Elite Eight Basketball Games

Teams are now one win away from a trip to the Final Four and most of the Cinderella teams have been sent home, with the exception of Wichita State, who is the highest remaining seed in the Elite Eight.

Once again, we'll use the College Basketball AOPR Betting System with two different sets of ratings; USA Today's Jeff Sagarin and then StatFox, giving two predictions for each game, although most of the time the two are pretty close to each other.


Due to the nature of the over/under predictions with the system, they will be identical more often than not.
Remember, these projections should just be used as a guide and shouldn't be the sole basis for making a wager. Games tend to get tougher to handicap as the tournament moves along, especially once you get to the Elite Eight and Final Four games.

Syracuse vs. Marquette
Syracuse is favored by 4 and the total is 128. The StatFox numbers are calling for a 66-60 Orangemen victory, while USA Today numbers are predicting 66-61, so there's not a lot of difference between either number and the line.

Ohio State vs. Wichita State
The Buckeyes are favored by 4.5 and the total is 131.5. Due to Ohio State's more difficult schedule, both sets of numbers are calling for the Buckeyes to get the cover, as StatFox yields a 68-57 victory and USA Today numbers are calling it 66-58. One of the larger total differences of the tournament so far.

Louisville vs. Duke
There is no line as of early Saturday morning, but the StatFox AOPR is calling for a 72-66 Louisville win, while Sagarin's numbers predict a 71-67 Cardinal victory.

Michigan vs. Florida
Likewise, the number for this one has yet to be posted, but the StatFox numbers have it Florida 66-60, with USA Today numbers calling for a 66-61 Gators win. This could be the best of the four Elite Eight games.

CIT Games

There are a pair of games in the CIT on Saturday, Evansville at East Carolina and Weber State at Northern Iowa. These games are played on home courts.

Evansville at East Carolina
Evansville is a 1.5-point road favorite and the total is 151, while both numbers are calling for a narrow East Carolina victory and a lean to the under. StatFox numbers are predicting the Pirates 76-72, while the USA Today numbers make it 74-73.

Weber State at Northern Iowa
Weber is hurt by its strength of schedule, or AOPR, in this one, as the StatFox numbers are calling for a 69-61 Northern Iowa win, while the USA Today numbers make it 71-60. Northern Iowa is favored by 4 with a total of 137.

On Monday, I'll post the projections for the Final Four, as well as the other two college basketball tournaments. Best of luck.