Elite 8 Bracket: Power Ranking Best Possible Regional Final Matchups

Come Saturday, the NCAA tournament will have reached the Elite Eight.

It's moved fast, hasn't it?

We're not going to know what the matchups look like until the last buzzer sounds on Friday night, but there are only a handful of different possibilities, some of which are more intriguing than others.

I've put together a list of the four best possibilities, and ranked them in order of how awesome they would be. Just cuz.

And away we go...

4. No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Ohio State

This is what we'll get if Wisconsin upsets Syracuse and Ohio State takes care of Cincinnati.

Wisconsin and Ohio State are not strangers to one another. The Badgers and Buckeyes met twice in the regular season, splitting the pair. What the two games had in common is that they were both low-scoring affairs.

That's to be expected with these two teams. The Badgers are one of the very best defensive teams in the country, and the Buckeyes are pretty stingy in their own right. A matchup between these two teams will feature very few wide-open shots and a lot of hustle and bustle on the boards.

It wouldn't be much of a sight to see for those who love a lot of points with their basketball, but it would be a veritable clinic on how defense should be played in basketball.

3. No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 1 Michigan State

This is what we'll get if Marquette beats Florida and Michigan State takes care of business against Louisville.

You'd be hard-pressed to find two more different teams in terms of the kind of strategies these two teams use to score points. The Golden Eagles live and die by their transition offense, running up and down the court and using their athleticism to overwhelm the opposition. The Spartans run a much slower, much more efficient offense, spearheaded by all-talented forward Draymond Green.

So the question in this matchup would be which team could get the other to play its game. If Michigan State gets Marquette to play a slow-paced game, the Spartans would win. If Marquette gets Michigan State to try and keep up with its transition offense, the Golden Eagles would have an outstanding shot at an upset.

The Spartans would have the edge, but these Golden Eagles cannot be counted out of any game.

2. No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 1 North Carolina

This is what we'll get if North Carolina beats Ohio and Kansas beats NC State.

Before the game even tips off, the big question would be the status of Tar Heels point guard Kendall Marshall. He fractured his wrist in the Round of 32 on Sunday, but nobody is ruling out him making a return at some point in the tournament.

Regardless of Marshall's status, the other big question would be if the Tar Heels' frontcourt would be about to meet its match in Kansas forward Thomas Robinson. He's one of the most dynamic bigs in the nation, and he would certainly not be overmatched against Tyler Zeller and John Henson.

Beyond the on-the-court stuff, this would be a chance for North Carolina to avenge its loss to Kansas in the 2008 Final Four. And of course, Roy Williams used to coach Kansas.

1. No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 1 Kentucky

This is what we'll get if Baylor beats Xavier and Kentucky gets revenge against Indiana.

What would make this match intriguing is the simple fact that the Bears are one of very few teams in the country that have the length and athleticism to contend with Kentucky's frontcourt. It would be Perry Jones III, Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller against Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Baylor's M.O. on offense is to get the ball in around the basket, but that wouldn't be such a great idea against Kentucky. Davis is a nasty defensive presence who should be avoided as often as possible.

Baylor's X-factor in a matchup against Kentucky would therefore be Brady Heslip's three-point shooting. He's made 14 threes already in the tournament, and he would have to make quite a few more for Baylor to beat Kentucky.

The Wildcats are widely regarded as the best team in the nation, but the Bears could take them.

For a full look at the NCAA tournament bracket, head on over to ESPN.com.