As the Sweet 16 teams are set for this year’s March Madness tournament, most can agree that this has been an entertaining tourney to say the least.
Overall, there’s been high-seeded dominance, but there also have been a few classic, major upsets baked in.
With the Sweet 16 tipping off tonight, these are the top superlatives defining this year’s tournament so far.
Most Surprising Upset – Iowa over Florida
Iowa over the No. 1 seed Florida Gators.
Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras hit a dagger three with 4.5 seconds left to eliminate the defending national champions.
With Florida being the only No. 1 seed that lost in the second round, Iowa definitely made a big statement to the rest of America.
The Hawkeyes will be making their long-awaited return to the second weekend, which hasn’t been done in the program since 1999.
Most Shocking Team – Texas Longhorns
The most shocking team and survivor heading into the second weekend is the 11-seeded Texas Longhorns.
Texas is now the only double-digit seed remaining in the bracket, having advanced from the First Four and now moving on to the Sweet 16.
Getting to this point was not easy, as they have had the hardest schedule so far, with games against NC State, BYU, and then Gonzaga.
Though despite the adversity, they have ended a streak of nearly two dozen consecutive favorites winning in a row by pulling off an underdog win over the Zags.
Don’t be surprised if the 11-seed Texas Longhorns make another upset now that the stage is bigger than ever, and all eyes are on their favorable opposites in Purdue.
The Heavy Final Four Favorites – Arizona and Houston
After the defending champion Florida Gators getting upset by the ninth-seed Iowa Hawkeyes, it is clear now heading into the Sweet 16 weekend who the favorites are now.
And those two teams are the Arizona Wildcats and the Houston Cougars.
Arizona has been ruthlessly efficient, dropping 92 points in Round One and then handling Utah State with ease.
After the loss to the Florida Gators, the Arizona Wildcats are the most balanced No. 1 seed left in the tournament.
However, the Houston Cougars are still projected by some experts to win the national title.
Their all-nation defense has traveled well, and their path is now wide open after Florida’s elimination.
But can the Houston Cougars ease their heartbreaking title game loss in the 2025 NCAA tournament by winning it all this year?
Biggest Bracket Buster – High Point
By far the biggest bracket buster for everyone in this year’s March Madness tournament has been 12-seeded High Point.
Their upset over No. 5 seed Wisconsin was one of the earliest bracket-wreckers of this year’s tournament.
High Point was a 10.5-point underdog and had never won a tournament game before this year’s March Madness.
Chase Johnston had four three-pointers and hit the game-winning layup with 11.7 seconds left, which was his first two-point basket of the season.
High Point’s win was one of only four double-digit seed victories in the first round of the tournament.
Needless to say, High Point was this year’s March Madness biggest bracket buster team that no one expected to win…except for High Point.
Most Dominant Conference – Big Ten
A ridiculous six Big Ten teams have reached the Sweet 16 in this year’s March Madness.
These teams are Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Iowa.
This gives the league a team in every region and also a real shot at an all-Big Ten Final Four.
Before this year, the Big Ten had never had more than four Sweet 16 teams in one year.
It’s six Sweet 16 teams that ties the ACC in 2016 for the second-most teams ever from a conference, behind only the SEC with seven.
With this being the case, the Big Ten is guaranteed to have at least one team in the Elite Eight.
To get the Big Ten drama started, Nebraska and Iowa will face each other in a rivalry game in the Sweet 16.
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