Examining Potential Elite 8 Opponents

Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteer cannot afford to overlook Florida Atlantic. However, with a victory on Thursday night, who would Tennessee draw next?

College hoops in late March are constantly changing. One night you can be on top of the world; the next, you can see your dreams shattered. For the Vols, they're 2 for 2 in being on top of the world. As the field narrows to 16, we know who Tennessee will face on Thursday night. 

The opponent, of course, is the Florida Atlantic Owls, who are coming off of victories against 8-seeded Memphis and 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. Despite FAU being a nine-seed, the Vols know they cannot afford to look past Thursday night. Luckily for the team, we here at Volunteer Country can do just that. We look at the two Elite 8 matchups for the Vols if they can get a victory Thursday night, a game that you can preview here. 

On the other side of the Sweet 16 in the East Region are two State schools, Michigan State and Kansas State. KSU comes from a Sunday victory against blueblood Kentucky, with Tom Izzo and Sparty taking down two-seed Marquette. We take a look at the numbers for both possible Elite Eight foes.

Michigan State

• BPI Rank: 32
• Regular Season Record: 21-12
• KENPOM Adjusted Efficiency Rank: 25th

For Michigan State they've been here before. With Tom Izzo at the helm, the Spartans have won 55 tournament games, including 10 Elite Eight appearances. One key number for Sparty is that Sunday's victory over Marquette marked Izzo's all-time leading 16th victory as a lower seed. 

Kansas State 

• BPI Rank: 30
• Regular Season Record: 25-9
• KENPOM Adjusted Efficiency Rank: 21st

Kansas State seems to stack up very comparably to Michigan State. However, their path was much different. KSU was picked to finish last in the Big 12 in the preseason rankings. Defying those odds with first-year Head Coach Jerome Tang, the Cats now face off against MSU with a spot in the Elite Eight, perhaps against the Vols. 

You Might Also Like:

• Betting Guide: Tennessee vs. Duke
• Emmanuel Moseley & Cam Sutton Ink Deals With Detroit
• Tennessee Flashes Dominant Defense To Begin March Madness

Join the community:

Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.