NCAA Tournament 2022: Tips for Odds, over-Under Scores for Sunday's Elite 8

One of the most improbable runs in NCAA men's basketball tournament history could make way for a storyline that was far-fetched when the bracket was revealed.

The Saint Peter's Peacocks are the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight in the history of the NCAA tournament.

Saint Peter's takes on the North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday in the East region final in Philadelphia.

North Carolina is one victory away from setting up the first NCAA tournament meeting with its archrival, the Duke Blue Devils, in the Final Four in New Orleans.

The Tar Heels' run to the Elite Eight was not expected as the No. 8 seed, but after wins over the Baylor Bears and UCLA Bruins, they are the biggest favorite of the regional final round.

The Kansas Jayhawks and Miami Hurricanes open up Sunday's two-game slate with a clash inside United Center in Chicago.

Miami's run as a No. 10 seed would be at the top of the marquee in most seasons, but its trip to the Elite Eight has been overshadowed by the chaos in the East region.

Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga found himself in this exact situation as a double-digit seed facing the No. 1 team in the region back in 2006 when he led the George Mason Patriots to the Final Four.

Miami will be well-equipped for the challenge, but Kansas has not displayed many flaws in its past three games.

Sunday Elite Eight Schedule

No. 10 Miami vs. No. 1 Kansas (-6) (Over/Under: 146.5) (2:20 p.m. ET, CBS) 

No. 15 Saint Peter's vs. No. 8 North Carolina (-8) (O/U: 137) (5:05 p.m. ET, CBS)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Predictions

Miami vs. Kansas (-6) 

There are a handful of reasons why Kansas is the last No. 1 seed standing.

The Jayhawks struck a nice inside-outside balance, and Remy Martin increased his contributions in the backcourt. Martin is the most important player to the Jayhawks' national title hopes. The Arizona State transfer turned in back-to-back 20-point games in the past two rounds and he has five straight double-digit performances.

Martin added scoring depth to a backcourt unit that already had one of the best players in the nation in Ochai Agbaji.

The trio of Martin, Agbaji and Christian Braun should deal with Miami's tremendous backcourt collection of Charlie Moore, Isaiah Wong and Kameron McGusty. Guard play is the primary reason why the Hurricanes made a surprise run as the No. 10 seed to the Elite Eight, but they have finally run into a matchup that neutralizes that threat.

Kansas could establish two other advantages on the glass and defensively. The Jayhawks rank 35th in offensive rebounding on KenPom.com and 23rd in adjusted defensive efficiency. Miami ranks 319th and 114th in those categories.

The Jayhawks' ability to clean up on the offensive glass could create enough second-chance opportunities for Martin and others to hurt the Miami defense.

Kansas pulled down 10 offensive boards in its Sweet 16 win over the Providence Friars. If Jalen Wilson and David McCormack clean up down low, the No. 1 seed could cruise to a Final Four berth and a matchup with the Villanova Wildcats.

Saint Peter's vs. North Carolina (-8.5) 

The Saint Peter's Peacocks' incredible run as a No. 15 seed will come to an end Sunday.

The Peacocks played fantastic basketball over the past three games thanks to some incredible game-planning from head coach Shaheen Holloway.

Holloway found a way to take the Purdue Boilermakers duo of Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey out of the teams' Sweet 16 contest Friday, but North Carolina presents a different and more challenging problem.

Armando Bacot is a more agile big man than Edey, and he will have no problem being physical in the paint against the Saint Peter's frontcourt players, who experienced some foul trouble Friday.

The area beneath the net could also be occupied by Brady Manek, who can cut in from the wing, or be an extra rebounding body for the Tar Heels.

Manek opened the NCAA tournament with 28 and 26 points. He had 13 points and six rebounds in the win over UCLA.

North Carolina's guards will also cause trouble to Saint Peter's. Caleb Love in the Sweet 16 and R.J. Davis in the second round proved they could take over games on their own with three-point shooting.

Love had 30 points in the Sweet 16 and Davis contributed 30 points in the second-round upset over Baylor.

If either of those guards go off again Sunday, it will be hard for Saint Peter's to keep pace with the Tar Heels.

Saint Peter's is 3-0 against the spread in the NCAA tournament, and it used its defensive play to control its opponents. However, North Carolina possesses too many unique players who can take over a game for the Peacocks to stop it Sunday.

A North Carolina win would set up one of the most anticipated games in college basketball history, as the Tar Heels face Duke for the first time in the NCAA tournament in what could Mike Krzyzewski's final game as Duke head coach.

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