The excitement is palpable as basketball fans eagerly await the announcement of the teams advancing to the Men’s College Basketball Final Four. This year’s tournament has been filled with thrilling upsets and extraordinary performances, making the race to the championship even more unpredictable. My Elite 8 prediction correctly picked six of the eight teams playing.

The Auburn Tigers will battle the Michigan State Wolverines in the South Region Finals. The West Region Championship game will have the Florida Gators battling the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The winners of those games will meet in the Final Four. The East Region championship game will see the Duke Blue Devils battle the Alabama Crimson Tide. In the Midwest Region championship, the Houston Cougars take on the Tennessee Volunteers.

South Region

The top seed Auburn Tigers take on the 2^nd seed Michigan State Spartans. Auburn came into the tournament as the top overall seed. They showed that championship pedigree by beating a tough Michigan team 78-65. Michigan State had a tough time against Ole Miss but came out on top. They beat the Rebels 73-70 for a chance to head to the Final Four. Despite ending the season losing three of their last five games, the Tigers are elite all around. They have guys that can score and defend. Michigan State and Coach Tom Izzo were one of the best teams in the Big Ten. The Spartans toughness and resilience is what guided them in their win over Ole Miss. This will be a much tougher test for the Spartans. The Tigers was my pick to advance to the Final Four and I’ll continue to roll with them. Auburn Win

West Region

The top seed Florida Gators will battle the 3^rd seed Texas Tech Red Raiders. The winner will advance to the Final Four against the winner of the Auburn and Michigan State game. The Gators barely beat the 2-time defending champion UConn to advance to the Sweet 16. Florida blew out Maryland 87-71 to advance to the Elite 8. Texas Tech blew out Drake to go to the Sweet 16. The Red Raiders made an incredible comeback against Arkansas to win 85-83 in OT. Texas Tech is a tough and scrappy team that’s never out of any game they play. Arkansas was a tough team, but the Gators are a notch above them. Besides Duke, the Gators have been the most impressive team in the tournament. The Gators was my pick to advance to the Final Four and I’m sticking with them. Florida Win

East Region

The top seed Duke Blue Devils will take on the 2^nd seed Alabama Crimson Tide. This is probably the game I’m looking forward to the most in the Elite 8. Cooper Flagg led the Blue Devils with 30 points in their win over Arizona. Alabama blew out BYU 113-88 to advance to the Elite 8. The Crimson Tide have hit their stride in their last two games. Duke was one of the favorites to cut down the nets by many people. The Blue Devils have been one of the best teams in the nation all season. Can Cooper Flagg will the Blue Devils to another Final Four? Will Mark Sears be the one to lead his team to the Final Four? This is arguably the toughest game to pick. I’m going to go with the Blue Devils to advance to the Final Four. Duke Win

Midwest Region

The top seed Houston Cougars will battle the 2nd seed Tennessee Volunteers. The winner of this game will face the Duke/Alabama winner. Houston took down a tough Gonzaga team to reach the Sweet 16. In a tough, defensive game the Cougars barely edged Purdue 62-60. In that game, it felt like an away game for Houston seeing the game was played in Indianapolis. Tennessee beat UCLA 67-58 to advance to the Sweet 16. In the Sweet 16, the Volunteers took down SEC-rival Kentucky 78-65. The Wildcats beat the Volunteers twice this season and were the only team to beat them at home. We have two of the best defensive teams in the nation facing each other. This could be a game that comes down to whoever has the last possession. I’m taking the Volunteers to advance to their first Final Four. Tennessee Win

Trav’s Final Four Matchups

Auburn Tigers vs. Florida Gators

Duke Blue Devils vs. Tennessee Volunteers

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