The Last 16

March Madness Sweet 16 Team Review

Photo by Tim Gerald / CC BY 2.0

Every March, 68 teams earn their spot in the March Madness tournament. These teams play in a win or go home tournament to determine who the national champion will be. However, each round has a name with the first two rounds being normal, those names being the round of 64 and round of 32. Once the tournament reaches 16 teams, the names pickup with the sweet sixteen, elite eight, final four and finally the national championship. This year, the sweet 16 is stacked with multiple elite teams. This includes all four of the number one seeds and three of the four number two seeds. Each team has earned their way to this spot.

Duke is currently the favorite to win the national championship this year. The team is led by superstar freshman, national player of the year and first team all-american Cooper Flagg who is the projected number one pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Along with him, there are two other superstar freshmen Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach who are projected lottery picks in the NBA draft. The team is not only built off of their superstar freshmen, they also have star junior guard Tyrese Proctor. Duke’s depth and elite players is what have led them to be the tournament favorites.

Florida is currently projected to be the national champion runner-up. Florida has a much different team than Duke. They are led by first team all-american senior Walter Clayton Jr. Along with Clayton, Florida has much more experience with senior Alijah Martin who was a part of Florida Atlantic’s final four run in 2023. Florida’s team is built mostly off of transfers with four of their five starters not starting their collegiate career at Florida. The team’s experience and star power is what projects Florida to go far.

Auburn and Houston are the two other one seeds who made the sweet sixteen. Auburn is led by fifth year senior and national player of the year runner up Johni Broome. Broome was a consensus first team all-American and led Auburn to becoming the top overall seed in the tournament. Auburn is not the top favorite because the team is 3-4 against all number one and two seeds, and during the season lost to Duke. Houston is the one seed that is often forgotten about. Though Houston has been solid, they played in a less strong conference and the team has no players who are likely to get drafted. Houston also lost to Auburn during the season, though Houston still has a strong shot to win the tournament.

The three two seeds who made the sweet sixteen were Alabama, Michigan State and Tennessee. Alabama is led by senior Mark Sears and sophomore Aden Holloway. Alabama made it to the final four last year and was able to retain a lot of their players. However, Alabama will face Duke in the elite eight which is what hurts their chances of winning the tournament. Michigan State is the most likely one seed to make the tournament. Michigan State’s coach Tom Izzo is thought to be one of the best college basketball coaches of all time and won the national championship in 2000. With Izzo’s guidance and freshman Jace Richardson who is a projected lottery pick, Michigan State has a strong chance to make the final four. Lastly, Tennessee is the final two seed to make the sweet sixteen. Tennessee is led by seniors Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler, though these two are amazing, Tennessee has a hard matchup against Kentucky. Kentucky defeated Tennessee both times during the regular season, which is why Tennessee is not projected to win.

Though the number one and two seeds often win the national championship more often than lower seeds, the three and four seeds often cause upsets late in the tournament. Three seeds Kentucky and Texas Tech made the sweet sixteen along with four seeds Purdue, Arizona and Maryland. These teams often consist of one amazing player and a bunch of role players, or a team with an immense amount of depth that helps the team go far. For Texas Tech, Purdue and Maryland each team is led by star players. For Texas Tech it is sophomore and second team all-American JT Toppin, for Maryland it is freshman and projected lottery pick Derik Queen and for Purdue it is first team all-American Braden Smith. For Kentucky and Arizona these teams are both represented by great depth. Kentucky and Arizona each run a strong nine man rotation, this depth and strong wins have helped these teams reach the sweet sixteen.

Finally, there are always a few teams who make the sweet sixteen who are not projected to. This year those teams are Michigan, Ole Miss, Arkansas and BYU. Michigan, who is a five seed, is the most likely to make the elite eight of these teams. This is because Michigan won the big ten championship and coach Dusty May led FAU to the final four in 2023. Michigan also has a mix of great depth and star players which has helped them reach the sweet sixteen. Ole Miss being a six seed was a big shock to make the sweet sixteen. Ole Miss does not excel in one particular side of the game, rather they are good all around which has helped them reach the sweet sixteen. Along with Ole Miss, BYU was the other six seed to make the sweet sixteen. BYU is led by projected first round pick Egor Demin who has been amazing for BYU on their sweet sixteen run. Each of the six seeds has a chance to make a big upset on the two seeds they face. Lastly, number 10 seed Arkansas made the sweet sixteen this season. Arkansas before the season started was projected to be much better, but after a few injuries and many bad losses they ended up being a tem seed. However, this has not stopped them from playing great in the tournament, Arkansas first took down seven seeded Kansas then pulled the huge upset against number two seeded St. Johns. If Arkansas makes the final four they would be the second 10 seed to ever make the final four. Though each of these teams are ranked as a lower seed, they all still have a chance of making the elite eight.

March madness is full of upsets and amazing games, and each of these teams are sure to provide great games for fans to watch.