Then there were eight! It all started with 68 teams receiving their invites to the big dance: upsets, buzzer beaters, and nail-biters. Eight teams remain, meaning we have four games to look at as we build our 2024 NCAA March Madness Tournament Elite Eight upset picks and parlays.
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2024 NCAA March Madness Tournament Elite Eight Upset Picks and Parlays
The first round was chalked full of big upsets, like No. 14 Oakland beating No. 3 Kentucky, along with No. 13 Yale, No. 12 Grand Canyon, No. 12 JMU, No. 11 Duquesne, and No. 11 Oregon all securing upsets in their matchups, among others.
The Round of 32 saw the dogs stay in their kennels. Favorites won almost across the board, with few exceptions. The Sweet 16 saw the dogs barking once again. In Thursday’s games, underdogs won three of the four, with the UConn Huskies (do they count as dogs?) slaughtering SDSU in the other game.
Friday’s Sweet 16 games saw a few upsets, with North Carolina State ordering their glass slipper and taking down No. 2 Marquette 67-58. The Duke Blue Devils followed that up with an upset of No. 1 seeded Houston, as Houston’s star Jamal Shead hurt his ankle too badly to return. This sets up an Elite Eight game with these two ACC foes.
Now, let’s dig into the Elite Eight Upset Picks and Parlays. Who will punch their Final Four tickets? Two games will take place on Saturday, March 30th, with Illinois (3) taking on the defending champion UConn (1). Tipoff is slated for 6:09 p.m. ET on Max/TBS, followed by the classic football matchup Clemson (6) vs. Alabama (4) at 8:49 p.m. ET, also on Max/TBS.
Easter Sunday’s slate will have Purdue (1) taking on Tennessee (2) at 3:20 p.m. ET on CBS, followed by an ACC battle with Duke (4) taking on North Carolina State (11) at 6:05 p.m. ET also on CBS.
Clemson (6) Over Alabama (4) (+140)
These schools aren’t just good at football; they are also good at basketball, making the final eight teams standing in this year’s March Madness Tournament. Clemson had to take down Baylor (3) and Arizona (2) to find their way here. The Crimson Tide had to take down the mighty Tar Heels of North Carolina to punch their Elite Eight ticket.
The teams faced off earlier in the season in the ACC—SEC challenge and the Tigers came out on top 85-77. This Clemson team has never made the Final Four but has its sights set on becoming the first team in school history to do so.
This should be a tough match. Both teams have earned the right to make the Elite Eight. This Clemson squad is full of veteran players that I think give them the edge.
They are the more tested team in this tournament having to take down multiple higher seeds than them to get here. Give me the Tigers to make their first-ever Final Four appearance.
North Carolina State (11) Over Duke (4) (+215)
Cinderella has shown herself and now looks to make a final four run. After a subpar season, the Wolfpack of North Carolina State finished 10th in the regular-season ACC standings. The Wolfpack went on an incredible run to win the tournament by defeating Syracuse, this Duke team, and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
In the NCAA March Madness Tournament, they’ve taken down Texas Tech (6), Oakland (14), and now Marquette (2). Every team that’s made it this far is on a hot streak, but arguably, no team in the country is hotter than North Carolina State this year.
Duke won the regular season match between these two teams, but North Carolina State handled them in the ACC Tournament. There is zero chance I’m fading this team of destiny. The clock isn’t at midnight yet. NC State has another one in them.
Tennessee (2) Over Purdue (1) (+140)
After winning the SEC regular-season title, this Volunteers team got a wake-up call in the SEC Tournament championship, with No.9 seed Mississippi State waxing them for the SEC Title. Dalton Knecht has his team rolling against Creighton in the Sweet 16. This should be another close game with two heavyweights trading blows.
It’ll be Zach Edey’s offensive production vs. Dalton Knecht’s that should provide for a good show on Easter Sunday. Purdue hasn’t been challenged yet this NCAA Tournament, easily handling all three opponents they’ve had to face.
However, Tennessee will easily be their biggest challenge. If Tennessee can slow Edey down, this Purdue team isn’t a stranger to being upset against lesser opponents than Tennessee. I’m looking for the Volunteers to make their first-ever Final Four appearance.
Parlay all three for +1714
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