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NCAA Tournament: Breaking Down The Elite 8 Matchups

By Casey Pazzalia

Mar 16, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; General view of a March Madness basketball prior to the game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Xavier Musketeers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; General view of a March Madness basketball prior to the game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Xavier Musketeers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 17, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts against the Northern Kentucky Norse during the first half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts against the Northern Kentucky Norse during the first half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

South Region: No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 1 North Carolina

  • Date: March 26, 2017
  • Venue: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
  • Tip-Off: 5:05 P.M ET
  • TV: CBS
  • Line: North Carolina (-3)

This game is the reason everyone loves March Madness.

Fans will get to see two of the most legendary college basketball programs face off on Saturday, as John Calipari and Kentucky will take on Roy Williams and North Carolina.

Kentucky beat No. 15 Northern Kentucky in the first round, No. 10 Wichita State in the Round of 32, then finally Lonzo Ball and No. 3 UCLA in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats got a notable performance from De’Aaron Fox against UCLA, as he poured in a season-high 39 points.

The ‘Cats have looked very good so far in the Big Dance, with the only real scare coming in their 65-62 win against the Shockers.

North Carolina has also been dominant so far. They ran through No. 16 Texas Southern in the opening round, then beat No. 8 Arkansas in the second round. In the Sweet 16, the Butler Bulldogs were no match for the Tar Heels, as UNC won by double-digits.

Next: Forget Me Not - A Letter From The NIT Regarding Its Final Four

These two teams are very familiar with each other. Earlier this season on Dec. 17, they had a high-scoring battle in Las Vegas. It was a back-and-forth game throughout, with the Wildcats prevailing 103-100. In fact, in their last five meetings, UK has gone 4-1.