March Madness 2024: Top Storylines and Expert Picks for Sunday's Men's Bracket
Sunday's Elite Eight contests in the NCAA men's basketball tournament have two distinct feels to them.
The opening clash between the Purdue Boilermakers and Tennessee Volunteers has the potential to be the game of the tournament.
Purdue and Tennessee have not been to the Final Four under their current coaches, Matt Painter and Rick Barnes, and a trip to Arizona would be a welcome breakthrough for either fan base.
The all-ACC matchup between the Duke Blue Devils and NC State Wolfpack pits one of the best defensive teams in the tournament against a regional rival and the Cinderella story of March Madness.
Sunday's two winners will play each other next Saturday in the Final Four and will join the Connecticut Huskies and Alabama Crimson Tide in the event's final weekend.
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Purdue
All you have to do is look at the history books for the biggest storyline in Tennessee-Purdue.
Painter and Barnes have not taken their respective programs to the Final Four during their decade-long tenures.
An Elite Eight would take a burden off either program, even though the national championship is still the primary goal.
On the court, the biggest matchup to watch is how Tennessee contains Zach Edey.
The Purdue big man had at least 20 points and 14 rebounds in each of Purdue's three NCAA tournament games. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Tennessee at the Maui Invitational earlier this season.
Purdue won the rebounding battle 44-31 in the 71-67 victory. Both teams shot 26.7 percent from three-point range.
Dalton Knecht needs to be Tennessee's star to counter whatever production comes from Edey. The Vols' top scorer had 16 points against Purdue in Hawai'i and scored at least 18 points in every NCAA tournament game.
The KenPom prediction has Purdue winning by three points. Two of Bleacher Report's college basketball experts believe the Boilermakers win, while one picked Tennessee to win.
No. 11 Nc State vs. No. 4 Duke
NC State and Duke need to beat a regional rival to keep their seasons alive.
NC State was not supposed to be anywhere close to the Elite Eight, but its eight-game winning streak that began at the ACC tournament put it here.
The Wolfpack beat Duke in the ACC tournament quarterfinals to keep their season alive on March 14, but they also fell to Duke by 15 points at home 10 days before that.
Duke won the matchup in which NC State was not playing with a sense of desperation and that could be the better example of the game we see in Dallas on Sunday.
Duke's guard trio of Tyrese Proctor, Jared McCain and Jeremy Roach combined for 48 points in the March 4 win. The backcourt play will be vital for Duke's success once again on Sunday.
The Blue Devils have also played incredible defense for most of the last six weeks. Duke has not allowed an opponent over 70 points in a win since January 27.
KenPom predicts this game will be closer to the March 4 affair, as he has the Blue Devils winning by nine points. Bleacher Report's experts are split on the winner, with two picking Duke and one taking NC State to pull off another upset.