The first two rounds of March Madness have concluded after four exciting and entertaining days, full of upsets and back-and-forth contests. The field for the Sweet 16 is set.
Only two of the four top-seeded teams remain in contention, as both Kansas and Purdue have already fallen. There is a 15-seed present, and a 16-seed nearly got in. And while he hasn’t led his team to the third round since 2019, but Tom Izzo and Michigan State’s presence comes as a surprise to no one.
March Madness Sweet-16 Matchups: Who Is In?
So who is playing who? Here are all the matchups that will narrow us down to the Elite 8:
SOUTH
(1)Alabama vs. (5)San Diego State
San Diego State benefitted from Furman’s first round upset of Virginia, as the Aztecs easily handled their second-round matchup, winning by 23. They’ll face perhaps the biggest test of anyone in the Sweet 16 as they face off against #1 overall seed Alabama.
(15)Princeton vs (6)Creighton
Can the Cinderella ride continue for Princeton? The 15-seed Tigers have had two impressive upset victories, the first over 2-seeded Arizona, followed by a 15 point trouncing of Missouri. They’ll face off against Creighton for the right to play in the Elite 8, against what will likely be Alabama.
BLUEJAYS SOAR INTO THE SWEET 16 💪
(6) Creighton puts up a big performance against (3) Baylor to win 85-76!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/fW6xBL3Ndy
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2023
EAST
(9)FAU vs. (4)Tennessee
Fairleigh Dickinson made an impressive showing even in the second round, and actually led in the second half against FAU. But the Owls were able to come out on top, and they’ll have Tennessee in the Sweet 16. The Volunteers are coming off of a victory over a Duke team that many had slated to pull the 5 vs 4 upset.
(7) Michigan St. vs. (3)Kansas St.
Izzo Magic is alive and well in March, 7th seeded Michigan State is making yet another tournament run. They were able to upset 2-seeded Marquette in the second round, and will face off against Kansas State, the three seed, for the right to play the winner of FAU/Tennessee.
(7) MICHIGAN STATE ADVANCES 👏
The Spartans down (2) Marquette 69-60 to move on to the Sweet 16! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Wxubzl6Jp4
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2023
MIDWEST
(1)Houston vs. (5)Miami
The Hurricanes have lived up to the hype so far, taking care of business in the first two rounds in two very different types of performances. They’ll face undoubtedly their toughest test yet, going up against the 1-seed Houston Cougars on Friday.
(3)Xavier vs. (2)Texas
The Longhorns had a scare against Penn State, but Texas was able to advance to the Sweet 16 behind 28 points from Dylan Disu. They’ll take on 3-seed Xavier, who will face their true test of the tournament after facing 14 and 11 seeds during the first two rounds.
NEXT STOP, KANSAS CITY 💪
THE HURRICANES ARE HEADED BACK TO THE SWEET 16 🔥#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/wUDlXHrnxK
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2023
WEST
(8)Arkansas vs. (4)UConn
The Huskies have qualified for their first Sweet 16 since 2014 when Shabazz Napier was the leading scorer, and UConn will face off against Arkansas on Thursday. The Razorbacks are hot, coming off of their upset of top-seeded Kansas.
(2)UCLA vs. (3)Gonzaga
This is one of those match ups that just keeps popping up in NCAA Tournaments. One of the most memorable March Madness games over the last 20 years was the 2006 meeting between UCLA and Gonzaga, and this will be the third time that they have met in the Tournament since then. The last was in the Final 4 in 2021, a game in which Gonzaga won in overtime.
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