As the 5th seeded Miami Hurricanes finish off the 1 seed Houston in their Sweet Sixteen contest, we await an Elite Eight like no other. But a question arises from the ashes of the fallen. Who is the favorite?

All of the 1 seeds, gone before the regional final. The highest seed remaining in the tournament will be the victor of 2 seed Texas and 3 seed Xavier.

Of the remaining teams, who would you say in a debate will win it all. Texas, led by a coach with two failed prior stints and the interim tag not removed after the run they’ve had. Is it the year Xavier or Gonzaga cut the nets? There hasn’t been a better player in the tourney than the seasoned Zags veteran Drew Timme. Xavier arguably with the best set of guards remaining.

The best story would be Kansas State and Keyonte Johnson’s comeback to the college basketball limelight. A couple mid seeds from the Big East that can pile up points in Creighton and UConn. San Diego State is fresh off suffocating the top ranked team in the tourney.

And lastly the two cinderellas in FAU and Princeton. Good guard play always gives you a shot and both teams have smart leaders at the point.

In a tournament that truly anything can happen we all must remain calm when Joanne in Accounting wins the office pool because she picked Princeton to go to the Final Four because their nickname is the Princes.

-Andrew Bechtel