The NCAA Tournament goes on hold for a few days as the teams travel to their next playing destinations and fanbases across the nation either emotionally cope or prepare their vocals for even more cheering in preparation for the Sweet 16.
NCAA Tournament 2013: Who’s in the Sweet 16
Now that the dust has settled on the second and third rounds of the NCAA Tournament, let’s take a quick look at the Sweet 16 matchups that await.
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There are plenty of amazing storylines to choose from, be it No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast making the most of its first NCAA Tournament or three No. 12 seeds advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in tournament history.
Let’s take a quick look at all those Sweet 16 games.
Midwest Region:
No. 1 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 12 Oregon Ducks
The Cardinals have been absolutely rolling, winning their first two games by a combined 57 points. But they will probably get a tougher test against what looks to be a criminally underseeded No. 12 Oregon Ducks squad who have won both their games against No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 4 Saint Louis quite comfortably.
No. 2 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 3 Michigan St. Spartans
Both these teams have also cruised to the Sweet 16, with the Blue Devils overcoming foul trouble to down Creighton and the Spartans crushing Memphis in the third round. It'll be an extra special game for the Blue Devils, as the win over Creighton was the 2,000th of the school.
South Region:
No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 4 Michigan Wolverines
The Jayhawks have struggled at times in both their games in the tournament and will have to figure out how to maintain some consistency as they take on Michigan. Kansas won its first game over the No. 16 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers by only seven points and trailed by nine at half in a win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Michigan, on the other hand, just got done crushing a VCU Rams team that looked like it was ready to make another tournament run.
No. 3 Florida Gators vs. No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
It is probably safe to say that Billy Donovan was not expecting to have a Sweet 16 matchup against the other school from Florida in the tournament. But it wouldn't be March Madness without something like this happening, as the Eagles are making the very most of their first tournament ever by becoming the first No. 15 seed to make the Sweet 16.
West Region:
No. 9 Wichita St. Shockers vs. No. 13 La Salle Explorers
The tattered remains of the top portion of the West Region has a Shockers squad that took down the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs with smart outside shooting facing a La Salle team that needed a last minute layup to defeat the No. 12 Mississippi Rebels in the third round to advance.
No. 2 Ohio St. Buckeyes vs. No. 6 Arizona Wildcats
Arizona had no problems ending the No. 14 Harvard Crimson's run in the tournament with a convincing 23-point win in the third round. Meanwhile, Ohio State needed all the help it could get as it held off the No. 10 Iowa St. Cyclones to advance to the Sweet 16.
East Region:
No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 4 Syracuse Orange
The East Region might be the most boring of them all as all the top seeds advanced to the Sweet 16. Both the Hoosiers and the Orange have taken similar arcs in the tournament, winning their first games with ease and then squeaking by their third-round opponents by six points.
No. 2 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 3 Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette is making its fans hearts pay as it has done just barely enough to win its first two games in the tournament. After a last-second layup to down No. 14 Davidson by one in the second round, Vander Blue scored 19 second-half points to lead Marquette past the No. 6 Butler Bulldogs by two. Shane Larkin hit a go-ahead three-pointer after a controversial call as Miami downed the No. 7 Illinois Fighting Illini by four points in the third round.
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