2022 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight Preview

We are down to the final eight of the 2022 NCAA Tournament with a spot in the Final Four on the line. While there were upsets in the tournament, these are absolutely the eight best teams remaining in the field. All four matchups feature some of the best programs in all the land. The ACC remains the dominant conference, with five of the eight teams getting to the Elite Eight. However, that doesn’t mean the National Champion will be from the ACC, with the other three teams from the SEC and PAC-12. So, let’s preview the Elite Eight of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. 

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #2 Duke Blue Devils, Nov. 25th, 7pm EST/4pm PST, ESPN+

Alabama might be the higher-seeded team, but these two teams could not be more opposite of each other in terms of success in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama had never made it out of the second round of this tournament until now but take nothing away from this team. The Crimson Tide are deep and talented. They don’t have one superstar but a bunch of solid players who all can score or share the ball. 

On the flip side, Duke has been to the Final Four four times in its history, with far greater prestige than Alabama. That tournament experience will matter in a big game like this. One of Alabama’s losses was at the hands of an ACC team in Miami. Although it was in August, it’s still a shocking result. 

Duke’s four losses are to four teams still left in the tournament, Virginia, North Carolina, UCLA, and Florida State. Michelle Cooper might be the best player in the nation. Expect her to be the best player on the pitch and lead this Duke team to victory. 

Prediction: Duke Wins 2-1

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. #2 North Carolina Tar Heels, Nov. 26th, 5pm EST/2pm PST, ESPN+ 

Of the four matchups, this is easily the best game on paper, with two ACC teams that have been set on a collision all year. These two teams never met in conference play. So it’s fitting that this showdown is in the Elite Eight. Notre Dame has one of the best trios of players in the nation, between Korbin Albert, Maddie Mercado, and Olivia Wingate. They’ve scored a combined 40 of the team’s 56 goals this year which indicates how important they are to this team.

North Carolina is the team everyone knows and loves, but it’s been a decade since their last national championship. Ally Sentnor and Avery Patterson are a great one-two punch, but they haven’t looked like some of the dominant teams Anson Dorrance has had in the past. Notre Dame has been on fire in the NCAA Tournament, and they’ve outscored their opponents 11-0 until this point. The Fighting Irish should take this game in a close one.

Prediction: Notre Dame Wins 3-2 

#1 Florida State Seminoles vs. #3 Arkansas Razorbacks, Nov. 26, 5pm EST/2pm PST, ESPN+

This matchup is eerily similar to the Alabama vs. Duke matchup mentioned earlier. However, Florida State is the program with the national titles, pros playing all around the world, and arguably the best program of the last decade. For Arkansas, this is their chance to finally get over the hump. They made the Elite Eight last year and lost to Rutgers in a gut-wrenching penalty shootout loss. That experience from last year will be a huge help in preparing for Florida State, and they have Anna Podojil, one of the best players in the country, to lead them.

However, this is Florida State. The only difference is head coach Brian Pensky who hasn’t missed a beat with this amazing group of players. They are loaded at every position, and Arkansas hasn’t played a team this good all season. Florida State should advance without much fuss.

Prediction: Florida State Wins 2-0

#1 UCLA Bruins vs. #3 Virginia Cavaliers, Nov. 26th, 9pm EST/6pm PST, ESPN+ 

UCLA has been the No. 1 team in the country for most of this season, and they might have the toughest matchup of the higher seeds remaining. Virginia is an undervalued No. 3 seed that was likely not given a No. 2 seed because of St. Louis. Playing in the ACC, Virginia has the added advantage of playing tougher opponents more frequently, which will have them ready for this UCLA team. 

Haley Hopkins, Lia Godfrey, and Alexa Spaanstra are challenging for any defense to contend with and should have some success against this UCLA team. The Bruins are led by Reilyn Turner and Sunshine Fontes, two players who have been on another level this season. After dispatching Northwestern relatively easily, it’s tough to imagine their season ending in the Elite Eight. Virginia can absolutely win the game and have the best chance of any lower seed to pull it off, but UCLA will get this done. 

Prediction: UCLA Wins in PK shootout 

Featured image via @dukewsoc on Instagram

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