The NCAA tournament started with 68 teams, but we’re down to just 16. With the conclusion of the first weekend of the tournament, we’ve got a whole new slate of games coming up in this year’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
While the final 16 teams of the 2025 tournament don’t include the Cinderellas we’ve grown accustomed to, that may be more of a blessing than people realize, as it gives us more high-profile matchups later in the tournament.
That, of course, includes this week’s Sweet 16 matchups, as each region is littered with talented rosters, resulting in matchups that should make up for what many considered to be a lackluster opening weekend.
That’s not to say there weren’t exciting moments in the first two rounds, as several games were decided in the final moments, though lower-seeded teams didn’t perform up to usual tournament standards.
Could that be because of NIL? Or the transfer portal? Or that college basketball will forever lose the madness of March? That will have to be decided in the coming years, but for now, there are eight incredible games to preview as a byproduct of just one double-digit seed making the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. Here's a look at the updated bracket, courtesy of the NCAA.
EAST REGION (Newark, NJ)
Thursday: (2) Alabama vs. (6) BYU, 7:09 p.m. | CBS
Thursday: (1) Duke vs. (4) Arizona, 9:39 p.m. | CBS
The East Region, played at the Prudential Center, comes in with a heavy favorite—Duke—but the three other teams that advanced to the Sweet 16 all have very strong cases to make it all the way to San Antonio.
Duke has looked like the most dominant team in this year’s tournament, as the Blue Devils defeated No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s 93-49 and No. 9 Baylor 89-66 to get to this point. Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor have all looked phenomenal, with Proctor specifically having an incredible performance against Baylor, where it looked like he couldn’t miss from beyond the 3-point arc.
Arizona will be a much tougher task than Duke’s first two games, though, as the Wildcats had to avoid two separate upset bids from teams that many thought were sneaky picks to upset the No. 4 seed. The ‘Cats defeated No. 13 Akron 93-65 and No. 5 Oregon 87-83 to set up their date with the Blue Devils.
Caleb Love has been the Wildcats’ best player all season, and that was no different in the first two rounds of the tournament. But Jaden Bradley and K.J. Lewis have been great supporting pieces behind Love.
With Love’s history against the Blue Devils—namely eliminating Duke in the 2022 Final Four to end Coach K’s career—this one has all the makings of another classic matchup, as the winner will advance to the Elite Eight with hopes of going all the way.
In the regional final, Duke or Arizona will get to face a fast-paced, high-powered offense in either Alabama or BYU, as both teams are known for pushing the pace and shooting at a high clip.
Alabama took care of No. 15 Robert Morris 90-81 after a scare in the first round and then defeated No. 7 Saint Mary’s 80-66 to advance to the second weekend. Grant Nelson returned to action in the middle of the game against Robert Morris, doing so in response to the Crimson Tide playing the Colonials far too close for his liking.
Mark Sears has also had a solid start to the tournament, while Clifford Omoruyi has been a crucial piece inside. With Alabama’s tendency to speed things up, many teams would have to adjust, but BYU is almost a carbon copy of what the Tide likes to do on offense.
BYU defeated No. 11 VCU 81-70 in the first round and followed that up with a 91-89 nail-biting win over No. 3 Wisconsin. Richie Saunders, Trevin Knell and Egor Demin have all been key for the Cougars thus far, particularly shooting the 3-ball, as BYU is one of the best at shooting and making shots from distance.
The Cougars were one of the few teams able to pull off a second-round upset, setting up a matchup with the Crimson Tide that shouldn’t be lacking in flair, as each team prides itself on its fast-paced offense—making this one, along with Duke-Arizona, a must-watch.
WEST REGION (San Francisco, CA)
Thursday: (1) Florida vs. (4) Maryland, 7:39 p.m. | TBS
Thursday: (3) Texas Tech vs. (10) Arkansas, 10:09 p.m. | TBS
Also on Thursday, the West Region’s Sweet 16 games, played at the Chase Center, feature plenty of storylines, though in a different way than the East Region.
Florida is still the favorite, but after a scare against No. 8 UConn in the second round, the Gators may be vulnerable. Florida still escaped with a 77-75 win over the Huskies, following up its 95-69 win over No. 16 Norfolk State in the first round. Walter Clayton Jr. was sensational in both games, especially late against UConn, but Alijah Martin and Will Richard have been critical in the Gators’ run as well.
They’ll have to go up against another team that had a second-round game go down to the wire, as Derik Queen’s buzzer-beating shot sent Maryland to the Sweet 16 with a 72-71 win over No. 12 Colorado State. Maryland opened its tournament run with an 81-49 victory against No. 13 Grand Canyon, giving the Terps a blowout win before their nail-biter against the Rams.
Along with Queen, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Julian Reece have been key, but every member of the “Crab Five” has contributed all season and in the tournament so far. With the Gators coming up, it’ll be Maryland’s toughest test yet, with the winner advancing to face either Texas Tech or Arkansas in the Elite Eight.
Texas Tech comes into the second weekend with two double-digit wins over double-digit seeds, first beating No. 14 UNC Wilmington 82-72 in the first round, then defeating No. 11 Drake 77-64 in the second round. J.T. Toppin has been the go-to guy, but expect Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian to play important roles as well.
The Red Raiders will go up against another double-digit seed in the Sweet 16, facing No. 10 Arkansas, fresh off a 75-66 upset win over No. 2 St. John’s. The Razorbacks got their tournament started with a 79-72 victory over No. 7 Kansas, giving John Calipari wins over Bill Self and Rick Pitino to open his Arkansas tenure.
Arkansas has gotten solid performances out of Billy Richmond, Johnell Davis and Trevon Brazile, while Adou Thiero missed both games to begin his team’s tournament run. It’s unclear if he’ll be back for the Razorbacks’ matchup with Texas Tech, but it will be a clash of two different teams—one looking to continue picking off double-digit seeds, while the other tries to remain the last double-digit seed alive in this year’s tournament.
SOUTH REGION (Atlanta, GA)
Friday: (2) Michigan State vs. (6) Ole Miss, 7:09 p.m. | CBS
Friday: (1) Auburn vs. (5) Michigan, 9:39 p.m. | CBS
Moving into Friday, the South Region showcases the two conferences that have dominated the college basketball landscape all season long: The Big Ten and SEC. Each Sweet 16 matchup features one team from each league, making each matchup a Big Ten vs. SEC battle.
Auburn is the No. 1 overall seed and is the favorite to make it to the Final Four, but it’s looked vulnerable at times in both the first and second rounds. Despite that, the Tigers got an 83-63 win over No. 16 Alabama State and an 82-70 win over No. 9 Creighton. Tahaad Pettiford, Johni Broome and Denver Jones have all looked good in spurts, but shaky in others, yet Auburn has won by double digits in both tournament games up to this point.
Auburn will have to face the Big Ten Tournament champs in the Sweet 16, though, as the Wolverines present a great challenge with possibly the best combination of tournament wins of anyone left in the field. Michigan first beat No. 12 UC San Diego 68-65 and followed that up by beating No. 4 Texas A&M 91-79.
Danny Wolf, Vlad Goldin and Tre Donaldson have been the core three guys for Michigan all season, as they have led the Wolverines to a Sweet 16 after facing deficits in both games so far. The winner of Michigan/Auburn will face off against either Michigan State or Ole Miss, as there could be a conference clash if teams from the same league advance.
MSU was the Big Ten regular season champion and has proven once again that the Spartans win in March with victories in the Round of 64 and 32. Michigan State first defeated No. 15 Bryant 87-62 and beat No. 10 New Mexico 71-63 to advance to the second weekend of the tournament.
The Spartans sport a balanced attack led by Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson and Tre Hollomon but have a deep rotation with a lot of experience across the board. They’ll have a tough opponent ahead of them, but it comes as a bit of a surprise, as Ole Miss was a middle-of-the-pack SEC team before its run to the Sweet 16.
The Rebels avoided an upset bid by No. 11 North Carolina with a 71-64 win and got an upset victory over No. 3 Iowa State with a 91-68 final. Sean Pedulla leads the Ole Miss offense and had some clutch shots against UNC, but watch out for Jaemyn Brakefield and Malik Dia as they could make some noise as well.
Michigan State comes in as the favorite, but Ole Miss looked like it could beat just about anybody in its two wins so far, making this one similar to the Auburn vs. Michigan matchup as a toss-up between the Big Ten and SEC to determine who will advance out of Atlanta.
MIDWEST REGION (Indianapolis, IN)
Friday: (2) Tennessee vs. (3) Kentucky, 7:39 p.m. | TBS
Friday: (1) Houston vs. (4) Purdue, 10:09 p.m. | TBS
To continue Friday’s action, the Midwest Region is the only region that has all of its top four seeds remaining in the Sweet 16. This makes for more high-quality matchups, including one that features a team playing just 70 miles from home and another that is the only matchup between teams from the same conference.
The No. 1 seed Houston Cougars will face the team playing in their backyard, Purdue, as the Cougars are in the second weekend after a dominant 78-40 win over No. 16 SIU Edwardsville, followed by a highly entertaining 81-76 thriller over No. 8 Gonzaga. L.J. Cryer was impressive in both games, as he has led Houston all season, but J’Wan Roberts and Emmanuel Sharp are also key contributors with continuity in this group and are strong scoring options as well.
They’ll have a tough test, though, as Purdue gets an expected advantage in fan support but also boasts a very talented roster led by Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith. Trey Kaufman-Renn is also a high-level threat, and C.J. Cox has been key for the Boilermakers all season long. Purdue defeated No. 13 High Point 75-63 and No. 12 McNeese 76-62 to get to this point, making it a fairly easy road compared to others. But in this tournament, it doesn’t matter how you advance—only that you’ve made it to the next round.
These two teams will surely have an entertaining battle, but Kentucky and Tennessee may be the most intriguing of the entire Sweet 16. These two teams met twice during the regular season, with the Wildcats taking both games, meaning the Vols will either get their revenge or it will be three in a row for the ‘Cats.
Tennessee has been a top team all year long and has experienced players in Zakai Ziegler, Igor Milicic and Chaz Lanier, with Lanier in particular really impressing in Tennessee’s second-round win over No. 7 UCLA. The Vols defeated the Bruins 67-58 and, before that, beat No. 15 Wofford 77-62 to open their tournament run, but facing Kentucky will be a very different challenge.
The Wildcats have been up and down all year long but may have hit their stride at the right time with big wins over No. 14 Troy and No. 6 Illinois. Kentucky defeated the Trojans 76-57 and beat the Illini 86-75, with Mark Pope’s men putting together fantastic second halves in both contests.
Lamont Butler, Koby Brea and Otega Oweh lead this group, as they’re another team that loves to play fast and shoot the ball. That’s in contrast with what Tennessee likes to do, making this one—along with every other Sweet 16 game on deck—one to watch as we move closer and closer to the Final Four in San Antonio.
