Elite 8 is narrowed down to Final Four

The March Madness teams that played this weekend did not disappoint. For the first time in a while, their were no teams that got blown out this weekend. Every game that was played over the weekend had a close score. The teams that advanced this weekend and will play in the Final Four are Duke, West Virginia, Butler and Michigan State. Any one of these teams have the ability and talent to play in the National Title game on April 5.

The first team that advanced this weekend was Butler. They defeated Kansas State 63- 56. This is Butler's first appearance in the Final Four. Many people consider this team to be mid majors. Whatever people decide to call them, we just have to acknowledge how good this team is. They can score at will against any team. It's no surprise to me that they're on a long game-winning streak. Next Saturday, they play Michigan State. If Butler gets on one of their shooting streaks, Michigan State will be in for a long day.

The next team to advance to the Final Four is West Virgina. They won against Kentucky 73-66. It's was West Virginia's 3 point shooting in the first half that kept them in the game. In fact, all of their made field goals came from behind the arc during the first half of the game. Kentucky didn't make their first three point field goal until late in the game. Also, Kentucky had a hard time defending West Virginia's offense. This was the first team in this tournament that Kentucky didn't dominate. The pressure of trying to win this game may have taken it's toll on this young team. It just seemed like they struggled all game with their offense and defense. Next week West Virginia plays Duke. It could be one of those games in which the team that makes defensive stops wins.

Michigan State was the next team to advance. They beat a very good Tennessee team 70-69. The Spartans have found a way to win despite many of their key players being injured. The Spartans are familiar with being in the Final Four. This will be the second consecutive time they've advance this far. Somehow someway they just keep hanging in there until finally they pull through and win. Next week, they play Butler.

Duke is the last team to advance to the Final Four. They defeated Baylor 78-71. It was the clutch three point shooting of Nolan Smith and John Scheyer that contributed to Duke's victory. Duke also was able to get some offensive rebounds which helped in them getting the win. When this team is on a roll offensively, they're very hard to beat. It's important to note that this team plays great defense too. Time and time again, their defense made crucial stops. Duke had shown us why they are deserving of their number one seed. They will play West Virginia next week.

At this point, it's hard to choose the team will win this weekend. After both Kansas and Kentucky lost, it's been difficult determining which team will become tournament champions. The team that consistently scores and defends the best will likely win the tournament. All four teams are good enough to win. The games being played this weekend are exciting and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.