By Matt Hartman

It is March and you know what that means; it is time for March Madness, a three-week college basketball tournament consisting of constant action, wire-to-wire games, upsets and nail-biting finishes. The tournament starts with 68 teams competing for one goal and that is to hoist that National Championship Trophy.

We are down to four teams remaining heading into Final Four Saturday, which will tip off with the top seed in the South Region, Virginia, taking on 5^th-seeded Auburn coming from the Midwest Region, followed by 2^nd-seed Michigan State from the East Region taking on the 3-seed from the West Region, Texas Tech.

This tournament has been filled with crazy games and controversial finishes, which everyone likes to see.

Recapping some of the action from the earlier round of the tournament, there were not quite as many upsets this year as in previous years, but there was a fair share. We will start with 12^th-seed Murray State led by future Top 5 NBA pick Ja Morant upsetting 5^th-seeded Marquette in the opening round. Liberty, the 12^th seed in the East Region upset 5^th-seeded Mississippi State in the opening round.

Defending champion Villanova and winners of two of the last three National Championships, did just enough to get by 11^th-seeded St. Mary’s in the first round, but just did not have enough to get past 3^rd-seeded Purdue in the second round after losing four top players from last year’s championship team to the NBA draft.

Virginia held the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history the year before, becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history. However, this year it would not be denied, as head coach Tony Bennett and junior leader Kyle Guy were determined to rewrite last year’s history by aiming to lead Virginia to its first Final Four since 1984. They were able to do just that.

As they got to the Elite Eight, they had to face one of the hotter teams in the country, 3^rd-seeded Purdue, which had defeated defending champion Villanova and 2^nd-seeded Tennessee. Virginia was down as many as 10 early in the first half before cutting the deficit to just one at halftime. In the second half, it was a back-and-forth battle. Virginia trailed by one with 5.9 seconds left and center Mamadi Diakite made a floating buzzer-beater to send the game into overtime. In overtime, Virginia turned to the form that got it this far and has been the program’s staple under coach Tony Bennett — lock-down defense. The Cavaliers held Purdue to just five points in the five-minute overtime session to win 80-75, advancing to the program’s first Final Four since 1984.

Perhaps the favorite from the beginning of this tournament was No. 1 overall seed Duke, having one of the most notable and newsworthy players the game of college basketball has ever seen in Zion Williamson. Duke survived a scare from 9^th-seeded UCF in the second round after potential lottery pick RJ Barrett recorded a one-and-one in the closing moments to give Duke the lead, and it would hold on to a 77-76 victory to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

In the Sweet Sixteen, Duke was able to hold off a brilliant effort from 4^th-seeded Virginia Tech to advance to the Elite Eight with a 75-73 victory. When the brackets came out, this was one of the potential matchups later in the tournament that fans wanted to see: an Elite Eight battle in the East Region between top-seeded Duke and 2^nd-seeded Michigan State. This game was back and forth the whole way, both teams having little margin for error. However, Michigan State was able to make more plays down the stretch to upset Duke 68-67 to advance to the Final Four.

Enough with the recapping; let’s now have some fun and break down and predict these two magnificent matchups in this weekend’s Final Four.

1 Virginia vs. 5 Auburn, 6:09 EST CBS

Auburn is the hottest team in the country, having won four games in four days to win the SEC Tournament prior to winning four games so far in this tournament to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history. Auburn is known for its ability to shoot the 3-point ball, as 49 percent of its shot attempts come from behind the 3-point line, which is an absurd stat. Not just its ability to shoot the three, but its defense, especially late in games, has been key for this Auburn team, but that will be tested as the team lost star center Chuma Okeke to a torn ACL in its Sweet Sixteen victory over North Carolina.

Virginia, on the other hand, is known for playing at a very slow tempo, especially compared to Auburn, as it rates dead last in the entire country in possessions per game, which is 62.5. The team’s lock-down defense and slow tempo though has been a major factor as to why it has been so successful in previous years and this year in getting to a Final Four. Virginia is led by star junior guard Kyle Guy, who averages 15.2 points per game and is coming off a dynamite 25-point game while shooting 5 for 12 from three in the team’s Elite Eight win over Purdue.

Prediction:

This game is going to be decided by which team can get its opposition into playing to its style. For Auburn, that would be an up-and-down-the-court fast-breaking and 3-point-shooting type of game. For Virginia, that would be a slow-paced, defensive game with the fewer possessions the better. Virginia has been so good through the years at getting its opposition to play to its style; therefore I see Virginia squeaking out a win in this one and advancing to the National Championship game on Monday night. Virginia 73 Auburn 66.

2 Michigan State vs. 3 Texas Tech, 8:49 CBS

Texas Tech has been sort of a sleeper these past two years, just going about its business and picking up wins on a consistent basis. Last year the team advanced all the way to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual champion Villanova, but this year it was not to be denied in getting to its first Final Four in program history. Texas Tech all year has relied on its unbelievable defense and ability to get key defensive stops late in games.

Texas Tech leads the nation in defensive efficiency with a 0.851 defensive rating. Tech is led by sophomore guard Jarrett Culver, averaging 18.9 points per game while grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game. Culver is coming off a 19-point game in the Elite Eight against Gonzaga while making clutch free throws, being 7 for 8 from the line. The Red Raiders are going to need him to take down Michigan State.

Michigan State has been one of the most consistent teams in the country this season, winning the Big Ten’s regular season and tournament titles while also advancing to the Final Four. Michigan State has a Top-20 defense ranking, 16^th in defensive efficiency and a Top-15 offense to go along with that ranking 13^th in offensive efficiency. Michigan State is led by experienced coach Tom Izzo, who is making his eighth appearance in the Final Four as a head coach with the Spartans. Michigan State is also led by senior guard Cassius Winston, who is averaging 18.9 points per game and 7.6 assists to go along with that.

Prediction:

This game has the feel of a game in the high 50s to mid-60s due to both teams’ outstanding defensive ability. Having a senior point guard like Cassius Winston who has played in big games is definitely an advantage for Michigan State. On the other hand, Texas Tech has stifled Michigan holding the team to 44 points and 1 for 19 from three in the Sweet Sixteen and top-rated offense Gonzaga holding the team to 69 points when Gonzaga was held to under 70 points just three times all season.

Texas Tech’s ability to get defensive stops on a consistent basis is the reason why I like them to defeat Michigan State and advance to the National Championship game on Monday night. Texas Tech 66 Michigan State