March Madness has officially arrived. The best time of the year for basketball fans kicked off with 64 teams competing on Thursday and Friday. The field shrunk to 32 by Saturday, now only 16 teams remain in the national title hunt. Here are my predictions for the Sweet 16 matchups.
Game one: 2-seeded Arizona versus 6-seeded Clemson
Arizona returns to the Sweet 16 after losing a heartbreaker in the round of 64 last year to Princeton. The Wildcats enter their matchup against Clemson coming off a convincing 85-65 victory against 15-seeded Long Beach State, and a win against 7-seeded Dayton 78-68. Clemson returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018 under coach Brad Brownell. Clemson dominated the Mountain West champion New Mexico Lobos in the first round 77-56. In the round of 32 they upset the 3-seeded Baylor Bears by a score of 72-64.
Prediction: Clemson over Arizona
Clemson proved in their wins against New Mexico and Baylor that their dominant defense is here to stay. While Arizona has two solid guards in Caleb Love and Pella Larrson, the Tigers’ Chase Hunter and Joe Girard will step up and force them to take bad shots. On the offensive end, Hunter does a good job leading the offense while Girard is a lethal 3-point shooter. The big man PJ Hall will also cause problems as a good shot-blocker and rebounder. Arizona has a talented roster, but I don’t think they’re good enough for a deep run in March. Clemson advances.
Game two: 1-seeded Uconn versus 5-seeded San Diego State
A national title rematch from this past season, San Diego State is looking to avenge their heartbreaking loss in the Sweet 16. They survived a close game against UAB in the round of 64 by a score of 69-65, and dominated Yale in the round of 32. UConn is on the hunt to become the first back to back champion since Florida in 2006 and 2007. They looked invincible in their first two games defeating Stetson 91-52 and Northwestern 75-58.
Prediction: Uconn defeats San Diego State
There’s nothing I want more than a revenge story for the Aztecs, but it looks like no one is stopping this UConn team anytime soon. I do think the Aztecs defense will give the Huskies a run for their money, but UConn will pull away at the end. The Huskies will dominate you with their depth and get out and run in transition. Tristen Newton has been consistent all year at point guard while Cam Spencer is a dangerous 3-point weapon. Down low, Donavan Clingon is a rebounding machine while also being a strong finisher inside. Head coach Dan Hurley has installed a championship-level mentality in his team, and they will continue to chase that back-to-back title with a win versus San Diego State.
Game three: 1-seeded North Carolina versus 4-seeded Alabama
Two teams that love to score, as Alabama averages 91 points per game while North Carolina averages 81. The Tar Heels are looking to get back to the Final Four for the second time under new head coach Hubert Davis. They took care of business against 16-seeded Wagner in the round of 64, and pulled away in the second half against Tom Izzo’s 9-seeded Michigan State Spartans. The Crimson Tide are looking to get their first Sweet 16 victory under head coach Nate Oats. It would be their first since 2004. The Tide outscored Charleston in a high-scoring shootout by a score of 109-96, and pulled away against Grand Canyon in the round of 32 winning 72-61.
Prediction: North Carolina defeats Alabama
I could see Alabama getting hot and outsourcing North Carolina in a shootout, but I think the experience of getting past the Sweet 16 before will be an advantage to the Tarheels. RJ Davis and Cormac Ryan can light it up behind the 3-point line while also excelling as on ball defenders. The true advantage will come in the paint, as Tar Heels center Armondo Bacot has dominated all season inside and on the boards. This game will without a doubt be a high scoring affair, but I like the Tar Heels coming on top in a close one.
Game four: 2-seeded Iowa State versus 3-seeded Illinois
It’s been a stunning revival for the Iowa State Cyclones under head coach TJ Otzelberger. The Cyclones finished the regular season with a 27-7 record earning a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Clones rolled past South Dakota State in the round of 64 by a score of 82-65, and outlasted Washington State 67-56 in the round of 32. Illinois had another phenomenal season under coach Brad Underwood finishing the regular season as Big 10 Tournament Champions. The Fighting Illini held off Morehead State in the round of 64 by a score of 85-69 and blew out Duquesne 89-63 in the round of 32. Illinois is looking for their first Sweet 16 victory since 2005.
Prediction: Illinois defeats Iowa State
The headlined story of this game is the matchup between two great point guards in the Cyclones Tamin Lipsey and the Illnis’ Terrence Shannon. I think this is an even matchup on paper and will end up coming down to the wire. However, it’s hard to pick against the hot hand in Terrance Shannon, who is averaging 23.3 points per game. Marcus Domask’s ability to get hot from beyond the 3-point line will also be a major threat. The Cyclones defense has been playing well as of late, but Illinois has too many weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Give me the Illini in a close one.
Game 5: 11-seeded NC State versus 2-seeded Marquette
It’s been a remarkable stretch for head coach Kevin Keatts’ Wolfpack, as of two weeks ago they weren’t even supposed to be in the NCAA Tournament. They won five games in five days, winning the ACC Tournament title and securing a bid into March Madness. The Wolfpack pulled away late from Texas Tech in the round of 64, and defeated the Cinderella Oakland Golden Grizzlies 79-73 in the round of 32. The Marquette Golden Eagles have finally reached the Sweet 16 under coach Shaka Smart after losing a heartbreaker to Michigan State in the round of 32 last season. The Golden Eagles defeated Western Kentucky in the round of 64 and escaped against Colorado with a 81-77 victory in the round of 32.
Prediction: NC State defeats Marquette
I think the glass slipper will continue to fit for another game, as I like the Wolfpack defeating Marquette in this one. There’s an aura around this team that doesn’t want to lose. While the Golden Eagles have two solid defensive forwards in Oso Ighodaro and David Joplin, they will be no match for 275 lb center DJ Burns for the Wolfpack. It’ll be a good matchup between the Pack’s DJ Horne and the Golden Eagles’ Tyler Kolek at the guard position, but I like Hornes’ athleticism a little more. This team just continues to find a way, and I think they do it again in the Sweet 16.
Game 6: 5-seeded Gonzaga versus 1-seeded Purdue
The Purdue Boilermakers are out for revenge after an absolute heartbreaking loss to 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in last year’s tournament. They’re back in the big dance as a No. 1 seed and defeated Grambling State by a score of 78-50 in the round of 64 and dominated Utah State 106-67 in the round of 32. Gonzaga is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 25th straight season under coach Mark Few. The Bulldogs convincingly defeated McNeese State 86-65 in the round of 64 and knocked off Kansas in the round of 32.
Prediction: Purdue defeats Gonzaga
While Gonzaga’s guard play and 3-point shooting has been good as of late, I like Purdue in this one. I don’t see the Bulldogs finding an answer to stop 7’4” Player of the Year candidate Zach Edey in the post. Purdue guards Braden Smith and Lance Jones will do enough to compliment Edey offensively, while doing a good job on defense. I think this will be a close game, but give me the Boilermakers to advance.
Game 7: 4-seeded Duke versus 1-seeded Houston
After moving from the AAC to the Big 12, Houston once again had a dominant season under coach Kelvin Sampson, finishing the regular season at 29-4. The Duke Blue Devils are back in the NCAA Tournament under second-year coach John Scheyer. They seek their first national title since 2015.
Prediction: Houston defeats Duke
Both teams are pretty similar in terms of play style, but I think the Cougars defense will get them the win in this one. I feel confident in Houston’s ability to stop Kyle Filipowski and take control of the game. The Blue Devils have a solid guard duo themselves in Jared McCain and Tyreese Proctor, but the Cougars duo of Jamal Shead and LJ Cryer will prevail in terms of scoring and experience. Give me the Cougars by 10ten.
Game 8: 3-seeded Creighton versus 2-seeded Tennessee
Creighton is set to make another deep run under coach Greg McDdermott after making it to the Elite 8 last year. Tennessee and head coach Rick Barnes are looking to change the narrative of the team being unsuccessful in the NCAA Tournament with a National Championship run this season.
Prediction: Creighton over Tennessee
The Volunteers have been good defensively this year, but I don’t think it’s good enough to stop the Bluejays 3-three point shooting. Trey Alexander, Steven Ashworth, and Baylor Scheierman have all been red hot from beyond the arc, and I expect that to continue against the Vols. In the post, I like how Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner matches up against the Vols big man, Creighton wins convincingly.
