Photo Credit: AP Photo/James Crisp
Following this past weekend’s wild action, sixteen lucky teams are still dancing.
There are three No. 1 seeds remaining (Florida, Arizona and Virginia), while only two No. 2 seeds are left (Michigan and Wisconsin).
The talent filled Kentucky Wildcats took down undefeated No. 1 Wichita State and will face defending champion No. 4 Louisville for a classic instate rivalry game. Kentucky is hitting their stride at the right time as Julius Randle has been impressive thus far.
Also in the Midwest, benefiting from playing in the first four round, No. 11 Tennessee has been the hottest team of the tournament, playing three games in six days. Their domination on the boards had made them one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament, but they will face a tough No. 2 Michigan team that has been playing equally as impressive.
One of the most anticipated match-ups is No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 4 Michigan State. The Cavaliers No. 1 defense forces teams to take bad shots, but the Spartans have the offensive weapons to make for what should be a close game in Madison Square Garden.
Without their best player, Georges Niang, No. 3 Iowa State was able to squeeze past North Carolina on a last second basket, and behind Shabazz Napier, No. 7 Connecticut upset Villanova. Even without Niang, the Cyclones still have a lot of offensive firepower.
In the South Region, Cinderella No. 11 Dayton will battle No. 10 Stanford. Dayton won in thrillers against Ohio State and Syracuse while Stanford upset a Joel Embiid-less Kansas. A game that Stanford impressed most with their defense, locking down freshman Andrew Wiggins.
Meanwhile, No. 1 Florida will face No. 4 UCLA. The Gators are a team full of seniors and are a tough out while the Bruins have a lot of shooters.
The top seed in the West, Arizona, will face No. 4 San Diego State. Arizona may have too much offensive firepower for SDSU.
No. 2 Wisconsin will have a tough challenge ahead of them as they take on No. 6 Baylor who has one of the best front courts in the country along with size and athleticism. However, the Badgers shooters may pose a problem for the Bears zone defense.
