On one side of the bracket, the ACC. On the other, Villanova, Kansas, Oregon and Oklahoma.
This year, the Elite Eight features eight power conference teams, including two of the blue bloods of the sport – Kansas and North Carolina. The closest thing to a "plucky upstart" is Villanova, the big east last entry in the tournament. Villanova has the misfortune of taking on Kansas, a team that has one 17 straight games and looks to be set to run things to a championship.
Villanova, however, have the chance to put the big east on it's shoulders and improve the league's reputation by reaching a Final Four.