March madness to 16th birthday after a wild weekend

HOUSTON — March madness goes into the Sweet 16 without a handful of top teams. Two No. 1 seeds, Kansas and Purdue, No. 2 seeds Arizona and No. 4 seeds Virginia are all gone — and gone with them Millions of broken brackets.

It was hard sledding for the Bluebloods too: in addition to Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Indiana are also on their way home. UCLA’s pursuit of a 12th national title remains alive.

Here’s what you should know about the next NCAA tournament regional semifinals:

The four top seeds of the tournament were given to Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue. Everyone had their share of headaches what turns out to be a chaotic tournament. The Boilermakers were the first to fall, ousted in a first-round stunner, and the Jayhawks followed the next day.

EASTERN REGION: The Boilermakers got a top seed for the fourth time, but it was Purdue dumped by Fairleigh Dickinson in an almost historic flurry. and the 2 seed, Marquette, is gone too. Next up: No. 9 FAU vs. No. 4 Tennessee and No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 7 Michigan State, their coach Tom Izzo is heading towards his 15th regional tournament.

SOUTH REGION: Alabama, led by coach Nate Oats in a challenging season, got a top spot behind SEC Player of the Year Brandon Miller for the first time, who has armed security forces on hand after threats. Next up: No. 1 seeded Alabama vs. No. 5 seeded San Diego State and No. 6 seeded Creighton vs. No. 15 seeded Princeton, located in a rare area.

MIDWEST REGION: Houston caught a top spot and even won his opener before a tough win over Auburn All-American Marcus Sasser limped by a groin injury. Next up: #1 Houston vs. #5 Miami and #2 Texas vs. #3 Xavier.

WESTERN REGION: Kansas, that was the top-seeded defending champion without coach Bill Self in tournament after cardiac surgery, blew an 8-point halftime lead and lost to Arkansas. Next: No. 2 seed UCLA vs. No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 4 seed UConn vs. No. 8 seed Arkansas.

The unforgettable games are piling up.

Princeton used a late run to earn his first NCAA tournament win in 25 years by edging out Arizona as No. 2 and then answering all the skeptics rolling Missouri to secure his first Sweet 16 spot in 56 years.

Furman celebrated his first tournament appearance since 1980 a win over No. 4 seed Virginia At a deep 3-pointer from JP Pegues at 2.4 seconds Left. Then came 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson’s win over Purdue as 22 1/2-point underdog Zach Edey choked 7-4 to progress enter UMBC in the record books.

All of this happened before the Razorbacks and shirtless trainer Eric Musselman celebrated their victory over the Jayhawks.

No. 4 seed Connecticut (27-8) vs. No. 8 seed Arkansas (22-13), Thursday 7:15 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Huskies return to the Sweet 16 for the first time in nine years and hope not to become the next victim of Arkansas, who ousted defending champion Kansas. UConn surpassed Saint Mary’s 70-55 behind 24 points from Adama Sanogo and timely 3-point shooting.

No. 2 Kansas State (25-9) vs. No. 7 Michigan State (21-12), Thursday 6:30 p.m. ET (TBS)

Tom Izzo brings Michigan State to the Sweet 16 for the 15th time and for the first time in four years a 69-60 win over No. 2 seed Marquette. The win was Izzo’s 16th in the tournament against a higher-seeded player and broke the record he shared with recently retired Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. At Madison Square Garden, the Spartans meet a Kansas State team picked bottom of the Big 12 with a revised roster and a freshman coach in Jerome Tang. The Wildcats outlasted Kentucky 75-69 behind 27 points from Markquis Nowell.

No. 5 seeded San Diego State (29-6) vs. No. 1 seeded Alabama (31-5), Friday 6:30 p.m. ET (TBS)

The Aztecs are traveling to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004 and have won 11 of their last 13. A balanced rating brought them into the second round Victory against Furman and they’ll need more of that against the Crimson Tide, which Maryland deftly dispatched in the second round. All-America freshman Brandon Miller, who has an injury, had 19 after going scoreless in the first round.

No. 3 seed Xavier (27-9) vs. No. 2 seed Texas (28-8), Friday, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Musketeers travel to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and face a Longhorns team who haven’t been there in 15 years. Xavier put on a clinic in the first half of his selflessness 84-73 win over Pittsburgh, 17 total assists with 19 field goals scored. The Longhorns only made a 3-pointer in 13 attempts in their 71-66 win over Penn State, but Dylan Disu had a season-high 28 points.

The SEC and Big Ten led the way, each placing eight teams in the field of 68 teams. Conference USA (Florida Atlantic) and Ivy League (Princeton) each brought a team into the tournament and both are still alive. The other leagues can’t say that about themselves. The records over two rounds:

ACC (5 teams made tournament): 5-4. A Team Left (Miami). American Athletics (2): 2-1. One team left (Houston). Big 12 (7): 7-5. Two teams left (Kansas State, Texas). Great East (5): 7-2. Three teams remain (Creighton, UConn, Xavier). Big Ten (8): 6-7. One team left (Michigan State). Mountain West (4): 2-3. One team left (San Diego State). Pac-12 (4): 3-3. One team left (UCLA). SEC (8): 9-5. Three teams left (Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee). West Coast (2): 3-1. A team left (Gonzaga).

armed force has taken lives and disrupted collegiate sports all season, touching on some of the top programs in college basketball, including Alabama. Coaches have been pushed into unsafe and unwelcome roles to try to navigate the issue – as well as the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

In short, if you think you know March Madness pretty well, Try this 25 question trivia quiz compiled by AP.

The NCAA tournament is full of great players and the AP All-America Team is a good place to get familiar with the names. It is also an event where Guys you’ve never heard of can take a star turn. Guard play will always be important (see: Baylor, 2021 title winner) and they exist some NBA prospects in the mix.

Also bet on it: some players – maybe more than one – have a chance to join the mustachioed Doug Edert (remember last year’s inspiring Saint Peters run?) and find a way to capitalize on their fame.

Every game of the men’s tournament will be broadcast — here is a schedule — either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms. cbs, which also has a handy schedule that includes announcing teams, will referee this year’s Final Four and National Title Game.

The NCAA streams games through their March madness live Option and CBS games are streamed Outstanding+. Fans of longtime play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz should absorb every moment: It is his last NCAA tournament.

Who will be state champion? The betting favorites to reach the Final Four are (in order as of March 19): Alabama, Houston, UConn, UCLA, Gonzaga and Texas, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Sweet 16 weekend will see games in New York City (East Region), Las Vegas (West), Kansas City, Missouri (Midwest) and Louisville, Kentucky (South).

Where are the Final Four? April 1st in Houston, with the championship game on April 3rd. Attention basketball fans: The women’s NCAA tournament will have its Final Four in Dallas, a four-hour drive from Houston.

Can’t get enough March Madness? Well, it’s being talked about expansion of the tournament despite many challenges. Enjoy the 68 team version now!