USA TODAY Sports' expert picks for NCAA tournament Sweet 16 games
Scott Gleeson"Survive and advance" is the rallying cry for March Madness teams, and the remaining NCAA tournament teams have done just that as the field of 68 has been trimmed to 16 teams courtesy of a chaotic first weekend.
Some of the Sweet 16 teams have been incredibly hot, including national title favorites Duke and Villanova. Others have blossomed at just the right time like Kentucky. Then there are those that have just survived just to get here such as Loyola-Chicago (two last-second wins) and Michigan (a buzzer-beater over Houston in the round of 32). And let's not forget about the teams that have proven the regular season is largely irrelevant in this single-elimination bracket such as ACC teams Clemson, Florida State and Syracuse.
While seeding isn't at the forefront anymore, this tournament is still very much about favorable matchups and how each team stacks up against the other.
SWEET 16:Ranking teams based on title potential
X-FACTORS:Most important players for every Sweet 16 team
Which teams win Thursday and Friday to reach the Elite Eight?
Which teams advance to the Final Four after the second weekend?
USA TODAY Sports' college basketball staff writers make their expert picks. (Side note: None of these experts picked UMBC over Virginia, sorry to say).
Elite Eight Picks
Final Four Picks
- Lindsay Schnell: Kentucky, Gonzaga, Villanova, Duke
- Scott Gleeson: Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia, Duke
- Dan Wolken: Kentucky, Gonzaga, Villanova, Duke
- George Schroeder: Kentucky, Gonzaga, Villanova, Kansas
- Nancy Armour: Kentucky, Michigan, Villanova, Syracuse
- Adam Woodard: Kentucky, Gonzaga, Villanova, Duke
MARCH SADNESS: AGONY OF DEFEAT IN THE NCAAS
