NCAA Tournament Bracket 2017: Schedule, Odds and More for Sunday's Elite 8 Games

Although the stars have shone brightly in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament (perhaps no one more than Kentucky freshman guard De'Aaron Fox after he poured in 39 points in the Sweet 16 against UCLA), some other players have made crucial contributions to the success of their teams and helped catapult them one step closer to the championship.

Here's a look at two players who have fit that bill and will be needed again to help their teams reach the Final Four.

First, take a glance at the latest bracket as well as the schedule and odds for Sunday's Elite Eight games.

Bracket

Schedule

Matchup	Regional	Time (ET)	Television	Odds
No. 4 Florida vs. No. 7 South Carolina	East	2:20 p.m.	CBS	Florida (-3.5)
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Kentucky	South	5:05 p.m.	CBS	UNC (-2.5)

South Carolina vs. Florida: SC Sophomore Forward Chris Silva

Simply put, without Chris Silva, South Carolina wouldn't even make the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.

Silva put on a show against Duke, pouring in 13 of his 17 points in the second half and grabbing 10 boards as SC defeated the Blue Devils, 88-81 after scoring 65 points in the last 20 minutes of play.

The 6'9", 223-pound sophomore forward is averaging 13.0 points and 7.3 rebounds thus far in tournament play, and he'll need to continue being a strong presence in the post if the Gamecocks are to beat Florida on Sunday.

The primary issue is whether Silva will be able to stay on the court. He has a tendency to get into foul trouble, as he's fouled out of 10 games this season (including four in a row in February).

Because of this, he only averages 20.7 minutes a night. Silva is productive during that stretch of time on the court, however, as he posts 10.1 points, 5.8 boards and 1.3 blocks per game.

It's not a huge surprise that Silva's performances against Florida correlated with his team's results against the Gators. In a 57-53 win, Silva scored 11 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots in just 18 minutes. In an 81-66 loss, Silva scored eight and did not grab a single board.

Therefore, the formula for SC is simple: If Silva stays on the floor and produces, they have a good chance to win this one. If not, then this game could resemble UF's 15-point victory in Gainesville.

North Carolina vs. Kentucky: UK Freshman Forward Bam Adebayo

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out why Bam Adebayo is the most important player on the court on Sunday.

North Carolina out-rebounds its opponents by an average of 13.1 boards per game, which is first in Division I by four full boards.

Adebayo is Kentucky's leading rebounder, averaging 8.0 boards per game along with 13.0 points a night.

He was fantastic in the limited time he saw the court in UK's 103-100 win over UNC in December, scoring 13 points and grabbing seven rebounds. However, he committed five fouls and only played 19 minutes.

Much like Silva, if Adebayo can stay on the court and help keep UNC from dominating the glass, then it will go a long way toward a Kentucky win.

If Adebayo gets into foul trouble again, then UK might need another heroic effort from Monk or Fox to advance to the Final Four.

That's certainly not out of the question, especially considering Monk scored 47 points against UNC, but UK is better off with Monk, Fox and Adebayo on the court together for prolonged stretches of time.