The 2026 NCAA Tournament started with a field of 68 teams, and now we’re down to the Elite 8. Technically, by the time Sunday’s Midwest Region Final goes off at 2:15 p.m. ET on CBS, we’ll be down to the Dirty Dozen, or six teams left standing, with two teams already having punched their tickets to the Final Four.
The No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers earned a trip to the Regional Final, knocking off the No. 2 seed Iowa State Cyclones on Friday. Meanwhile, the No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines are looking to cut down the nets with one more win. They dispatched another SEC team, the Alabama Crimson Tide, on Friday night. We’ll preview Sunday’s Midwest Regional Final below.
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NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Picks: Midwest Region
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No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers (+230) vs. No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (-285)
On Sunday afternoon, Tennessee and Michigan look to earn the third ticket to this season’s Final Four in Indianapolis. The action tips off at 2:15 p.m. ET on CBS at United Center in Chicago.
The Volunteers polished off No. 2 seed Iowa State on Friday night, 76-62, easily cashing as a 3.5-point underdog while the Under (139.5) cashed. Tennessee has won and covered three in a row in the NCAA Tournament, while the Under is 2-1 in those games, and 4-1 in the five postseason games.
Nate Ament went for 18 points in the win over Iowa state, while Felix Okpara had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds with three blocks. Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 16 points, and he is averaging 22.0 PPG, 5.7 APG and 3.7 3PT per game in three NCAA Tournament games.
The Tennessee offense has been very consistent, scoring 78, 79, and 76 points in wins over Miami (Ohio), Virginia, and Iowa State, respectively. That are averaging 77.7 points per game (PPG), while allowing just 63.3 PPG. The Under is 8-2 in the past 10 games since Feb. 21, and 11-3 across the past 14 outings.
This is Tennessee’s third consecutive trip to the Elite Eight, but it has never appeared in a Final Four. Michigan stands in the way. These teams haven’t met since March 19, 2022, when the Wolverines won 76-68 as a 6-point underdog while the Over (136.5) cashed at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, upsetting the No. 3 seed Vols as a No. 11 seed. Since March 18, 2011, Michigan is 3-0 SU and 2-0-1 ATS in the past three meetings, all in the NCAA Tournament. This is the first Elite 8 meetings between these institutions.
Michigan polished off Alabama 90-77 on Friday as a 9.5-point favorite while the Under (173.5) cashed. The Wolverines have scored 90 or more points in all three NCAA Tournament games, while allowing 80 or fewer points in the span. The Wolverines have covered the past two games after failing to cash in the opening round against No. 16 seed Howard. The Under cashed against the Crimson Tide after cashing the Over in the first two games of the tournament.
The Wolverines saw Yaxel Lendeborg hit 8-of-12 from the field, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 34 minutes. Elliot Cadeau ended up with 17 points, including three triples, while adding seven dimes. Lendeborg is averaging 24.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 4.5 APG with 3.5 3PT per game in the past two NCAA Tournament games.
The Wolverines are back in the Elite 8 for the first time since 2021, which ended in a 51-49 loss to UCLA, then of the Pac-12 conference, while each are fellow Big Ten rivals now. Prior to that, Michigan won 58-54 in the Elite 8 over Florida State in 2018 enroute to a Final Four appearance, and a national runner-up finish in a 17-point loss to Villanova. Since 1989, the Wolverines are 5-3 in the past eight Elite 8 games.
Michigan has lost just three times this season, against Wisconsin at home, Duke on a neutral floor in the regular season, and Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. Two of those teams are still alive, so the Wolverines could get revenge, but they have to knock off the Vols first.
Head coach Rick Barnes is trying to help Tennessee make history, as it has never been to a Final Four, even in the days of Allan Houston, Dale Ellis, Ernie Grunfeld, Chris Lofton, or Bernard King. It’s a storied history, but one which has come up just short of the big time. Heck, even Butler, FAU, George Mason, Loyola-Chicago, and VCU have one or more Final Four appearances.
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe.