After what could be called one of the most exciting first weekends in the history of the NCAA tournament, the Sweet 16 match-ups have been set. The first weekend was filled with upsets, and overtimes, and a No.1 seed even lost.
Virginia, Florida, and Arizona all made it to the Sweet 16 fairly easily, but the Kentucky Wildcats were simply too much for the Wichita State Shockers, and the Shockers received their first loss of the season, keeping a No.1 seed from entering the round of 16.
Several top seeded, and reputable teams such as Duke, Kansas and Syracuse all lost in the first weekend, and after Warren Buffet’s $1 billion bracket challenge started, no entry was perfect after the first round. Click here for a full look at the updated bracket, featuring all of the match-ups that will be seen on Thursday and Friday.
Many people have had their brackets completely busted after the losses by the 2 and 3 seeds, but perhaps President Obama made some good picks, since his Final Four of Florida, Arizona, Michigan State, and Louisville, is still intact. He has Michigan State beating Louisville in the final, but Louisville has struggled in their first two games.
A handful of incredibly exciting match-ups exist in the the round of 16, including in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville, who both have something to play for. Louisville is the defending champion, and looks to do it again, while Kentucky was ranked No.1 to start the season, and has struggled since then.
Three No.1 seeds will be playing the No.4 seed in the planned out scenarios, but there are a few wild match-ups as well, such as the No.10/No.11 game between Dayton and Stanford. One of the big No.1 vs. No.4 games to watch for is the Michigan State/Virginia game, following Michigan State’s Big Ten tournament victory, and Virginia’s ACC tournament win.
Virginia-Michigan State at the Garden is going to be really, really fun. Could be best game of the round.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 24, 2014
Virginia vs. Michigan State in MSG is going to be fun. Please don't assign some whistle happy officials, NCAA. Let the boys battle
— Pete Thamel (@SIPeteThamel) March 24, 2014
One of the biggest surprises of the Sweet 16 could be the fact that all three SEC teams are still alive, which includes Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, the only team that most people had predicted to get this far.
The SEC had been perhaps the worst of the powerhouse conferences this season, and Tennessee barely made it in the tournament, but the Volunteers have made a huge statement with their past two games, and will face No.2 seed Michigan next.
The Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament begins on Thursday, and will tip-off with Dayton and Stanford at 7:15. Louisville and MSU, the two teams that President Obama, and many others have in their Final Four, will each be seen in action on Friday, in two of the best match-ups of the round of 16.
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