The madness continues: a look at the Tournament ahead of Sweet 16
March. Is. Madness.
The rounds of 64 and 32 were wild, as cinderella teams dominated the tournament in a year unlike any tournament before.
Brackets were not just busted, but annihilated as 15-seed Oral Roberts took down 2-seed Ohio State and 7-seed Florida. Syracuse, as an 11-seed, advances to another Sweet 16, defeating both San Diego State and West Virginia. Meanwhile, Abilene Christian took down fellow Lone Star State school, 3-seed Texas, in a first round thriller.
Oregon also had a jaw-dropping win against 2-seed Iowa and Luka Garza, as the Ducks put up a whopping 95 points. Number 12 Oregon State advances as well after defeating projected number one overall pick Cade Cunningham’s Oklahoma State Cowboys.
In terms of absolute bracket busters, the biggest upset of the tournament came from Loyola Chicago’s absurd victory over one seed Illinois, who many predicted would be cutting down the nets in April. To many college basketball pundits, Loyola Chicago was ranked too low, making this upset more realistic than many believe.
So, now we enter the Sweet 16.
Don’t count the big dogs out just yet: top seeds Gonzaga, Michigan and Baylor are still alive and ready to capitalize on an opportunity to win the title.
Gonzaga, still undefeated, cruised into the Sweet 16 after beating Norfolk State by 40 points and Oklahoma by 16 points. The Zags’ All-American superstars Corey Kispert, Drew Timme and Jalen Suggs continue to impress, and it’ll be hard to stop them going forward.
With a matchup against a vulnerable Creighton team, Gonzaga should be able to advance to the Elite Eight, where they would play the red-hot USC Trojans or Oregon Ducks, and both will have to be perfect to outlast the Bulldogs’ star players.
Michigan is the last Big Ten team remaining in the tournament, but things have not been easy for the Wolverines as they lost star Isaiah Rivers due to injury before the tournament began.
The Wolverines have managed to overcome the adversity as they enter the Sweet 16 after a win against LSU. Michigan, despite losing Rivers, has been able to maintain a very well-balanced team, as they don’t rely on one or two dominant players like other teams in the tournament.
In the East, Michigan has a tough road ahead as they play against 4-seed Florida State, who blew out Colorado in the previous round. Michigan can’t look past FSU, as many have the Seminoles as a sleeper Final Four team.
The Baylor Bears are the third and final top seed, known for their lethal shooting behind the arc as guards Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler run the offense. This well-rounded Baylor team, also known for its rebounding prowess, can cause some problems for opposing teams as they are able to maintain a hot offense with a defensive backcourt that forces turnovers.
After easily defeating Hartford and Wisconsin, the Bears are paired against a motivated Villanova team that has recent tournament success on their side. Villanova may be a tougher test for Baylor than anything they could face in the Elite Eight, Arkansas or Oral Roberts.
Regardless of how these top teams finish, it’s very likely that one cinderella team could sneak into the Final Four. The Midwest side of the tournament was filled with upsets after the first two rounds. Loyola Chicago, Oregon State and Syracuse eliminated top-seeded contenders from the region.
While not a traditional underdog, Syracuse is one of the low seeds primed to make a run into the Final Four after impressive performances against higher-ranked San Diego State and West Virginia. Buddy Boeheim, scoring 30 and 25 points in his opening weekend games, has launched the Orange deeper into the tournament. Head coach Jim Boeheim’s classic 2-3 zone defensive scheme has proved to be very effective.
Heading into the Sweet 16, expect the madness to continue in this tournament season. Look out for top-seeded Gonzaga, Michigan, and Baylor, and keep an eye on Syracuse.
(Photo via SI.com)
