Just like that, the men’s NCAA Tournament is down to its final 16 teams.
A tournament that began with 68 teams hoping to make their “One Shining Moment” by winning a national championship game is down to the Sweet 16, which gets started Thursday with the East and West regions.
Who will make it out of the second weekend and secure a spot in the Final Four? Will it be all No. 1 seeds, or will we get a more of a diverse Final Four with a No. 2 seed, No. 3 seed, No. 6 seed or even a No. 10 seed?
REQUIRED READING: March Madness winners, losers with Sweet 16 of men’s NCAA Tournament all set
Entering the Sweet 16, Duke remains the favorite to win the national championship according to oddsmakers, including BetMGM, at +210 odds.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA men’s tournament bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.
The Final Four of the NCAA Tournament is set to take place on Saturday, April 5 and Monday, April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, the fifth time that the Final Four will take place in the Alamo City.
With that, here’s a look at Final Four predictions from those within the USA TODAY Sports Network, including a look at the Sweet 16 schedules for all four regional sites with tip-off times and TV channel information:
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Final Four predictions
South Region
- Sweet 16 Game 1: (2) Michigan State vs. (6) Ole Miss | Friday, March 28 | 7:09 p.m. ET | CBS (Fubo)
- Sweet 16 Game 2: (1) Auburn vs. (5) Michigan | Friday, March 28 | 9:39 p.m. ET | CBS (Fubo)
- Elite Eight: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | Sunday, March 30 | TBD
Is this the year that Tom Izzo and Michigan State return to the Final Four for the first time since 2019 by winning the way it has all season: rebounding, fast break scoring and wearing down opponents in the second half? Or will top-overall seed Auburn or the Spartans’ Big Ten foe, No. 5 seed Michigan, come in the way of that?
A regional final between the two Michigan Big Ten programs is an enticing storyline for many college basketball fans, especially after how their regular-season finale went. But a matchup between Izzo and Auburn’s Bruce Pearl could also provide some fireworks for a potential Elite Eight game.
Here’s who experts in the USA TODAY Sports Network have winning the South Region:
- Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: Michigan State
- Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY: Auburn
- Erick Smith, USA TODAY: Michigan State
- Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY: Auburn
- Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY: Auburn
- John Leuzzi, USA TODAY Network: Michigan State
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East Region
- Sweet 16 Game 1: (2) Alabama vs. (6) BYU | Thursday, March 27 | 7:09 p.m. ET | CBS (Fubo)
- Sweet 16 Game 2: (1) Duke vs. (4) Arizona | Thursday, March 27 | 9:39 p.m. ET | CBS (Fubo)
- Elite Eight: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | Saturday, March 29 | TBD
The East Region is Duke’s to lose, as the Blue Devils have been playing some of their best basketball over the past month through their star-studded depth and Cooper Flagg getting back to 100% strength after a sprained ankle injury.
Assuming they meet in the Elite Eight, the one team that could give Duke a run for its money is Alabama. The Crimson Tide’s defense hasn’t been what it has been in past years under Nate Oats, but Alabama makes do for that with its No. 4 ranked KenPom offense.
Here’s who experts in the USA TODAY Sports Network has winning the East Region:
- Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: Duke
- Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY: Duke
- Erick Smith, USA TODAY: Duke
- Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY: Duke
- Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY: Duke
- John Leuzzi, USA TODAY Network: Duke
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Midwest Region
- Sweet 16 Game 1: (2) Tennessee vs. (3) Kentucky | Friday, March 28 | 7:39 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV (SlingTV)
- Sweet 16 Game 2: (1) Houston vs. (4) Purdue | Friday, March 28 | 10:09 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV (SlingTV)
- Elite Eight: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | Sunday, March 30 | TBD
Of the four regionals taking place over the next few days, the Midwest Region is perhaps the deepest and most talented from an analytics standpoint as all four teams have a top 20 KenPom offense. You also have three likely Hall of Fame coaches in Kelvin Sampson, Rick Barnes and Matt Painter going up against each other, and one of college basketball’s blue bloods, Kentucky, back in the second weekend for the first time 2019. The Midwest is far short of storylines.
An Elite Eight matchup between No. 1 seed Houston and No. 2 Tennessee would make for one of the top Elite Eight games in recent NCAA Tournament history, as the Cougars and Vols have two of the best defenses in the country. Houston ranks No. 1 on KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency, with Tennessee just two spots back at No. 3.
Here’s who experts in the USA TODAY Sports Network has winning the Midwest Region:
- Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: Houston
- Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY: Houston
- Erick Smith, USA TODAY: Tennessee
- Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY: Houston
- Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY: Houston
- John Leuzzi, USA TODAY Network: Purdue
REQUIRED READING: Sweet 16 reseed: March Madness power rankings of the teams in the men’s NCAA Tournament
West Region
- Sweet 16 Game 1: (1) Florida vs. (4) Maryland | Thursday, March 27 | 7:39 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV (SlingTV)
- Sweet 16 Game 2: (3) Texas Tech vs. (10) Arkansas | Thursday, March 27 | 10:09 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV (SlingTV)
- Elite Eight: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | Saturday, March 29 | TBD
One of the more pressing questions around the West Regional in San Francisco is whether Florida will walk through the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight as it has for much of this past season, or will a red-hot team such as Texas Tech and Maryland sweep in and steal that spot in San Antonio from the Gators?
That isn’t all to say that Arkansas’ March Madness run to the Sweet 16 hasn’t been impressive and that John Calipari can’t lead another one of his teams to the Final Four, but the Red Raiders’ KenPom No. 5-ranked offense led by JT Toppin will be hard to overcome to play for a spot at the Alamodome.
Here’s who experts in the USA TODAY Sports Network has winning the Midwest Region:
- Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: Florida
- Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY: Maryland
- Erick Smith, USA TODAY: Florida
- Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY: Florida
- Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY: Florida
- John Leuzzi, USA TODAY Network: Florida
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