Elite Eight Day Two Best Picks and Best Bets | Sunday, March 27

The story of the tournament so far has been Saint Peters. They are now officially immortalized in college basketball history as they are the first 15 seed to make it to the Elite Eight. And their run has been absurd. Saint Peters is a glorified high school when you look at their campus and they have beaten traditional powers like Kentucky and Purdue. No one in America predicted this run and they have defied the odds to this point. This Sunday, they will play North Carolina for a spot in the Final Four. It’s one of two games on the schedule, but that game will steal the headlines. Either ways, here are picks for both of Sunday’s Elite Eight games.

Miami Hurricanes vs Kansas Jayhawks

For all the craziness of this tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks are sneakily making another run. Kansas came into this tournament as a one seed but no one really gave them a chance. They had a consistent season, but didn’t have the firepower Gonzaga and Arizona had. Now, they are the only one seed remaining and are one game away from the Final Four. The key for their run has been the re-emergence of Remy Martin. He had a quiet year after being named to the Preseason All American list but has been awesome recently. He gives Kansas a true point guard who can dictate the game. He will be the difference in this matchup.

Miami has overachieved to this point. They were a 10 seed that limped past USC in their first game but has followed it up with consecutive wins where they were clearly the better team. Miami coach Jim Larranaga has his team playing their best basketball but it won’t matter. Kansas has three better players than anyone Miami has in Martin, Christian Braun and Ochai Agbaji. Miami has upped their defensive play, but that was their flaw coming into the tournament. Kansas will be able to take full advantage of those defensive deficiencies and should advance to the Final Four with relative ease. Miami has had a great run, but Kansas is a step above and will cover the -6 in this matchup.

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Saint Peter’s Peacocks vs North Carolina Tar Heels

The world will be watching this game, cheering on the Peacock’s historic run. They have stolen the hearts of college basketball fans and will hope to ride their momentum into the Final Four. And it’s not just luck. Saint Peter’s has played legitimately good basketball and has had every chance to falter. They have a great coach who keeps them motivated and this team truly isn’t scared of anyone. They will not have NBA prospects like UNC, but at this point, Saint Peters deserves more respect. It would not be surprising to see them get blown out, but Saint Peter’s +8 is the pick. They have defied the odds to this point. Why not do it one more time?

UNC has been great in this tournament despite a disappointing regular season. A potential matchup with Duke in the Final Four looms and it could be a look ahead game for UNC. While it’s hard to ignore Saint Peters’ run, they are still a 15 seed. UNC will expect to win this game and may be underprepared for the Peacocks. There’s no denying UNC has more talent, but every team has had more talent than Saint Peters thus far. The Peacocks +8 is too many points. Take them and root for the story of a lifetime.

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