College basketball always seems to take over the world of sports every single March as the NCAA Tournament is one of the top sporting events out there. March Madness is the nickname given to this event, and it provides plenty of drama and excitement every single year. And now we are heading into the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round.
The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament always tends to bring about the most excitement, but that might not be the case this time around. There were still some upsets in the First Round, but the top college basketball teams played well from that point.
Sixteen teams remain in the NCAA Tournament, and those teams will now battle it out this weekend for a shot at the Elite 8. Here are some of the biggest stories, or teams to watch moving forward.
Best 8 Remain
The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee looks at a ton of different criteria when selecting the field and handing out the seeds. Many questioned some of the selections this season, but the committee has to be smiling after the first weekend of the NCAAB schedule.
All four of the number 1 and 2 seeds were able to get out of the first weekend, and those eight teams rarely get that done. There were some close calls along the way, but some of the best teams were also extremely dominant as well.
The UConn Huskies and Purdue Boilermakers were the two most impressive teams in the first weekend, as those teams won two games in blowout fashion. It’s rare for all number-one seeds to reach the Final Four, but that is still on the table, now they will be gearing up for the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
Big Games Coming
Since all eight of the top seeds are remaining in the NCAA Tournament, there are going to be some massive games coming up this weekend. That’s not always the case when we get this deep in the tournament as some upsets tend to take away some of the excitement.
While most of the top seeds are big favorites this weekend, there are some great battles slated throughout the bracket. One of the best college basketball matchups will be a matchup between the Illinois Fighting Illini and Iowa State Cyclones.
Iowa State is a slim 2.5-point betting favorite in this game, but they are taking on the most explosive offensive team in the country. The Cyclones will try to win this game on defense, but Illinois has been scoring points on everyone.
A matchup between the Creighton Bluejays and Tennessee Volunteers also stands out, and those two teams are loaded with talent. Creighton needed a late run to get by Oregon, while Tennessee has looked sharp through two NCAAB games.
This will be a round in which you will want to bet on some upsets as not all of the top seeds are going to survive.
NC State a Great Story
There is rarely just one double-digit seed that can reach the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round, especially with the way things have been trending over the last few years. That is the case this year, and it’s the North Carolina State Wolfpack that is carrying that flag.
NC State wasn’t going to sniff the NCAA Tournament without winning the ACC Tournament, and that’s exactly what the Wolfpack were able to do. That gave this team a number 11 seed, and they just haven’t slowed down since winning that game.
The Wolfpack did catch a huge break in this tournament as the Oakland Grizzlies were able to knock off the Kentucky Wildcats. NC State will now look to keep the momentum going in favor of the NCAAB picks, but they are going to be taking on a tough Marquette Golden Eagles squad.
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