11 NC State vs. 2 Marquette

The Wolfpack have been steamrolling since the ACC Tournament tipped, and senior forward DJ Burns Jr. has been one of March's breakout stars. NC State has more than a puncher's chance here.

Still, the Golden Eagles are the pick, because when Tyler Kolek is healthy, they are almost unbeatable. The only team to take down Marquette with Kolek on the floor since mid-January is top-seeded (and defending champion) UConn.

Prediction: Marquette 78, NC State 71

5 Gonzaga vs. 1 Purdue

Purdue is playing with a purpose, perhaps spurred in a not insignificant way by last year's opening round disaster against 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. The Boilermakers have barely broken a sweat so far, rolling through the opening weekend with a pair of victories decided by a combined 67 points.

The Zags, of course, are an entirely different tier of matchup than Purdue has faced so far. Gonzaga kept within 10 points of this team back in November, and the Bulldogs have dramatically improved since. Still, they don't have an answer for Zach Edey, and even if they manage to keep him relatively contained, they could still get lit up by all of the shooters around him.

Prediction: Purdue 81, Gonzaga 77

4 Duke vs. 1 Houston

The young Blue Devils have trounced their tournament opponents to this point, while the top-seeded Cougars just needed an extra session to fend off feisty No. 9 seed Texas A&M. So, naturally, our crystal ball backs Houston.

Wait, what? Well, Duke's tourney success has come against James Madison and Vermont, so that doesn't necessarily mean much when up against a juggernaut like Houston. Speaking of the Cougars, their experience and defensive pressure could be enormous in this matchup, and they shouldn't get clobbered on the defensive glass—or whistled for as many fouls—like they were against the Aggies.

Prediction: Houston 69, Duke 60

3 Creighton vs. 2 Tennessee

This has game-of-the-night potential with the strength-on-strength collision between Tennessee's third-ranked defense and Creighton's 10th-ranked offense, per KenPom. Not to mention, these are just two really good teams with 51 victories between them.

Volunteers senior guard Dalton Knecht is one of the best net-shredders in this tournament, and Tennessee is almost impossible to stop when he has it rolling. But this team's nail-biter over seventh-seeded Texas shows how dicey things can get when Knecht can't get going (18 points on 18 shots, 1-of-from distance). The Bluejays have more options on offense, and the volume of their three-point attack could be too much for Tennessee.

Prediction: Creighton 75, Tennessee 72

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