Imagine, for one moment, that the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was not single-elimination but rather a seven-game series each round, like the NBA playoffs.The tournament would literally last months, but hang with me for a second.If that were ever the case (and it won't be), then we would never see low seeds advance deep into the tournament. Rather, the top few seeds would always find a way to the Final Four, much like the NBA, where a No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 seed has won the Finals every year since 1996.The point is that the tournament is highly volatile and therefore hard to predict because a litany of scenarios can play out in a one-game sample size. Over the course of a series, the cream will usually rise to the top.Therefore, perhaps the best option when predicting these games is to lay out the most plausible scenarios (in this case, two for each matchup) and pick the one that seems most likely.We'll give that a shot here for Sunday's Elite Eight games, but first, here's a look at the latest bracket, schedule and odds.BracketFlorida vs. South CarolinaFlorida Crushes South CarolinaThe two scenarios you see here aren't big surprises, as they both played out already in the regular season.For this one, Florida beat SC, 81-66 in Gainesville behind 26 points from sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen. The Gamecocks shot poorly from the field (39.3 percent) and hit only three of their 14 three-pointers.Two players scored 39 of South Carolina's 66 points: Senior guards Sindarius Thornwell (23) and Duane Notice (16). No one else scored more than eight.That's probably not going to fly against Florida, as South Carolina will likely need a scoring punch from more than two guys if it wants to hang with the Gators.First Team to 60 WinsSouth Carolina's best chance of winning this game is slowing the pace down, playing tough defense and beating Florida in a race to the 60s.The Gamecocks didn't quite reach 60 against Florida in a 57-53 win over the Gators in Columbia this year, but its stout defensive effort led the charge in their biggest SEC win of the season.South Carolina's defense is on a roll right now, as it arguably put up the second-best defensive performance of the entire NCAA tournament by allowing just 50 points to Baylor in a 70-50 win. The Gamecocks were attached to the basketball like magnets on defense, following it at a lightning-fast speed whenever it moved during a Bear offensive possession.SC's performance against Baylor is second-best because Florida's output against Virginia in the second round is unquestionably the best, as the Gators held UVA to just 39 points.South Carolina and Florida are ranked second and fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, so it's obvious that we will see two elite defenses go at it on Sunday. But the difference should be that Florida is a solid offensive team, ranking 25th in adjusted offensive efficiency.South Carolina has done well offensively lately, but at times, it can be too one-dimensional with Thornwell and Notice bailing them out.This should be a fascinating defensive game, but give the Gators the slight edge.Pick: Florida 61, South Carolina 57North Carolina vs. KentuckyEpic Race to 100: Part IIUK beat UNC 103-100 when these two teams played in December. UK freshman guard Malik Monk scored 47 points, and UNC junior forward Justin Jackson led the Tar Heels with 34.Kentucky and UK both play at fast paces, with the Wildcats performing at the 26th-quickest tempoand UNC ranking 45th, perKenPom.com.Furthermore, both teams light up the scoreboard on a game-by-game basis, averaging85.2 points per game.It's hard to see UNC and UK shooting at least 53 percent from the field again as they did in December, but given their offensive proficiency, plus their quick paces, another high-scoring game approaching 100 points is not out of the question.Battle of the Big MenSomething happened in the aforementioned shootout that we aren't likely to see in a follow-up contest.UK freshman forward Bam Adebayo (6'10", 260 pounds), fouled out after playing only 19 minutes. UNC senior forward Kennedy Meeks (6'10", 260 pounds)did the same in 20 minutes, and another UNC senior forward, Isaiah Hicks (6'9", 242 pounds), committed four fouls in 15 minutes.Adebayo is UK's primary big man, while Meeks and Hicks form the starting frontcourt for the Tar Heels.It's doubtful all three get into foul trouble and sit at least half the game again, so it's hard to see this matchup turning into an Olympic track meet dominated by guards and small forwards. This time, expect attention to shift to the paint and glass.UNC is No. 1 in Division I with a 13.1-rebound margin, while UK is in the top 40 at 5.1. If Kentucky is to win this game, it needs to win the battle of the boards, as it did against UNC in its win this season (39 rebounds to 35).However, it's unlikely that both Meeks (9.1 rebounds per game) and Hicks (5.6 rebounds per game) are limited yet again, so take UNC to control the glass and win a lower-scoring game than the last time these two teams met.Pick: UNC 84, Kentucky 80
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