We’ve reached the ultimate phases of the 2024 NCAA Event with simply eight groups remaining, 60 eradicated and by the tip of Saturday evening two groups can have their tickets punched to the Last 4 in Glendale, Arizona. The East Regional Last and West Regional Last will command the eye of the school basketball world in primetime, filling out the left aspect of the bracket and establishing one of many two matchups for subsequent weekend’s nationwide semifinal.
Up first can be No. 1 UConn taking up No. 3 Illinois within the East Regional Last from Boston (6:09 p.m. ET, TBS and March Insanity Stay), the place the Huskies have carried over the dominance from final yr’s six-game title march into their 2024 marketing campaign to repeat. However in Illinois the reigning champs get not solely their hardest foe of the event in 2024, however one with the next offensive score than any group within the nation.
Then the again finish of the doubleheader will characteristic the unlikely matchup of No. 4 Alabama in opposition to No. 6 Clemson within the West Regional Last from Los Angeles (8:49 p.m. ET, TBS and March Insanity Stay), with each groups surging into the weekend after upsetting the highest two seeds within the area on Thursday evening. All of the Hollywood scripts for a reunion of North Carolina and Arizona’s Caleb Love within the Elite Eight have been rewritten over the course of 80 minutes of basketball, and now a brand new storyline has emerged with these two faculties who’re used to competing in opposition to one another for championships in soccer and now hit the hardwood with a Last 4 bid hanging within the stability.
That is the time when legacies are established and identities are solid. We play months of normal season basketball, however how we speak concerning the coaches, gamers and applications throughout the sport are outlined by the outcomes of single-elimination tournaments every March. A Last 4 look is a kind of benchmarks we at all times be aware of, and Saturday evening’s video games will present that chance to 2 of this event’s groups.
Let’s check out a few of the storylines to know for Saturday’s Elite Eight matchups.
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UConn’s dominance has the Huskies on an all-time run
The streak was greater than prolonged after Thursday evening’s 82-52 win in opposition to No. 5 San Diego State, and now it is 9 straight NCAA Event wins with every victory being by no less than 13 factors. The concept Dan Hurley’s group has been mowing down the event discipline for the reason that very first sport of final yr’s bracket checks out with how we’re speaking concerning the nationwide title favorites, however while you put it in a historic context it is really beautiful what we’re witnessing from the Huskies. The earlier document for consecutive NCAA Event wins by double-digits was six, and that was solely completed twice (1981-82 Indiana and 1954-55 La Salle) within the event’s historical past. UConn has not solely matched that however now prolonged it by 50% and given the standard of play from the Huskies on this event could be shocking in the event that they doubled up the earlier document?
Illinois had its breakthrough, now what?
If there is a motive to consider that UConn’s streak of double-digit victories goes to come back to an finish within the Elite Eight, it is that No. 3 Illinois presents arguably the hardest problem to the Huskies’ title hopes since going through Gonzaga, additionally a No. 3 seed on the time, within the Elite Eight final season. The Preventing Illini fee as probably the most environment friendly offense within the nation and star guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is coming off a terrific efficiency with 29 factors within the 72-69 win over No. 2 Iowa State within the Candy 16. Illinois had not even reached the Candy 16 since 2005 previous to this event, so there was some catharsis not solely in breaking via however choosing up a win of their first return to the second weekend. However now what? Sadly the historical past is not nice, as Illinois has only a 1-8 all-time document in opposition to top-two seeds within the NCAA Event, with the one win coming again within the 1989 Elite Eight.
Both Alabama or Clemson set to make program historical past
No. 4 seed Alabama is within the Elite Eight for the second-time ever and the primary time since 2004, knocking on the door of the Crimson Tide’s first-ever Last 4 look. Clemson, too, has its personal likelihood at making college historical past because the Tigers are within the Elite Eight for the primary time since 1980, which was this system’s solely earlier Elite Eight look. Clemson defeated Alabama earlier this season within the ACC-SEC problem in a sport in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, however that Crimson Tide group was not the identical because the group that was led by Grant Nelson in a season-saving effort in opposition to North Carolina within the second half. Each groups defeated top-two seeds on Thursday evening by digging deep, so Saturday’s regional remaining — and program historical past — is probably going going to be determined by who has sufficient left within the tank.
Try the total TV and streaming schedule for Saturday’s Elite Eight video games under.
Elite Eight
Saturday, March 30
TD Backyard — Boston (Sport 1) | Crypto.com Enviornment — Los Angeles (Sport 2)
| 6:09 p.m. | (3) Illinois vs. (1) UConn | TBS (watch stay) |
| 8:49 p.m. | (6) Clemson vs. (4) Alabama | TBS (watch stay) |