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Dickie V. picks two B1G teams to advance to the Elite Eight
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It’s not uncommon for Dick Vitale’s bracket to be straight chalk. That is, the college basketball expert usually is picking the top four seeds in each region to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
And this year, that methodology worked out pretty well. Only two teams — (12) Oregon and (5) Auburn — have advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament that aren’t a top four seed. So Vitale’s trust in the selection committee paid off this year.
Now, with the Sweet Sixteen matchups set for this weekend, the ESPN broadcaster has made predictions for those eight games. He’s going with the higher seed in every game, meaning two B1G teams will advance.
Here’s how Vitale envisions the Sweet Sixteen playing out:
- Gonzaga def. Florida State
- Tennessee def. Purdue
- Michigan def. Texas Tech
- Virginia def. Oregon
- Michigan State def. LSU
- North Carolina def. Auburn
- Duke def. Virginia Tech
- Kentucky def. Houston
Michigan and Michigan State will have a chance to compete for a spot in the Final Four while Purdue’s hopes of returning to the Elite Eight for the first time in two decades comes up short. At least that’s how Dickie V. sees it.
There have been a lot of favorites that have advanced to this point. We’ll see if there are any surprises on Thursday or Friday.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB