The Sweet 16 at the NCAA basketball tournament is set. Only two #1 seeds remain (Alabama, Houston) and several of the sports blue bloods have been eliminated most notably Kansas, Purdue, Arizona, Duke and Kentucky. Gonzaga and UCLA will meet in a rematch of their 2021 Final Four classic.
Here’s a look at the teams that are still alive:
West Regional in Las Vegas, Nevada (Thursday, March 23)
#8 Arkansas vs. #4 UConn
This shapes up as another potential barn burner. The Huskies are playing their best basketball of the season. They crushed Iona by 24 and St. Mary’s by 15 to breeze in the Sweet 16. After beating Illinois 73-63 in their opener, the Razorbacks took out top seed Kansas on Saturday 72-71. UConn is a -3.5 point pick at BetOnline. The total is 139.5.
#2 UCLA vs. #3 Gonzaga/#6 TCU
The Bruins are in the Sweet 16 for the third time in three years. UCLA cruised to an 86-53 victory over UNC-Asheville in their first-round game, and followed that up with a 68-63 win over Northwestern. They’ll face a Gonzaga team that defeated Grand Canyon and TCU 84-81 to advance. These two teams met in the Final Four in 2021 with the Bulldogs winning 93-90 on this miraculous Jalen Suggs shot at the buzzer:
Still not tired of Jalen Suggs’ UNREAL buzzer-beater against UCLA 😱@ZagMBB #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/3ZBnhHBqAV
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 4, 2021
East Regional in New York (Thursday, March 23)
#4 Tennessee vs. #9 FAU
Tennessee shaded Louisiana in their first-round game 58-55 but looked strong in a 65-52 rout of Duke in Round 2. They’ll face 33-win Florida Atlantic which edged Memphis and ousted giant-killer Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round. The Volunteers are -5.5 point favorites at BetOnline. The total is 131.
#3 Kansas State vs. #7 Michigan State
This is another good Round of 16 matchups. The Jayhawks, from the tough Big 12 conference, have wins over Montana State and Kentucky to their credit. Michigan State and their veteran coach Tom Izzo have notched impressive victories over USC and Marquette. MSU opened as a -1 point pick at BetOnline. The total is 137.5.
South Regional in Louisville, Kentucky (Friday, March 24)
#1 Alabama vs. #5 San Diego State
The Crimson Tide breezed through their first two games beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 96-75 and routing Maryland 73-51. They’ll take on an SDSU Aztecs team that shaded College of Charleston 63-57 and destroyed Furman 75-52. The 13th-seeded Paladins were coming off a first-round upset of heavily favored Virginia.
The current line at BetOnline has Alabama as an -7.5 point favorite with the total at 135.
#6 Creighton vs. #15 Princeton
The Blue Jays punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 with Sunday’s 85-76 win over the #3rd seeded Baylor Bears. This victory came on the heels of an 82-73 victory over North Carolina State in the opening round.
The Tigers are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in 56 years. They blew out Missouri 78-63 on Sunday but they caught everyone’s attention with a stunning 59-55 victory over Arizona in the first round.
PRINCETON KNOCKS OFF 2-SEED ARIZONA 🤯#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/U9XHuN41ON
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2023
Creighton opened as a -10 point favorite over Princeton with a total of 140.
Midwest Regional in Kansas City, Missouri (Friday, March 24)
#1 Houston vs. #5 Miami
The Hurricanes beat Drake 63-56 in Round 1 and returned on Sunday to knock off Indiana. #1 seed Houston is in the Sweet 16 on the strength of double-digit wins over Northern Kentucky and Auburn. The Cougars are -7 point favorites at BetOnline. The total is 138.5.
#3 Xavier vs. #2 Texas
This could be one of the best games of the tournament. Both teams looked sharp in their two victories. Texas routed Colgate and shaded Penn State while Xavier has wins over Kennesaw State and Pitt. The Longhorns are -4.5 point favorites at BetOnline. The total is 147.5.
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