BY TRISTAN SASSE
In a record-breaking opening weekend, March Madness continues to prove to be impossible to predict. One thing remains clear in March though: expect the unexpected. From the first-ever 16 seed beating a 1 seed and multiple underdogs advancing to the second weekend, the first week was full of surprises. With the field down to 16 teams, here’s how the matchups reached this point.
Midwest Region (on Friday from the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, NE)
No. 1 Kansas (29-7) vs. No. 5 Clemson (25-9)
Kansas stormed back from a double-digit deficit against No. 16 Penn and followed it up by surviving a late run by No. 8 Seton Hall in the second round. Meanwhile, Clemson won both of its games by double figures, including a 31-point drubbing over No. 4 Auburn.
The high-scoring Jayhawk attack relies on perimeter play but lacks depth and must avoid foul trouble. On the other side, the Tigers use defense as a major key to success, allowing an average of just over 60 points in two tournament games.
No. 2 Duke (28-7) vs. No. 11 Syracuse (23-13)
Duke cruised to the Sweet 16 by defeating No. 15 Iona and No. 7 Rhode Island by 20+ points. On the other side, Syracuse has won its three tournament games by a combined 11 points. Syracuse is the only remaining team that had a play-in game resulting in three wins over a five-day span, including wins over No. 11 Arizona State (play-in game), No. 6 TCU, and No. 3 Michigan State.
In this season’s lone meeting between the two ACC foes, Syracuse tied a season-low by scoring 44 points in a 60-44 defeat and went on to finish tenth in the conference. If the Orange don’t get out to a strong start, this game could get out of hand in a hurry, as the Blue Devils have dominated their opponents in the tournament so far. Syracuse will rely heavily on defense to keep the contest close.
West Region (on Thursday from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA)
No. 3 Michigan (30-7) vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (22-12)
Michigan dominated No. 14 Montana in the opening round but needed a buzzer-beating three-pointer to escape No. 6 Houston. Texas A&M narrowly defeated No. 10 Providence, but completely dominated the defending national champion, No. 2 North Carolina.
Michigan enters this matchup on an 11-game winning streak and currently seems to be one of the toughest teams in the country to face. Meanwhile, after starting the season 7-0, the Aggies have struggled in recent months. In the tournament, Texas A&M has used rebounding to its advantage to set the pace of the game.
No. 4 Gonzaga (32-4) vs. No. 9 Florida State (22-11)
Gonzaga held off late runs by No. 13 UNC-Greensboro and No. 5 Ohio State in the first two rounds to advance to the second weekend. Florida State survived the first weekend by controlling No. 8 Missouri and overcoming a late deficit against the region’s top seed, Xavier.
Towards the end of the season, these two teams were spiraling in opposite directions. Gonzaga enters the game with the nation’s longest win streak (16 games) but Florida State has only gone 5-5 since February 7. Ultimately, the Seminoles struggled in the ACC and finished eighth, but began the season 11-1 and dominated non-conference opponents. Both of these teams score in the low-to-mid ‘80s and this matchup could turn into a shootout.
South Region (on Thursday from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA)
No. 5 Kentucky (26-10) vs. No. 9 Kansas State (24-11)
Kentucky escaped the No. 12 Davidson Wildcats with a 5-point victory and recovered for a dominant 20-point win over No. 13 Buffalo. In the meantime, Kansas State handled No. 8 Creighton for a double-digit win and knocked off the greatest Cinderella story in NCAA history, the No. 16 seed UMBC Retrievers, in the following round.
In a battle of Wildcats, Kentucky arrives in Atlanta on a 5-game win streak, while Kansas State has won four of its last five games. Some considered Kansas State to have the easiest road to the Sweet 16, but don’t take the KSU Wildcats lightly. K-State finished fourth in the Big 12 and the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, Dean Wade, may be available after sitting out the past three games with an injury. Additionally, Kentucky tied for fourth in the SEC but has gone 9-1 since February 17.
No. 7 Nevada (29-7) vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago (30-5)
Nevada escaped the No. 10 Texas Longhorns in an overtime shootout and overcame a 22-point deficit to defeat No. 2 seed Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Loyola-Chicago used late-game heroics to advance to the Sweet 16. The Ramblers hit a buzzer-beater to sink No. 6 Miami and a late go-ahead field goal to stun No. 3 Tennessee.
Easily the most surprising Sweet 16 matchup, both teams overcame late deficits to make it to this stage. Loyola-Chicago enters this round on a 12-game win streak and relies heavily on defense. The Ramblers allowed the fifth-fewest points in Division I this year. Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack focuses on an up-tempo offense and has gone 9-2 since February 10, with both losses being against San Diego State.
East Region (on Friday from TD Garden in Boston, MA)
No. 1 Villanova (32-4) vs. No. 5 West Virginia (26-10)
Villanova comfortably advanced past the first two rounds with decisive victories over No. 16 Radford and No. 9 Alabama. Additionally, West Virginia also cruised to the Sweet 16 with double-digit wins against No. 12 Murray State and No. 13 Marshall.
Villanova has been extremely consistent all season long. The Wildcats finished second in the Big East, and started the season 13-0 and won 22 of its first 23 games. On the other side, West Virginia lost the season opener but then reeled off 15-straight wins and was ranked No. 2 in the country. Since then, the Mountaineers have gone 11-9 and have been searching for answers for the past few months.
No. 2 Purdue (30-6) vs. No. 3 Texas Tech (26-9)
On the bottom half of the Region, Purdue maintained a steady advantage to topple No. 15 Cal State Fullerton but narrowly defeated No. 10 Butler two days later. Additionally, Texas Tech overcame a halftime deficit to defeat No. 14 Stephen F. Austin and a late run to take down No. 6 Florida.
Aside from a 3-game losing streak late in the regular season, Purdue has been relatively consistent for the majority of the year. The Boilermakers finished second in the Big Ten and posted a 15-3 conference record. Meanwhile, like other teams remaining in the East Region, Texas Tech was one of the more flashy teams early in the season. The Red Raiders began the season 14-1, including four wins over ranked teams, but have collapsed with a 12-8 record since early conference play.
Biggest Surprises from the First Weekend
- 6 teams between No. 7 and No. 11 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16
- No. 16 UMBC upsets No. 1 overall seed Virginia (16 seeds improve to 1-135 all-time vs. 1 seeds)
- The top four seeds in the South Region are eliminated (Virginia, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Arizona)
- Two 13 seeds advanced to the Second Round (Buffalo and Marshall)
- Two 11 seeds advance to the Sweet 16 (Syracuse and Loyola-Chicago)
- Two 9 seeds advance to the Sweet 16 (Kansas State and Florida State)
Remaining Teams by Conference
ACC – 4 teams (Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Syracuse)
Big 12 – 4 teams (Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, West Virginia)
Big 10 – 2 teams (Michigan, Purdue)
SEC – 2 teams (Kentucky, Texas A&M)
Big East – 1 team (Villanova)
Missouri Valley – 1 team (Loyola-Chicago)
Mountain West – 1 team (Nevada)
West Coast – 1 team (Gonzaga)
Tournament Schedule
Sweet Sixteen – March 22 and 23
Elite Eight – March 24 and 25
Final Four – March 31
Championship – April 2