Final Four 2017: Schedule, Odds and Elite 8 Predictions

North Carolina has been a team on a mission since last April. 

The Tar Heels played their hearts out in the NCAA championship game, only to see their dreams shattered when Kris Jenkins of Villanova hit his buzzer-beating shot that gave the Wildcats the title.

It has been a long climb back towards the pinnacle, and North Carolina (30-7) is one game away from reaching the Final Four for the second consecutive year.

The opportunistic Kentucky Wildcats (32-5) stand in its way. John Calipari's team methodically took an explosive UCLA team apart Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight.

In addition to holding the high-scoring Bruins to 75 points, freshman guard De'Aaron Fox broke free for 39 points and looked unstoppable at times. The same thing could be said for the entire Kentucky offense, which had few empty trips in the second half when the team seized control on the scoreboard.

North Carolina is a 2.5-point favorite, according to OddsShark. The Sunday afternoon game will be contested at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, and it will be televised by CBS at 5:05 p.m. ET.

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Point Spread	Prediction
March 25	Xavier (11) vs. Gonzaga (1)	6:09 p.m.	TBS	Gonzaga (-8.5)	Xavier
March 25	Oregon (3) vs. Kansas (1)	8:49 p.m.	TBS	Kansas (-6.5)	Kansas
March 26	South Carolina (7) vs. Florida (4)	2:20 p.m.	CBS	Florida (-3)	Florida
March 26	Kentucky (2) vs. North Carolina (1)	5:05 p.m.	CBS	North Carolina (-2.5)	North Carolina

Roy Williams' Tar Heels are big, strong and explosive, averaging 85.2 points per game (ninth in the nation) and 43.7 rebounds per outing (leading the nation).

Forward Justin Jackson leads the team with 18.2 points per game, while Joel Berry II is contributing 14.7 points per night. Senior forward Kennedy Meeks is averaging 12.5 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game.

Kentucky has been on a tremendous roll with 14 straight victories since losing February 4 to Florida. Similar to the Tar Heels, the Wildcats are a high-scoring team (85.2 points per game, 10th in the nation) and they also get the job done on the boards (39.9 rebounds per night, 14th in the nation).

Malik Monk is the team's leading scorer with 20.1 points per game, and he is also connecting on 82.6 percent of his free throws. Fox is second on the team in scoring with 16.8 points per night, and he proved that he is capable of carrying the team when he gets hot. 

Edrice Adebayo is scoring 13.0 points per night and is a major force around the rim, knocking down 60.6 percent of his shots.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Prediction: These are two college basketball titans who should produce an epic game that could be remembered for many years. Look for Calipari to ride his hot hand Fox for as long as he can, and it would not be a surprise if Kentucky got out of the gate quickly and dictated the pace.

However, North Carolina has too many weapons, and the pain of last year's championship still motivates Williams and his players. Look for Jackson, Berry and Meeks to establish their dominance in the second half. The Tar Heels get the win and the cover.

South Carolina vs. Florida

It had all but slipped away for Florida (27-8) after Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes hit two free throws with four seconds remaining in overtime, giving the Badgers a two-point lead. Since the Gators had no timeouts, the only thing head coach Mike White's team could do was inbound the ball to Chris Chiozza and have him sprint up court and get off a shot before the final horn.

Wisconsin needed to get in Chiozza's way and play its usual brand of hard-nosed defense. It did neither, and Chiozza launched a game-winning, off-balance three-point shot that propelled the Gators to the Elite Eight.

Florida will meet fellow Southeastern Conference competitor South Carolina (25-10) at Madison Square Garden Sunday at 2:20 p.m. ET. The Gators are favored by 3.5 points, per OddsShark, and the game will be televised by CBS.

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The Gamecocks were merely the seventh seed in the East region at the start of the tournament, but they have ousted Duke and Baylor in the last two rounds. South Carolina is not supposed to be competing in the regional final, but nobody delivered that message to head coach Frank Martin and his players.

South Carolina was able to knock the Blue Devils out of the tournament largely because of its ferocious defense, which held Duke to 41.5 percent shooting from the field. The Gamecocks tightened their defense even further against Baylor in their 70-50 victory Friday night, as the Bears connected on just 30.4 percent of their field goal attempts.

Florida is led by sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen, who is scoring 14.1 points per game. Canyon Berry is second on the team with a mark of 11.6 points per night. Both Allen and Berry are phenomenal free-throw shooters, as both average 88.0 percent or better.

Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell is South Carolina's big-time scorer, and he is averaging a team-high 21.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per night. Sophomore guard PJ Dozier is second on the team with a mark of 13.7 points per night.

These two SEC rivals played twice in the regular season, with each team winning on its home court.

Prediction: The Gators whipped the Gamecocks 81-66 on February 21, but beating Duke and rolling over Baylor has given Martin's team the belief that it belongs in the Elite Eight.

Now Martin's players must prove they belong in the Final Four. If that is going to happen, South Carolina must continue to apply defensive pressure on nearly every possession. 

While South Carolina is effective, Florida will fight back. Look for the Gators to gain control in the final 10 minutes and make enough plays to eliminate the Gamecocks and cover the 3.5-point spread.