was without Kevin McCullar Jr., but it was still an impressive win by Gonzaga. Can Gonzaga slow down Zach Edey in this one? If so, they have a chance to leave with the win. I’m going with Gonzaga to slow him down and find a way to take down Purdue. Winner: Gonzaga

In the final matchup, we have Tennessee Volunteers taking on the Breighton Blue Jays. This is probably the game I’m looking forward to the most in the Sweet 16. The 2^nd seeded Tennessee Volunteers took out Saint Peter’s in the opening round. In a defensive battle, the Vols barely edged the Texas Longhorns to advance to the Sweet 16. Creighton beat Akron by 17 points in their opening round game. They took down the upset minded Oregon Ducks in the second round by double digits. Creighton had an amazing season, but they finished behind UConn and Marquette. The Blue Jays are battle tested, but the Vols defense is one of the best in the country. This game will come down to the wire and Trey Alexander could be the difference. I’m going with the Bulldogs to win and advance to the Elite 8. Winner: Creighton

Midwest Region Finals

We would have the Gonzaga Bulldogs taking on the Creighton Blue Jays for the chance to go to the Final Four. Gonzaga has become one of the more prolific programs in the country. They have arguably had one of the greatest 10-year runs in college basketball in a while. They have reached five Elite 8s and two Final Fours in that span. Unfortunately, they lost both championship games. Can they reach another Final Four? If so, can they finally win the big one? On the other hand, Creighton has been great all season and they’re looking to advance to their first ever Final Four. This is a matchup that we all would love to see with the opportunity to go to the Final Four. This would be tough, but my pick would be the Blue Jays to finally make it. Winner: Creighton

Trav’s Final Four Picks

• UConn Huskies vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
• Houston Cougars vs. Creighton Bulldogs

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