What a crazy tournament it has been already. Top dogs like UNC, Michigan State, Xavier, and Arizona have been knocked off, while teams like UMBC have made history by being the first 16 seed to knock off a 1 seed.
The bad news is, your bracket is probably busted. The good news is, this has been the most entertaining NCAA Tournament ever, and there is still more basketball to come.
As of today, sixteen teams still have a chance at making it to San Antonio, but come Sunday, only four teams will still be alive. So which teams have the best chances to make it past the Sweet 16 and into the Elite 8? I previewed Thursdays Sweet 16 matchups below, take a look!
#11 Loyola-Chicago vs. #7 Nevada (Thursday, 7:07 PM/EST, CBS)
If your correctly picked these two teams to meet in your bracket, good for you. Not many people saw this one coming. The popular pick for this region was for Tennessee and Cincinnati to be meeting in the Sweet 16, but here we are. The Pack vs. The Ramblers. Loyola-Chicago is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1985, while Nevada has had a more recent visit (2004). In their victory over Tennessee, the Ramblers shot 50% from the field. With that kind of shooting performance, they can take down any team left in this tournament. They are battle tested, seeing how both of their previous tournament games came down to the wire. As for Nevada, they have a number of big-program transfers and are led by twins Cody and Caleb Martin. The identical brothers combined for 35 points to help them knock off Cincinnati in an epic comeback. The Ramblers have one 12 in a row and are perhaps the most fun team in the tournament to watch. Why not make that 13 wins in a row? Loyola-Chicago takes down Nevada in a high scoring affair.
#7 Texas A&M vs. #3 Michigan (Thursday, 7:27 PM/EST, TBS)
The Aggies had one of the most dominant performances of the tournament in the Round of 32 with their beatdown on North Carolina (that’s coming from a UNC fan). The Tar Heels had no answer for the bigs inside and the Aggies did a great job at disrupting UNC on the offensive end. Michigan, on the other hand, just barely squeaked by a tough Houston team with a buzzer-beating three (it still gives me chills to watch that play). Any team that can knock off a team that has made two straight Final Fours in dominant fashion is a very safe pick to advance further, but Michigan is one of the top defenses teams in the country.
#9 Kansas State vs. #5 Kentucky (Thursday, 9:37 PM/EST, CBS)
Many people thought Kansas State got very lucky that they got to play #16 UMBC instead of the #1 overall seed Virginia. But UMBC was a team that had some major momentum heading into their Round of 32 matchup, and Kansas State did a great job at not letting themselves be added to the list of upsets that UMBC pulled off. As for Kentucky, they also got a little lucky that they didn’t have to play Arizona, but Buffalo was no easy draw. At the end of the day, Kentucky simply has more talent than Kansas State. While that doesn’t really matter much in the tournament, it will matter enough in this one. The Wildcats should walk away victorious…..Kentucky that is.
Fun fact. This is Kentucky’s second match-up in this tournament against a school that also has a Wildcat mascot.
#9 Florida State vs. #4 Gonzaga (Thursday, 9:59 PM/EST, TBS)
Florida State loves to defend. They have three shot blockers at or around 7’0” that are very tough to get past. In order to beat the Seminoles, you have to out defend them. Gonzaga has veteran leaders and a tough matchup for anyone in Killian Tillie. This one is a tough game to pick. I’m gonna go with the unpopular pick – Florida State. They are a matchup nightmare for anyone down low, and this team buys into defense for 40 minutes. Nole Nation stand up!
