SEC Going Into the Sweet 16
After a wild opening weekend of March Madness that featured 48 games in the first two rounds, the SEC heads into the Sweet 16 tied in first place as the conference with the most teams remaining (3).
The number one overall seed Alabama Crimson Tide has shown it's deserving of its high ranking so far by a pair of dominant wins in a South Region that has lost its second, third and fourth seeded teams already. In the first round, Alabama crushed No. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi 96-75, while in the second round, the Tide handled No. 8 Maryland 73-51.
Alabama will face No. 5 San Diego State in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, March 24, at 5:30 p.m. CT. The winner will face the No. 15 Princeton vs. No. 6 Creighton game winner in the Elite Eight.
No. 4 Tennessee stands as one of the final four teams left in an East Region whose number one seeded team fell to a 16 seed for the second time in NCAA Men's Tournament history. In the round of 64, the Volunteers almost blew an 18-point lead against the No. 13 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, but survived 58-55. In the round of 32, Tennessee beat No. 5 Duke, the ACC Champions and one of the reigning Final Four teams, 65-52.
Tennessee will face No. 9 FAU in New York on Thursday, March 23, at 8 p.m. CT. The winner will face the No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Kansas State game winner in the Elite Eight.
No. 8 Arkansas has had an impressive run in the West Region to the Sweet 16, including knocking off a number one seed for the second straight year in the tournament. In the first round, the Razorbacks defeated No. 9 Illinois 73-63. In the second round, Arkansas pulled the upset against No. 1 Kansas, 72-71, ending the Jayhawks' dreams of winning back-to-back national championships.
Arkansas will face No. 4 UConn in Las Vegas on Thursday, March 23, at 6:15 p.m. CT. The winner will face the No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 UCLA game winner in the Elite Eight.