:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45987468/usa-today-8450829.0.jpg)
#8 NC State vs. #4 Louisville (7:37pm): Louisville catches a break with the Villanova upset and will now play an #8 seed instead of the #1 seed. They'll come in favored and projected to win by KenPom, despite losing to the 'Pack during their weak 4-5 close to their year. After beating Northern Iowa, one would think they have things back on track just in time. An ACC vs. ACC matchup adds to the intrigue of this one.
#1 Duke vs. #5 Utah (9:45pm): After underwhelming in last year's tournament, Duke has pummeled their opponents by 29 and 19 in the opening weekend of March Madness. Utah will be a much tougher test though. Despite their #5 seed, KenPom ranked Utah as the 7th best team in the country and while even the advanced metrics give the edge to Duke, it's by a narrow margin. This will be a fun matchup of a classic power everyone loves to hate versus the new guy on the block who we can all pull for.
In addition to these games, UCLA will battle #2 Gonzaga for the right to play the Utah/Duke winner and Michigan State and Oklahoma will square off in the late game. The winner of the MSU/OU game will likely be favored over the winner of the Louisville/NC State game, so that game will go a long way in determining the winner of the region.
| March 26, 2015 | Time | Channel |
| (11) UCLA vs. (2) Gonzaga | 7:15 PM | CBS |
| (4) Louisville vs. (8) NC State | 7:37 PM | TBS |
| (1) Duke vs. (5) Utah | 9:45 PM | CBS |
| (3) Oklahoma vs. (7) Michigan State | 10:07 PM | TBS |
Join us below to discuss this evening's games and check back tomorrow and Sunday for our Elite 8 open threads.