Even though there are no true Cinderella stories this year, the Sweet 16 features the best 16 teams in the country, which makes the second weekend primed for classics.
This edition of Sam’s Section will provide a rundown of every team that got past the first weekend.
Auburn (No. 1 seed in South Region)
Auburn was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and beat its first two opponents by an average of 25 points. Behind Johni Broome, who is in a two-way race for National Player of the Year, they have all the assets to win the national title. Auburn is the No. 3 offense and No. 12 defense on KenPom in terms of efficiency.
Duke (No. 1 seed in East Region)
Out of every team in the country, Duke is the only team ranked in the top 4 in offensive and defensive efficiency. Despite Cooper Flagg being one of the best players in college basketball, guard Tyrese Proctor has emerged as a leader for the Blue Devils, averaging 22 points through the first weekend.
Houston (No. 1 seed in Midwest Region)
Led by LJ Cryer, who has averaged 22.5 points so far this tournament, the Cougars handled business in the first weekend, including under-seeded Gonzaga. Houston and Duke are the only teams in the country ranked in the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency.
Florida (No. 1 seed in West Region)
Florida is one of the most popular picks to win its third national championship after cruising through the SEC Tournament. Superstar guard Walter Clayton Jr. has been phenomenal so far in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 23 points in the team’s first two games.
Tennessee (No. 2 seed in Midwest Region)
Out of every player remaining in the NCAA Tournament, no player has scored more in the first two rounds than Chaz Lanier (24.5 ppg), who has been one of the best transfers in the country. The Volunteers are in this position thanks to the third-best defense in the country.
Alabama (No. 2 seed in East Region)
With superstar Mark Sears leading the Crimson Tide, there is no doubt that Alabama has what it takes to get to San Antonio. What is holding them back is while they have the No. 4 offense in the country, their defense ranks 29th. That is not bad, but that is lower than any of the national champions since 1997.
Michigan State (No. 2 seed in South Region)
Michigan State has what it takes to finally break the Big Ten’s national title drought, which has been ongoing since 2000. They rank in the top 25 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, including having the 5th-best defense in the country. Behind freshman phenom Jase Richardson, the Spartans can go even deeper in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas Tech (No. 3 seed in West Region)
New Mexico transfer JT Toppin has led Texas Tech all year long. They are powered by the 5th-best offense in the country and have not scored under 70 points since Feb. 19. Their defense is not on the same level, ranking 37th in the country.
Kentucky (No. 3 seed in Midwest Region)
Despite losing Jaxson Robinson for the year, Kentucky has found its way back to the Sweet 16 in the first year with head coach Mark Pope. The Wildcats are more offense-heavy with the 11th-best offense in the country while boasting the 45th-best defense. Watch out for Koby Brea, the former Dayton Flyer who can light it up from behind the 3-point line.
Purdue (No. 4 seed in Midwest Region)
Behind an underrated duo of Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, the Boilermakers can get back to the Final Four after making it a season ago. Their offense, 7th in the country, is powered by their ability to knock down shots from downtown, ranking 9th in the country in 3-point percentage (38.5%).
Maryland (No. 4 seed in West Region)
Watch out for the Crab Five. Behind freshman center Derik Queen, the Terrapins have their best net rating on KenPom since winning the national championship in 2002. They barely made it out of the first weekend alive after Queen made a game-winning buzzer-beater to stun 12th-seeded Colorado State.
Arizona (No. 4 seed in East Region)
Despite being down 19-4 to Oregon in the second round, the Wildcats stormed back with a 29-point performance from star guard Caleb Love, who knocked down five 3-pointers on Sunday night.
Michigan (No. 5 seed in South Region)
Despite being a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, no one should sleep on Michigan. They have two phenomenal centers: Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin. They won the Big Ten Tournament after losing their last three games of the regular season. If any team remaining has shown resilience, it is Michigan in its first season under head coach Dusty May.
BYU (No. 6 seed in East Region)
In his first season as head coach, Kevin Young has taken BYU to its first Sweet 16 since 2011. They are led by Richie Saunders, who scored 20.5 points on average in the Cougars’ first two games of the NCAA Tournament. Their effective field goal percentage is one of the best in the country (57.2%) and second to Duke out of the teams remaining in the tournament.
Ole Miss (No. 6 seed in South Region)
Sean Pedulla was the leader for Ole Miss all season long. He turned his game up to another level in March Madness, scoring 20 points in each of the Rebels’ first two games. Ole Miss is one of the most balanced teams in the country, with similar rankings in offense and defensive efficiency.
Arkansas (No. 10 seed in West Region)
The only double-digit seed to make it through the first weekend was Arkansas. Led by Hall of Fame head coach John Calipari in his first year with the Razorbacks. A major story has been the health of Adou Thiero, who will return on Thursday.