The Sweet 16 Is Set, Find Out Who I Have Going On To The Elite 8

Maybe even who I have going to the Final Four

The Sweet 16 field is set after an amazing first weekend of the tournament. There were great upsets and amazing buzzer-beaters. There were also 0 perfect brackets left after the round of 64 teams, while the women’s still has 3 perfect brackets left going into the Sweet 16. I’m going to preview each Sweet 16 matchup and include my prediction.

1 UConn vs. 5 SDSU

UConn and SDSU meet again, but the stakes are less high this time. Yes, if you lose your season ends, but last time was the national championship. Last year, these two teams played each other in the national championship. But, last year UConn killed San Diego State. So this time, I think it will be a close game that could go either way, but since I have to pick one, I’ll pick UConn because they’ve been the most consistent team all season.

3 Illinois vs. 2 Iowa State

This will be one of the most exciting games in the tournament because of how good these teams are. Some argued that Iowa State should have got a 1 seed instead of UNC, but I disagree. I think UNC just had a bad game against NC State, plus NC State is in the Sweet 16 too. I predict that Illinois will edge out Iowa State in a nail-biting finish because both teams are evenly good, but I think Illinois will start strong and hold on to their leads.

1 UNC vs. 4 Alabama

I think it was a surprise to many people when Alabama made it instead of Saint Mary’s, but when a team gets upset by GCU, it makes it way easier on ‘Bama. I think UNC will win this by a large margin because of how strong their team is, led by RJ Davis and Armando Bacot.

6 Clemson vs. 2 Arizona

Clemson has stunned the world by making it to the Sweet 16 this year. They had to beat #3 Baylor in the round of 32 and beat #11 UNM in the round of 64. I admit a 6 seed beating an 11 seed is not something special, but I thought that UNM could have been ranked way higher than 11. Arizona, on the other hand, has met expectations so far, beating #15 LBSU and #7 Dayton. I think Arizona will win because even though they don’t have Syracuse legend Joseph Girard III who Clemson does have, they are a better team with better players, so I choose the Wildcats.

1 Houston vs. 4 Duke

This is going to be a great game. Two great teams facing off in a 1v4 game. Duke has the squad to win, but so does Houston. If you are filling out your ESPN TC 2nd Chance, don’t listen to me, because I have no idea. But if I have to choose, I’ll pick Duke to win.

11 NC State vs. 2 Marquette

NC State has beat the odds again to continue their season. First with winning the ACC tournament, and now making it this far. They have beaten better teams than Marquette in the last three weeks when they beat UNC, Duke, and Virginia. Marquette has a big chance to make it to the final four as a 2 seed. They have an 11 seed in front of them, and then the winner of Duke and Houston. My final pick is going to have to be the Cinderella Wolfpack or NC State.

1 Purdue vs. 5 Gonzaga

All four 1 seeds are left after the first weekend, but last year Purdue was the first to go. They lost to 16-seed FDU. This year they won then won again to now play Gonzaga. Gonzaga beat Kansas in the round of 32 to get here. Purdue has lost to a 16 seed, a 15 seed, and a 13 seed in the last 3 March Madness tournaments, so watch them possibly lose this, but I have to choose Purdue to follow the path of Virginia in 2019.

3 Creighton vs. 2 Tennessee

As I predicted Tennessee sadly beat Saint Peter’s to make it here. Creighton beat Oregon and Akron. Oregon could have easily won against them, but they gave the ball to the worst free-throw shooter on the court. This could also be a high-intensity game, but I think Tennessee will win because of how well they shoot threes.

It will be an exciting weekend of March Madness basketball. You can watch the games on a phone or device with the March Madness Live app. The Sweet 16 games are on Thursday and Friday while the Elite 8 is on Saturday and Sunday.