After making an Elite Eight run last year, the Hogs are back in the second weekend. 12 seed New Mexico State during the first two rounds, but head coach Eric Musselman won’t care. 4 seed ArkansasĪrkansas didn’t have an easy team getting by No. 11 seed Iowa State, there’s a real chance this run isn’t over yet. On the other end, Miami’s guards dominated Auburn’s, with Isaiah Wong putting up 21 points and Kameron McGusty going off for 20 points. and Walker Kessler to 3-of-22 shooting from the floor. The Hurricanes somehow led the Tigers’ all-world front court combo of Jabari Smith Jr. The Hurricanes have been very good on offense and rough on defense throughout the year, but you’d never know it from watching them smoke No. Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK 13. With another favorable matchup against a double-digit seed in Miami in the Sweet 16, Iowa State can still dream big in the dance. The Cyclones struggle to score in large part because of a lack of shooting, but freshman point guard Tyrese Hunter can typically create good looks. Iowa State allowed 103 total points across the two games, boosting its defense up to No. 6 LSU down the stretch in the opening round, then won a rock fight vs. Still, ISU snuck into the big dance off the strength of their non-con schedule, and right now it looks like all those tough games in the Big 12 are paying off. The Cyclones only went 7-11 in conference play and were blown out by Texas Tech in their first Big 12 tournament game. The Big 12 finished as the strongest conference in college basketball, per KenPom, and Iowa State can attest to it. This isn’t a real Cinderella despite a double-digit seed next to its names, but Michigan still has to grind out wins to keep advancing. He was scoreless in 32 minutes against Tennessee and has been underwhelming on both ends of the floor all season. Freshman wing Caleb Houstan, projected as a top-10 NBA draft pick coming into the season, remains Michigan’s biggest question. Super senior Eli Brooks was hot too, adding a combined 39 points and 11 assists in the first weekend, not to mention his game-clinching hook shot against the Vols. Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson was pegged as one of the top players in the country on preseason lists, and he played like it against Tennessee with 27 points and 11 rebounds on 3-of-5 shooting from three-point range. All of the sudden, Michigan is looking like the team we thought they’d be coming into the season. After knocking off a talented Rams team on Thursday, Michigan beat a Tennessee team that just rolled to the SEC tournament title. 6 seed Colorado State, but they caught fire in the second half and have stayed that way since. The Wolverines looked like they were on their way to a first round exit in the first half against No. 6 team in the preseason AP Poll before just barely sneaking into the tournament with the worst overall record (17-14) of any team in the field. It’s hard to remember now, but Michigan was No. ![]() ![]() This run has been too much fun, and it’s not over yet. Junior guard Daryl Banks was huge against Kentucky, while 6’7 senior KC Ndefo was awesome against Murray State with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks. Doug Ebert and his ‘70s mustache have become iconic during this tournament. On offense, Holloway has his team running pristine sets to create open looks for his scorers. Saint Peter’s looks incredibly locked in defensively, and has done a great job of rebounding despite a lack of size. ![]() Head coach Shaheen Holloway is doing something special right now. Peacock fever has officially swept through America. The Peacocks stunned a Kentucky team that was a popular Final Four pick (guilty), then proved it was no fluke by beating a very good Murray State team in the next round. This only serves as the backstory for arguably the most unlikely Sweet 16 run in NCAA tournament history. Saint Peter’s finished three games back of first place in the MAAC during the regular season before winning the conference tournament, and it still entered the big dance with the lowest-rated offense of any NCAA tournament team. Bet on the Sweet 16 at DraftKings Sportsbook 16.
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