NCAA Tournament Elite Eight predictions, best bets & picks for Saturday

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The NCAA Tournament rolls right into the Elite Eight and we have a pair of intriguing March Madness matchups coming up on Saturday. It’s Florida Atlantic vs. Kansas State in the early evening game before UConn vs. Gonzaga caps the night off. Check out our expert’s Elite Eight predictions and best bets below for Saturday’s NCAA Tournament matchups. Plus, to claim a great offer from Caesars Sportsbook for new users before you place any wagers on March Madness. We’ll break down Elite Eight predictions and tell you how to claim your offer on Caesars.

Read below to find out why our expert suggests backing UConn -2 in his Elite Eight predictions for Saturday’s NCAA Tournament matchup. Head over to Caesars Sportsbook right now by clicking here to claim an awesome offer for new users. You can get up to $1,250 back in bonus bets on Caesars if your first bet loses.

We have two marquee NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchups on tap for Saturday as we head deeper into March Madness. Florida Atlantic vs. Kansas State starts off the night at 6:09 pm ET and then it’s UConn vs. Gonzaga at 8:49 pm ET. There are Final Four berths on the line in both the East and West regions of the NCAA Tournament bracket.

Let’s now dive into some Elite Eight predictions for Saturday’s March Madness action and focus on the UConn vs. Gonzaga matchup. First, here’s a quick review of how each team got this far.

The No. 4 seed Connecticut Huskies have won all three of their NCAA Tournament games by at least 15 points. UConn dismantled Iona in the first round before handling Saint Mary’s as well. On Thursday, the Huskies served a 23-point beatdown to Arkansas in a game where the result wasn’t in doubt for the entire second half. It’s been a very impressive run to the Elite Eight for a Connecticut team that’s yet to be truly tested.

As for Gonzaga, the No. 3 seed squad earned a double-digit win over Grand Canyon in the opening round before barely surviving against TCU, 84-81. The Zags then pulled off a huge second-half comeback to beat UCLA in the Sweet 16 and needed a clutch Julian Strawther three-pointer in the final seconds to clinch the 79-76 victory.

When looking at this Elite Eight matchup between UConn and Gonzaga, it sets up to be another close battle. Both teams are among the top-six in college basketball in terms of overall adjusted efficiency, per KenPom.com. The Huskies boast the third-best offense and 13th-ranked defense in the country. Meanwhile, the Zags claim the top overall offense with a 73rd-ranked defense. These are all via KenPom metrics.

If we take the first three results of both teams in the NCAA Tournament at face value, it seems as if UConn should win easily. The Huskies haven’t had to sweat any of their games thus far with a trio of victories by 15+ points. On the other hand, Gonzaga had to overcome double-digit deficits against both TCU and UCLA to survive.

According to BartTorvik.com, UConn has been playing like the best team in college basketball since the start of February. If you shorten the data sample size since February 20th, the Huskies still boast the top overall efficiency in the country. This team is much better than its No. 4 seed indicates.

Our expert suggests backing UConn -2 for his Elite Eight predictions ahead of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament matchup. Bet on March Madness right now on Caesars Sportsbook by clicking here or any of the links in this article to claim an awesome offer for new users.

Our expert Elite Eight predictions and best bets for Saturday focus on UConn covering as narrow 2-point favorites.

The notable matchup to watch in this UConn vs. Gonzaga Elite Eight game is the battle in the paint. Drew Timme just scored 36 points against UCLA and put up 28 points in the victory over TCU. The Zags’ center has been a major mismatch down low and opposing frontcourts have struggled to contain him. Timme likely won’t be as effective against UConn, though.

The Huskies have two talented bigs in Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan, who combine to be a much tougher matchup than either UCLA or TCU could offer. In turn, UConn boasts the 14th-best two-point defense in college basketball, per KenPom. The Huskies can limit or slow down Timme and force other Gonzaga players to beat them. Getting consistent scoring from anyone not named Timme has been an issue at times in this NCAA Tournament for the Zags.

Furthermore, the ATS trends point to UConn having an advantage in this Elite Eight matchup. The Huskies are now 8-1 ATS in the past nine games, covering as favorites in each of those wins. That includes a 3-0 ATS mark in the NCAA Tournament so far. Gonzaga, meanwhile, is just 2-3 ATS in its past five games and 1-2 ATS during March Madness. Furthermore, the Zags are 0-2 ATS as underdogs this season – losing by eight to Saint Mary’s and by 19 to Texas.

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Our expert’s Elite Eight predictions suggest backing UConn -2 for Saturday’s March Madness matchup. or any of the links in this article to get started at Caesars Sportsbook and get up to $1,250 back in bonus bets if your first bet loses. Don’t forget to use promo code MLIVEFULL upon creating a new Caesars account.

You can use our Elite Eight predictions and bet on 2023 March Madness right now by heading over to Caesars Sportsbook. Check out the odds and betting lines for Saturday’s NCAA Tournament matchups. Let’s take a quick look at the upcoming March Madness bracket and Elite Eight schedule for Saturday’s contests with Caesars odds available:

• Florida Atlantic +2 (-110) vs. Kansas State -2 (-110) - 6:09PM ET
• Connecticut -2 (-110) vs. Gonzaga +2 (-110) - 8:49PM ET

Be sure to check out Caesars Sportsbook’s odds and . New customers can get up to $1,250 back in bonus bets if their first bet loses. Enjoy our own Elite Eight predictions and go to Caesars right now to claim this offer before Saturday’s NCAA Tournament games.

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