After perhaps the most upset-filled first two rounds of an NCAA Tournament in history, the field is down to a Sweet 16. On Thursday, it’s action from the South Region at Philips Arena in Atlanta and West Region games from Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
The South opener is surely a matchup that no one predicted in their bracket competitions: No. 11 Loyola-Chicago vs. No. 7 Nevada, with the Wolf Pack of the Mountain West as 1.5-point favorites. Nevada looked dead in the water in Sunday’s Round of 32 against No. 2 Cincinnati, trailing by 22 points with just over 11 minutes to play yet winning 75-73.
Nevada outscored the Bearcats, arguably the nation’s second-best defensive team behind shockingly eliminated South No. 1 seed Virginia, 32-8 to close the game. It tied for the second-biggest comeback win in NCAA Tournament history. The Wolf Pack also trailed by 14 points in the second half of the first round but beat Texas 87-83 in overtime. Nevada’s only previous regional semifinal appearance came in 2004.
Loyola, meanwhile, upset No. 6 Miami on a last-second three-pointer in Round 1 and then knocked off No. 3 Tennessee 63-62 in Round 2 on a last-second two-pointer. The Ramblers, Missouri Valley Conference champions, are in the Big Dance for the first time in 33 years.
The South nightcap features No. 9 Kansas State of the Big 12 against No. 5 Kentucky of the SEC in a matchup of Wildcats, with UK a 6-point favorite. Kentucky is the clear favorite to win the South with the elimination of Virginia, Cincinnati, Tennessee and No. 4 Arizona. It’s the first time ever a region has seen zero top-four seeds reach the Sweet 16.
In the West, No. 3 Michigan of the Big Ten is -3 against Texas A&M of the SEC. The Wolverines advanced with a rather unlikely buzzer-beating three-pointer by freshman Jordan Poole to stun No. 6 Houston in the second round. That was UM’s 11th straight victory.
The Aggies edged No. 10 Providence in Round 1 but then crushed No. 2 and defending national champion North Carolina in the Round of 32. That was the most lopsided NCAA Tournament loss ever for Heels Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams.
To close out action Thursday in the West, No. 4 Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference is -5.5 vs. No. 9 Florida State of the ACC. The Seminoles upset No. 1 Xavier in the second round to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011. The Zags, last year’s national runners-up, were nearly upset in Round 1 by UNC Greensboro and then beat No. 5 Ohio State by six.
