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We’re down to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament as the Field of 64 has been pared down to the quarterfinalists. Just 194 entries in USA TODAY’s NCAA Men’s Tournament Survivor Pool contest remain out of the 7,821 who signed up.
In the Elite 8, No. 11 seed NC State will be a popular choice for points if it hasn’t already been used. It is the only remaining double-digit seed remaining, and it will square off against 4th-seeded Duke in the South Region Final Sunday in Dallas.
We have 2 No. 1 seeds remaining — Purdue and UConn — and just a No. 2 seed still alive — Tennessee. The remaining teams are No. 3 seed Illinois, No. 4 seed Alabama, and No. 6 seed Clemson, in addition to the Duke-NC State matchup mentioned above.
I was bumped out of the 1st round with upsets by 11th-seeded Oregon and 13th-seeded Yale. They knocked out my 2 SEC plays of No. 6 seed South Carolina and 4th-seeded Auburn, respectively. I did rebound in Round 2 with NC State (for 11 points) and No. 5 seed San Diego State (5 points). In the Sweet 16, I scored with Illinois (3 points), too.
As an employee, I’m not eligible to win this contest, but I was eliminated in the opening round anyway. However, I’m here to assist those of you who have a shot at the $2.5K first prize — but I’d understand if you don’t want my advice.
Here’s my strategy of how to advance out of the Elite 8 and eventually win the Men’s Basketball Tournament Survivor Pool.
A rules reminder: Remaining entries are required to pick 1 in the Elite 8, 1 in the Final Four and then the winner of the National Championship Game — if you still have an eligible team to select.
Along with not being allowed to choose the same team twice, points are earned equal to your winning teams’ seeds. At this point, there actually aren’t many points available in the Elite 8 and beyond, so choose wisely.
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Elite 8 pick
PICK: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (24-11)
Who they play: Clemson Tigers (24-11)
When: Saturday, 8:49 p.m. ET (TBS)
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
The 4th-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide showed No. 1 seed North Carolina the door Thursday night, winning 89-87 in a seesaw affair in Los Angeles.
The Tide trailed 54-46 at the break, but it used a stifling defense at times, along with awful shooting by the Tar Heels, to flip things in their favor in the final 30.
Alabama ended up hitting 47.8% (32-of-67) from the field for the game, including 42.3% (11-of-26) from behind the 3-point line. The Tide also had 7 blocked shots. F Grant Nelson scored a game-high 24 points, while G Rylan Griffen hit 5 triples and finished with 19 points. Alabama had 5 different players hit at least one 3-pointer, and Nelson ended up with a double-double, also grabbing 12 rebounds with an amazing 5 blocked shots.
Clemson dispatched 2nd-seeded Arizona 77-72. F Ian Schieffelin ended up with 14 points and 7 boards, while C PJ Hall finished with 17 points, and G Chase Hunter posted 18 points. But the Tigers aren’t nearly as prolific offensively, and they will have a tough time keeping up with the up-tempo Tide.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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