After tonight's two final Elite Eight matchups, the 2021 Final Four of the 2021 NCAA men's tournament will officially be set. The No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs are the only undefeated team this season at 29–0 and have looked unstoppable, outscoring opponents, 268–191. Rolling through their opponents by an average margin of victory of 25.7 points has many fans and pundits ready to anoint the Bulldogs with their first national championship.
In order to get there, they'll face a USC club that is part of arguably the biggest surprise of March Madness: the success of Pac-12 teams. The conference, which sent four schools (Oregon State, UCLA, USC and Oregon) to the tournament, have posted an incredible 12–2 (86%) against the spread (ATS) mark—with three teams qualifying for the Elite Eight.
In the nightcap, Michigan, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, will square off with a Pac-12 foe in the No. 11 seed UCLA Bruins. Michigan coach Juwan Howard looks to return to the Final Four for the first time as a coach after being a player on the Fab Five Wolverines teams that played in consecutive national championship games two decades ago (1992 and 1993).