NCAA Tournament 2017: B/R Expert Predictions, Updated Results for Elite 8

The South Carolina Gamecocks are your unexpected East Region champions after a gritty 77-70 win over Florida in Sunday's first Elite 8 Game. The No. 7 seed continued its storybook run with a strong second-half performance and will advance to the Final Four for the first time in history.

On Saturday night, West Coast basketball took center stage as the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Oregon Ducks both advanced to the Final Four. 

Gonzaga controlled its matchup with the Xavier Musketeers to punch the first ticket to the Final Four in Arizona next weekend. Oregon did the same to the Kansas Jayhawks to make it two Pacific Time representatives at University of Phoenix Stadium. 

North Carolina completed the field thanks to a thrilling 75-73 triumph over Kentucky. Luke Maye knocked down the game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining in regulation, helping the Tar Heels survive a sensational last-minute charge from the Wildcats.

Bleacher Report's college basketball experts convened for yet another round of flipping coins forecasting winners. For most of the tournament, we've been divergent in our picks, rarely agreeing on more than 30 percent of the games. 

Continue reading for recaps of the games completed so far and the preview of Sunday's game in Memphis.

Pregame analysis written by Kerry Miller. Advanced stats courtesy of KenPom.com.

No. 1 Gonzaga 83, No. 11 Xavier 59

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Gonzaga shot the lights out from three and got huge contributions from Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnathan Williams to dominate Xavier 83-59 and advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history.

The Bulldogs led by 10 points at halftime and started the second half on a 10-3 run to break the game open and secure their passage out of the West Region and to a Final Four date in Glendale, Arizona.

Williams-Goss, who led the team in regular-season scoring but was limited to just 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting against West Virginia in the Sweet 16, delivered.

Top Performers

It was a good day to be named Williams.

Nigel Williams-Goss had 23 points and eight rebounds, including a 4-of-7 night from beyond the arc, and Johnathan Williams contributed 19 points and eight boards on 8-of-12 shooting from the field.

X-Factor

Size. It would be obvious to say the Zags' three-point shooting was the difference (it was), but that was made possible by Xavier's inability to match up with the Bulldogs inside.

It was a pick-your-poison situation for the Musketeers, who had to leave Gonzaga's guards open on the outside to guard down low and got drilled to the tune of 12 three-pointers.

Next Round

Gonzaga advances to the Final Four, where it will play the No. 7 South Carolina. 

—Updated by Kevin McRae

No. 3 Oregon 74, No. 1 Kansas 60

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The Oregon Ducks had to wait 78 years to reach the Final Four, and head coach Dana Altman had to wait 28 years for that honor. Yet Oregon dominated the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks to win the Midwest region.

The Ducks shut down Kansas thanks to the presence of Jordan Bell in the paint. He came close to recording a triple-double, and he intimidated the Jayhawks when they drove into the lane. 

Tyler Dorsey, who has been stellar all March, led the way for the Ducks with 27 points, 18 of which came from beyond the arc. 

Outside of a first-half spurt from Frank Mason, the Jayhawks never found a rhythm on offense in a game that dropped Bill Self's Elite Eight record to 2-7. 

Top Performers

Dorsey's point total stands out, and three other Ducks found their way into double digits. Mason scored 21 points in his final collegiate game. 

X-Factor

Bell was the Ducks' difference-maker. He did a little bit of everything, ending with 11 points, 13 rebounds, eight blocks and four assists. 

Next Round

The Ducks will take on North Carolina on April 1 in the Final Four. 

—Updated by Joe Tansey

No. 7 South Carolina 77, No. 4 Florida 70

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The storybook run for the South Carolina Gamecocks continues. Frank Martin's team will advance to the Final Four for the first time in history after a gritty 77-70 win over the Florida Gators on Sunday.

Madison Square Garden was rocking for the tightly-contested matchup between two SEC rivals. The No. 4 Gators rode strong three-point shooting to a seven-point lead at halftime, but finished up just 7-of-26 from downtown after the Gamecocks redoubled their defensive efforts on the perimeter in the second half.

Top Performers

Sindarius Thornwell led the way once again for South Carolina, with 26 points including a crucial 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Freshman Maik Kotsar of Estonia obliterated his season average of 5.7 points to chip in 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Florida finished with just three players in double figures, led by Justin Leon with 18 points.

X-Factor 

South Carolina finished strong, outscoring Florida 44-30 in the second half. The Gamecocks have outscored their opponents by a total of 54 points in second halves of the first four games of this year's NCAA tournament.

Next Round

The Gamecocks will travel to Arizona for their date with the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Final Four next Saturday.

—Updated by Carol Schram

No. 1 North Carolina 75, No. 2 Kentucky 73

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The matchup between blue-blood programs did not disappoint.

Luke Maye buried a game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds remaining in regulation, capping a wild 75-73 victory for North Carolina over Kentucky.

But the sophomore's heroics wouldn't have been necessary had the Wildcats not clawed back from a seven-point deficit in the last minute. A trio of threes and a five-second violation allowed Kentucky to tie the game before Maye dropped the dagger.

Top Performers

Justin Jackson led Carolina with 19 points, but Maye's career-best 17 points were the biggest story. Joel Berry II added 11 points for the Tar Heels. While five Kentucky players reached double figures, Bam Adebayo and De'Aaron Fox led the bunch at 13 points.

X-Factor

Kennedy Meeks absolutely dominated the interior. The senior forward snatched a career-high 17 rebounds and swatted four shots. He chipped in seven points and two assists.

Next Round

North Carolina will challenge Midwest Region champ Oregon in the Final Four.

—Updated by David Kenyon