NCAA Tournament: Elite Eight Preview

At the Division I level, winning a national championship is the pinnacle for college athletes. Sixty-four teams have been whittled down to eight, with each school still on the hunt for a national title. We’re giving you an in-depth look into the Elite Eight matchups from the 2021 NCAA Tournament; let’s get into it. 

#1 Florida State Seminoles vs. #2 Michigan Wolverines, on November 26 at 2:00 PM ET

Are you in town for Thanksgiving? If so come out and support your Noles in the Elite 8 this Friday at 2 pm. Get your tickets now!

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— FSU Soccer (@FSUSoccer) November 22, 2021

This is a big-time showdown between two schools with contrasting storylines. For Michigan, this is the farthest they’ve ever gotten in the NCAA Tournament since 2013.

They’re a program on the precipice of making that elusive Final Four appearance. But of course, the juggernaut that is Florida State stands in their way. The Wolverines feature a balanced attack with five different players scoring at least five goals or more. 

The way Michigan plays as a team will make them dangerous against anyone, and if they weren’t going up against the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, I would pick them to advance. However, this Florida State team, under Mark Krikorian, is just too stacked with future NWSL draft picks across the board. The Seminoles should get this done, but it won’t be easy. 

Prediction: #1 Florida State advances 2-1

#1 Duke Blue Devils vs. Santa Clara Broncos, on November 26 at 6:00 PM ET

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— Duke Women's Soccer (@DukeWSOC) November 22, 2021

Not many would have expected the defending champs, Santa Clara, to be back in the Elite Eight the following year. Going back-to-back is incredibly difficult, but this Broncos team is more than capable. They’ve easily had the toughest road to this point with wins over Stanford, Georgetown, and Wisconsin.

This run they are on seems eerily similar to last year’s run. Kelsey Turnbow is big time, and with the Broncos bringing back key players, what’s to say they can’t do it again?

As for Duke, they’ve had a great year and have been a top-five team throughout. Led by Michelle Cooper and Tess Boade, they will be very tough to beat and eager to get another shot at Florida State in the final.

In a tournament that has seen a ton of major upsets, we might have another one in the making. Santa Clara is playing their best at the right time again. They might just make back-to-back Final Fours. 

Prediction: Santa Clara advances 3-2

#1 Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. #2 Arkansas Razorbacks, on November 26 at 7:00 PM ET

✌️Two days until we ???? ??????‼ #RUWS hosts Arkansas for the #NCAA Elite Eight on Friday, 11/26! Kickoff is set for 7 PM at Yurcak Field!

See you all at the pre-game Scarlet Walk! Wear black!

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— RUWS | BIG TEN CHAMPIONS (@RUWSoccer) November 24, 2021

Both of these teams avoided the upset bug and got to the Elite Eight, but it was not easy. Rutgers toughest win was over TCU in a penalty kick shootout, arguably the best Big 12 team. At the same time, Arkansas beat a solid Notre Dame 3-2 to get to this position.

This is the furthest Arkansas has ever gotten as a program; how will they handle the big stage? They’ve been unable to win the big game in the SEC Tournament, losing in the finals the last four years.

As for Rutgers, they have a bit more history, with a Final Four appearance coming in 2015. Between future NWSL draft picks Amirah Ali and Frankie Tagliaferri leading the offense and the defense anchored by Gabby Provenzano, this team is for real.

Going unbeaten in conference play, especially in the Big 10, is no small feat. So, their experience and pedigree should be enough for Rutgers to get past a solid Arkansas team that might not be ready for the moment. 

Prediction: Rutgers advances 2-0

#4 BYU Cougars vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, on November 27 at 7:00 PM ET

ELITE 8 BROADCAST INFO

? BYU vs South Carolina
? Saturday, Nov. 27
? South Field
⌚️ 5 PM MT
? @byutvsports
? BYUtv app/byutv.org
? Play-by-play by @LandonSouthwick on the BYU Cougars app
? SOLD OUT pic.twitter.com/SIsW5b3fDG

— BYU Women's Soccer (@byusoccer_w) November 24, 2021

This is by far the toughest matchup to call out of the four games; both programs have been elite for many years. South Carolina has made it to at least the Elite Eight in three of the last four seasons, and BYU has made it to the Elite Eight three times prior but has yet to get to a Final Four. 

South Carolina is one of the better teams in the country, but they stumbled midseason and then lost in the first round of the SEC Tournament, which lowered their seed. They upset North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, followed by Hofstra and Penn State. Because they are a bigger program, the edge goes to South Carolina. 

However, this BYU team is playing on another level right now. They smashed New Mexico and Alabama by a combined score of 10-1 in the first two games and then took out a really good No. 1 seed in Virginia 1-0.

Mikayla Colohan and Cameron Tucker each have 16 goals this year, with Colohan also assisting 14 times. If BYU’s stars play up to the level they should, this might be the year they get to their first-ever Final Four, something the program has been working toward since 1995. 

Prediction: BYU advances on PKs (1-1 in regular time) 

Featured image via @razorbacksoccer on Instagram

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