Field for Sweet 16 Set

The opening rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament are complete and it’s on to the Sweet 16 starting March 26th. As usual, there are some higher seeded teams remaining plus some upstarts that provided some upsets.

In the East Regional, neither the #1 nor #2 seeds survived the weekend. Virginia, the #2 seed, struggled late in the season, and lost to #7 Michigan State 60-54. The Spartans have struggled at times this season, but coach Tom Izzo always seems to have his team at its best in the tournament. And in one of the bigger shockers of the tournament, #8 North Carolina State proved it was better than its record (22-13) by taking out top seeded Villanova 71-68.

Speaking of Shockers, in the Midwest Regional #7 Wichita State toppled #2 Kansas 78-65. It was the first time the in-state rivals have met since 1993. Wichita State has tried for years to get Kansas on the court, but the Jayhawks have refused, so it’s no stretch to think this is an especially sweet victory for the Shockers. We don’t understand why some schools refuse to play geographic rivals; such games tend to be big hits with the fans. For years, Kentucky refused to play Louisville; now that game is an eagerly anticipated matchup between two teams that are in the Top 25 and sometimes Top 10. Since the 1950’s St. Joseph’s, LaSalle, Pennsylvania, Temple, and Villanova play a round robin series for the unofficial championship of Philadelphia. Wisconsin plays the state’s three other Division I schools (Marquette, Wisconsin Milwaukee, and Wisconsin-Green Bay) every year. There are other examples, and Kansas should join the parade.

UCLA, the Team that Shouldn’t Be There, gained further satisfaction over the naysayers by knocking off Alabama-Birmingham and reaching the Sweet 16. In a couple of mild upsets, two #5s eliminated a pair of #4s with Utah beating Georgetown 75-64 in the South regional and West Virginia topping Maryland 69-59 in the Midwest. Two other #4s, North Carolina and Louisville, did advance. Finally, Wisconsin, the #1 seed in the West, beat #8 Oregon 72-65. Exactly one year ago to the day, the Badgers knocked the Ducks out of the 2014 tournament.