X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Sweet 16 & Elite Eight Preview and Predictions for the East and Midwest

March Madness is well underway and we'll giving a full breakdown on each region for the upcoming Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games.

This NCAA Tournament has been one of the wildest March Madness seen in years. I'm here to tell you some teams that I believe in for the next two rounds of the tournament. Hopefully these are the teams you have alive in your bracket! Now let's get to it. You can also find our analysis of the South and West Regions here.

Editor's Note: If you are interested in more college basketball columns, you can also check out our CBB DFS lineups picks and daily league predictions.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code NEW! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight Picks for the East and Midwest

#1 Virginia will take on #4 Iowa State in the first of four games on Friday. Iowa State has a dynamic offense led by Georges Niang, scoring 94 and 78 in their first two tournament games. The Cyclones were the 13th highest scoring offense this season, averaging 82 points a game. But Iowa State's defense lags far behind their offense, as they were 244th in the NCAA, allowing 75 points a game. Virginia's offense may not be so good, they rank 214th, but anyone can score on Iowa State. As we already know, defense wins championships. Virginia had the second best scoring defense allowing 59 points a game. Cavaliers defensive stud Malcolm Brogdon will take out Georges Niang, leading to Iowa State's offense to stagnate. Virginia should take care of the Cyclones.

#10 Syracuse plays #11 Gonzaga in the game after Virginia- Iowa State. Syracuse should not have made the tournament, and I don't care they made the Sweet 16. The Orange were 19-13 entering the tournament, I still don't understand how a team gets in with under 20 wins. They beat Dayton and were extremely lucky to face Middle Tennessee in the second round. No way they would have beaten Michigan State. Gonzaga has been the hottest team in the tournament, dismantling Seton Hall by 16 points and Utah by 23 points. Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer have been playing fantastic and look unstoppable. Sabonis is the perfect player to beat Syracuse's 2-3 zone. He can pass, shoot, and expand the zone. Syracuse looked shaky against Middle Tenesse and trailed by two points in the second half before blowing it open, winning by 25 points. Syracuse gets their comeuppance in this one.

If Gonzaga were to play Virginia in the Elite Eight, it would give the Zags a chance to become the fourth 11-seed to advance to the Final Four. They are tall and long, but Tony Bennett is such a great defensive coach and his team is so disciplined I think it will be hard for Gonzaga to beat them. You have to be near perfect to defeat Virginia and I am not sure Gonzaga can play that kind of game. Virginia must be thrilled to see Michigan State go out in the First Round, due to the Spartans defeating Virginia two straight years in the NCAA Tournament. This year is the year for Virginia to advance to the Final Four.

#6 Notre Dame plays #7 Wisconsin in the early game in the Midwest region. Wisconsin got to this point by beating Pittsburgh in the most boring game of the tourney thus far, winning 47-43. Then beat Xavier on a Bronson Koenig 3-point buzzer beater from the corner. Notre Dame had two really tough games, coming from behind in both to beat Michigan and Stephen F. Austin. This game will be really even throughout. Wisconsin will really need Nigel Hayes to step up, as he has been non-existent in the tourney thus far. I think the Fighting Irish eke out a close one though. Zach Auguste has been playing great and when he plays that well, Notre Dame clicks. I also give the coaching edge to Mike Brey. Wisconsin lost a ton of talent to the NBA this season and it will show in this game.

#5 Indiana vs. #1 North Carolina is a heavyweight matchup. This game will be the best game of the Sweet 16. Yogi Ferell against Marcus Paige will be some point guard showdown. Carolina will need Paige to step up after two games where he underperformed. Carolina big man Brice Johnson is a beast on the boards. He out jumps everyone and is simply near-impossible to stop. Indiana has been helped vastly with the play of OG Anunoby. He can wreak havoc on the defensive side and will be a key player off the bench for the Hoosiers. Carolina can not get off to a slow start like they did against Florida Gulf Coast and Providence. Indiana will jump all over them in that case and Carolina will not be able to come back against them. Whoever wins this game is going to the Final Four and I am going to go with the Hoosiers in what will be an incredible game.

 

College Basketball Chat Room - Live Advice

[iflychat_embed id="c-78" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="320px"]

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Austin Reaves20 mins ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL22 mins ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić26 mins ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
Brandon Young30 mins ago

Set To Make MLB Debut On Saturday
LeBron James34 mins ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard40 mins ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
Jacob Lopez41 mins ago

Recalled From Triple-A
NFL43 mins ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant46 mins ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Matt Canterino58 mins ago

Twins Designate Matt Canterino For Assignment
Lauri Markkanen60 mins ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL1 hour ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Mickey Gasper1 hour ago

Sent To Triple-A St. Paul
Bennedict Mathurin1 hour ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Nicky Lopez1 hour ago

Designated For Assignment
Josh Smith1 hour ago

Still Out Of Lineup Friday Night
Pascal Siakam1 hour ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Zach Neto1 hour ago

Reinstated From Injury List, Will Make Season Debut Friday
Tyrese Haliburton1 hour ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham2 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Shohei Ohtani2 hours ago

Out Of Friday's Lineup For Birth Of First Child
Josh Hart2 hours ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
Eugenio Suárez2 hours ago

Eugenio Suarez Hits Grand Slam In Friday Afternoon's Loss
OG Anunoby2 hours ago

Good To Go For Game 1
Ian Happ2 hours ago

Hits Grand Slam In Massive Day At The Plate
Jalen Brunson2 hours ago

Available For Saturday's Game 1
Jazz Chisholm Jr.2 hours ago

Suspended For One Game, Will Appeal And Is Playing Friday
Karl-Anthony Towns2 hours ago

Returning To Action Saturday
Kyle Tucker2 hours ago

Hits Go-Ahead Homer In Cubs Win
Pelle Larsson2 hours ago

Good To Go Friday
Nikola Jović2 hours ago

Nikola Jovic Available Friday
Carson Kelly2 hours ago

Crushes Two Homers In Crazy Cubs Win
Trae Young2 hours ago

Officially Active On Friday
Giannis Antetokounmpo2 hours ago

Not On Game 1 Injury Report
NFL2 hours ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Damian Lillard3 hours ago

Officially Out For Game 1
Irv Smith3 hours ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren3 hours ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL3 hours ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch3 hours ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson3 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews3 hours ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat3 hours ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard3 hours ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
Gavin Sheets3 hours ago

In Padres Lineup Against Astros
NFL3 hours ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas3 hours ago

Good To Go Saturday
Shea Langeliers4 hours ago

Back In Lineup On Friday
Matthew Tkachuk4 hours ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
4 hours ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Alex Verdugo4 hours ago

Hitting Leadoff In Season Debut On Friday
Jason Robertson4 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Rome Odunze4 hours ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
Dylan Moore4 hours ago

Not In Lineup On Friday
NFL4 hours ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
Parker Meadows4 hours ago

Cleared To Begin Throwing Program
James Cook4 hours ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Chandler Simpson4 hours ago

Called Up By Rays
Alex Bregman5 hours ago

Back From Paternity Leave
Noah Davis6 hours ago

Dodgers Recall Noah Davis From Triple-A
Pelle Larsson8 hours ago

Upgraded To Probable Against Hawks
Kevin Love9 hours ago

Away From The Team For Personal Reasons
Leon Draisaitl11 hours ago

Wins First Rocket Richard Trophy
Nikita Kucherov12 hours ago

Bags Third Art Ross Trophy
Bryan Rust12 hours ago

Scores Twice In Season-Ending Win
Igor Shesterkin12 hours ago

Shuts Out Lightning With 27 Saves
Dylan Cozens12 hours ago

Picks Up Three Points In Regular-Season Finale
Matvei Michkov12 hours ago

Caps Off Rookie Campaign With Three-Point Effort
Brady Tkachuk12 hours ago

Makes Early Exit For Precautionary Reasons
Jake Tonges20 hours ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos20 hours ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock21 hours ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants21 hours ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints21 hours ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills21 hours ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Aaron Rodgers21 hours ago

Willing To Play For $10 Million A Year
Jakob Chychrun1 day ago

Returns Against Penguins
Rasmus Andersson1 day ago

Out Against Kings
Jonathan Huberdeau1 day ago

Sits Out Regular-Season Finale
Ryan Pulock1 day ago

Out On Thursday
Jake Sanderson1 day ago

Back In Action Thursday
Thomas Chabot1 day ago

To Be Rested Against Hurricanes
Claude Giroux1 day ago

Active On Thursday
Dallas Cowboys1 day ago

Cowboys Add Hakeem Adeniji To Offensive-Line Room
Lucas Glover2 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger2 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka2 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas2 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele2 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry2 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris2 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland2 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns2 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge3 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap3 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley3 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa3 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski4 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA4 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva4 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes4 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Austin Dillon4 days ago

Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Finishes In The Top 10 After Falling Back Midway At Bristol
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Earns His First Top-Five Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Quietly Scores First Career Top-Five Finish At Bristol
William Byron5 days ago

Denny Hamlin Cuts Into William Byron's Points Lead
William Byron5 days ago

Makes Best Of His Mediocre Qualifying Run With Sixth-Place Finish
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Despite Engine Failure, Alex Bowman's Improved Speed Looks Promising
NASCAR5 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Enters Playoff Picture With Surprise Bristol Top-10 Finish
Kyle Larson6 days ago

Will Compete For The Win At Bristol
Chase Elliott6 days ago

Is One Of The More Favorable DFS Options Available For Bristol
William Byron6 days ago

Is A Solid DFS Option For Bristol Lineups
Tyler Reddick6 days ago

Could Tyler Reddick Be A Sneaky DFS Option For Bristol?
NASCAR6 days ago

Is Bubba Wallace Worth Rostering For Bristol This Week?
Ross Chastain6 days ago

Could Ross Chastain Be A Worthy DFS Choice For Bristol?
Carson Hocevar6 days ago

Is Carson Hocevar Worth Rostering For Bristol DFS Lineups?
NASCAR6 days ago

Should Fantasy Managers Avoid Rostering A.J. Allmendinger In DFS For Bristol?
Ryan Preece6 days ago

Is Ryan Preece Worth Rostering For Bristol Lineups?
Austin Dillon6 days ago

May Be One Of The Top Value Options For Bristol DFS This Week
Noah Gragson6 days ago

Should DFS Players Consider Noah Gragson For Bristol Lineups?
Riley Herbst6 days ago

Is In Play For Bristol DFS Lineups
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF