College GameDay: Picks for Saturday's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

The ESPN College GameDay crew is readying for another exciting weekend of NCAA Tournament games, with trips to the Final Four on the line. First, a showdown between Houston and Villanova will determine the victor of the South Region. Then, Mike Krzyzewski’s career is on the line — Arkansas takes on Duke in the Elite Eight to end the night.

First, Houston survived an upset-attempt at the hands of UAB. Then, the Cougars took care of business against one of the best the Big Ten has to offer in Illinois. Finally, Houston busted brackets all over the country, sending top-seeded Arizona home with a loss in the Sweet 16.

On the other hand, Villanova hasn’t been threatened too bad throughout the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats pulled away from 15-seed Delaware, defeating their opponents 80-60 to warm up. Then, Ohio State got hot early, but Villanova was able to defeat the Buckeyes by 10. Finally, the Wildcats continued their attack on the Big Ten, defeating the upstart Michigan Wolverines on Thursday in the Sweet 16.

Elsewhere, all attention is on getting back to the Final Four for both Arkansas and Duke. The Razorbacks expected to return to the Elite Eight after their run last year, and Eric Musselman and company hope to see that come true.

On the other hand, Duke has survived some fierce competition thus far. First, the Blue Devils defeated 15th-seeded Cal State Fullerton 78-61. Meanwhile, Arkansas took down 13th-seeded Vermont in a narrow 75-71 victory. In the Round of 32, Arkansas won another close game against 12th-seeded New Mexico State, winning 53-48. Duke took down 7th-seeded Michigan State 85-76.

In the Sweet 16, both teams faced tough matchups. Duke went up against 3rd-seeded Texas Tech and escaped with a 78-73 victory. Arkansas faced off against Gonzaga, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and walked away with a 74-68 win.

Now, something has to give — and College GameDay is trying to predict who gets the victories.

College GameDay: Picks for Saturday’s NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

South Region — No. 5 Houston vs. No. 2 Villanova: “I’m taking Houston in this one,” stated Ellis. “They get 38% of their misses. This game is going to be won in the paint. They’re third in the country — I have Houston winning, in a close one.”

“Yeah, Houston gets extra possessions. I’m not sure that Villanova gets those extra possessions. I’m going with Houston,” stated Greenberg.

“I’m going with Houston for a simple reason — Kelvin Sampson is better dressed than Jay Wright. It’s not close,” stated Bilas.

Everyone is riding with Houston to defeat Villanova.

West Region — No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 2 Duke: “I have Duke,” stated Ellis. “So many more guys — four guys in their starting lineup that can go for 20 on any given night. I think that’s a big task for Arkansas. Another close one.”

“I think Duke keeps JD Notae out of the lane, rebounds the basketball — I think they win the game,” stated Greenberg.

“Arkansas is more experienced, and they can definitely win,” started Bilas. “But I’m going to count the pros and go with Duke. They got more pros, more options.”

Evidently, the College GameDay crew believes Mike Krzyzewski is going to the Final Four in his final season coaching the Blue Devils.

CGD Crew Picks:

Jay Bilas: Houston, Duke

LaPhonso Ellis: Houston, Duke

Seth Greenberg: Houston, Duke