Elite 8 Open Thread: Can Kentucky Punch Its Ticket to Houston?

Tonight's matchup between North Carolina and Kentucky is about as tradition rich as you can get at the Big Dance. The two programs claim more than 4,000 wins - 209 of those in the NCAA Tournament. Together they have 31 Final Four appearances and 12 national titles. Compare that to Auburn and your jaw drops.

Kentucky will have all it can handle against Roy Williams and the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels (27-9) have won 12 of its last 13 games, including an 81-63 whipping of Marquette on Friday.

The Wildcats (28-8) are no pushover. They dropped Tournament top-seed Ohio State 62-60 on Friday. The SEC Tournament Champions appear to be peaking at the right time. They have reeled off nine consecutive wins.

In the day's other matchup, VCU is shocking Kansas at the half, 41-27. Who saw that coming?

As usual, we'll have the open thread up all day. Let us know how your bracket is fairing and chime in with your thoughts. We look forward to hearing from you...