A Super Sweet 16

Houston survives vs. A&M, which sends all the 1 and 2 seeds into NCAA tourney's second week. Here's what else you need to know from Sunday.

Author

Mike Miller
March 25, 2024

Upsets? Not this season. For just the fifth time since the NCAA Tournament started seeding teams in 1979, all the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16. Bad for risk-takers, but good for TV ratings with all the star power still playing. It’ll be the first time since 2006 that all five AP first-team All-Americans will be around.

Also, the ACC and Big East are feeling themselves this morning.

ACC, Big East revel in early success

Nearly four months later, the ACC has four teams in the Sweet 16. And TO’s a little pumped.

He took a victory lap, but this race isn’t over yet. The Big East is unbeaten (6-0) in the Big Dance thus far, and has all three of its teams in the Sweet 16.

However, it’s worth noting that the Big East teams have played to their seed expectation. The ACC (which had five bids, 8-1 overall) has overperformed thanks to 6-seed Clemson and 11-seed NC State reaching the second weekend.

Every other power conference is chasing those two leagues.

  • Big Ten: 6 bids, 6-4 overall

  • Big 12: 8 bids, 7-6 overall

  • SEC: 8 bids, 5-6 overall

  • Pac-12: 4 bids, 6-3 overall

The WCC (2 bids, 3-1 overall) and A-10 (2 bids, 2-2 overall) also did well. Maybe some day the Mountain West (6 bids, 4-5 overall) will get seeded appropriately.

South Region: Houston survives, Duke thrives

Leave it to the penultimate game of the first week for our first buzzer-beater.

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