Final Four 2018: Schedule, Odds and Elite 8 Predictions

The typical March Madness bracket is by now broken beyond repair. At least everyone faces the same dilemma, so even busted submissions can still win by default.

At least one Cinderella squad will waltz into the Final Four when Loyola-Chicago meets Kansas State in Saturday's opening Elite Eight contest. 

For all the stunning upsets, the field still contains some Goliaths yet to be slayed. While No. 3 Michigan has emerged as an unlikely favorite to reach the finals, top seeds Villanova, Kansas, Duke and Texas Tech all advanced on Friday night.

Here is the remaining NCAA tournament schedule, with Elite Eight spreads courtesy of OddsShark, and an extended glimpse into Saturday's two unlikely showdowns.

NCAA Tournament Schedule

Saturday, March 24

No. 11 Loyola-Chicago vs. No. 9 Kansas State (-1.5), 6:09 p.m. ET on TBS (Prediction: 66-65 Loyola)

No. 9 Florida State vs. No. 3 Michigan (-4.5), 8:49 p.m. ET on TBS (Prediction: 74-67 Michigan)

Sunday, March 25

No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 1 Villanova (-6.5), 2:20 p.m. ET on CBS (Prediction: 80-72 Villanova)

No. 2 Duke (-3.5) vs. No. 1 Kansas, 5:05 p.m. ET on CBS (Prediction: 82-79 Duke)

Saturday, March 31

Final Four Matchups TBD at 6:09 p.m. and 8:49 p.m. ET on TBS

Monday, April 2

National Championship Game, 9:20 p.m. ET on TBS

Loyola-Chicago vs. Kansas State

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Remember when the South region seemed unjustly loaded with Virginia, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Arizona and Kentucky all wielding legitimate title hopes? They're all gone.

Per ESPN PR, neither Loyola-Chicago nor Kansas State received much fan support:

The Ramblers and Wildcats also benefited from somebody else taking down a major obstacle. After Nevada rallied to eliminate No. 2 Cincinnati, Loyola edged out a 69-68 Sweet 16 win over the No. 7 seed. Kansas State, meanwhile, avoided Virginia because of No. 16 UMBC's historic first-round upset.

For Saturday's winner, those breaks will yield a ticket to San Antonio, Texas, for the Final Four. 

The underdogs are also kindred spirits in style. Per KenPom.com, they each rank in the top 25 of adjusted defensive efficiency and outside the top 300 of adjusted tempo. Neither squad has scored more than 69 points in the NCAA tournament, so expect more of the same when they meet.

No victory has come easy for the Ramblers, who have escaped three buzzer-beating wins by a combined four points.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, they took an unconventionally tight path to the Elite Eight:

Kansas State's larger triumphs, however, came over UMBC and No. 8 Creighton before surviving Friday's 61-58 upset over Kentucky. Bruce Weber's squad is seeded worse than all of Loyola's three victims.

Having forced 45 turnovers in three tournament games, Kansas feeds off pressuring opponents into mistakes. While Loyola surrendered 16 giveaways against Nevada, it's typically more cautious with 12.2 turnovers per contest.

In addition to playing a clean game, the Ramblers also must make the most of their deep-shooting advantage. As noted by Matthew Giles of the Washington Post, they have made 52 percent of their unguarded three-point attempts, which has accounted for 40 percent of their shots. Yet the Wildcats have stymied their March Madness opponents to 18 of 68 makes from behind the arc.

The evenly matched adversaries can mitigate the other side's strength while both playing elite defense and efficient, yet unhurried offense. A deep, battle-tested lineup propels Loyola to one more narrow victory in the closing seconds.

Florida State vs. Michigan

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Michigan couldn't have asked for a better road to the Final Four.

While the Wolverines survived a second-round scare against No. 6 Houston, No. 2 North Carolina fell to No. 7 Texas A&M. Rather than worrying about the Tar Heels, the Big Ten champions handily dispatched the Aggies. 

Per College Basketball Reference, their odds of winning the national title jumped significantly after prevailing alongside three lower seeds on Friday night:

That's not to take Florida State lightly. The Seminoles have not received such fortune, instead vanquishing No. 8 Missouri, No. 1 Xavier and No. 4 Gonzaga by a combined 33 points. They limited the Bulldogs to a 33.9 field-goal percentage (20-of-59) while swatting nine blocks in Friday's 75-60 Sweet 16 win.

"We contest every shot," Florida State center Ike Obiagu said, per USA Today's Lindsay Schnell. "You’re going to think you’re wide open, and then someone is coming to contest it. That’s pretty useful."

If anyone can upstage the underdog's flourishing defense, it's Michigan, which ranks fourth in KenPom's adjusted defense. On the other end, Moritz Wagner brings a 61.1 effective field-goal percentage and 24.7 player efficiency rating into the contest, per Sports-Reference.

Following a quiet first-round performance, the center emerged to tally 12 points against Houston and 21 over Texas A&M. The pro prospect has adeptly stretched the floor by draining six of his eight three-point attempts.

Michigan has not lost since Feb. 6, and it has dominated many of its opponents during the 12-game winning streak with a 13.2-point average margin of victory. Florida State, meanwhile, lost six of 10 games before its March Madness run.

A tournament can only have so many upsets before the top teams exploit a depleted field.