Sweet 16 locksets
The NCAA Tournament moves to the Sweet 16 starting March 26 — the Big Ten has six teams in the round, a modern high that reshapes bracket expectations. (ncaa.com) (espn.com) Michigan and Purdue are listed as favorites while Texas is being talked about as a Cinderella threat—expect the bracket to tighten fast. (cbssports.com)
Big Ten teams still alive in the bracket are Michigan (No. 1, vs. Alabama), Purdue (No. 2, vs. Texas), Illinois (No. 3, vs. Houston), Michigan State (No. 3, vs. UConn), Nebraska (No. 4, vs. Iowa) and Iowa (No. 9, vs. Nebraska), as listed on the NCAA’s official Sweet 16 bracket. (ncaa.com) The NCAA schedule assigns the West Regional games to SAP Center in San Jose and the South/East games to Toyota Center in Houston, with the East-region Sweet 16 set for Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., according to the official site. (ncaa.com) Texas reached the regional semifinals after winning a First Four play-in over NC State, then beating BYU in the first round and upsetting Gonzaga 74-68 in the second round. (ncaa.com) (usatoday.com) Michigan’s Sweet 16 opponent is Alabama in Chicago, and the program has reached the Sweet 16 in each of its last seven NCAA Tournament appearances, with nine Sweet 16s since 2013. (ncaa.com) (mgoblue.com) Purdue advanced after a win over Miami in the second round, a game that Purdue’s recap credits with coach Matt Painter’s 500th victory at the school, and reports highlighted guard Fletcher Loyer’s performance in the win. (purduesports.com) (foxsports.com) Three No. 1 seeds remain—Duke, Arizona and Michigan—after No. 1 Florida was eliminated by No. 9 Iowa, and the NCAA notes those outcomes when listing the tournament’s remaining top seeds. (ncaa.com) The Sweet 16 field includes nine teams that returned from last year’s regional semifinals, a total tied with 2003 for the most returning teams in a single Sweet 16 cohort, according to CBS Sports’ tournament recap. (cbssports.com)
