Predicting the field for March Madness

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Purdue’s Braden Smith on advancing to NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Hear what Purdue’s point guard said after beating McNeese State 76-62 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Last week, the NCAA Tournament got whittled down from 68 teams to 16. The glass slipper didn’t fit in 2025, and we’ve got a Sweet 16 comprised of power conference teams.

But that does make for some entertaining heavyweight fights to determine next week’s Final Four. Only one team lower than a No. 6 seed – No. 10 Arkansas – advanced beyond the first two rounds.

Which teams pick up two wins this weekend to earn a trip to San Antonio? Here are our picks:

More: This Purdue team has chance to do something no Boilers team has done before: Beat a No. 1 seed

Predictions: Who will makes NCAA Tournament Final Four?

South Regional (Atlanta): The top two seeds Auburn and Michigan State have appeared on an Elite Eight collision course since the brackets were announced. Auburn to Atlanta is a nice little 100-plus-mile drive. With that, the Tigers will bring a hometown contingent, a reward for the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.

Michigan is hot and offers a different dynamic with Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin. But Auburn just has too many horses, including potential National Player of the Year Johni Broome. The Tigers put together a ridiculous non-conference schedule for this very reason, then essentially blasted through it. Michigan State should get by Ole Miss, but that may be it for Tom Izzo’s March magic this year.

∎ Prediction: Auburn

West Regional (San Francisco): Props to Colorado State grad transfer and former Purdue Boilermaker Ethan Morton for spectacular defense on Derik Queen. The Maryland freshman hit a tough shot and now the Terrapins get top seed Florida. The Gators won’t let it stay that close.

People forget now, but Arkansas was 11-2 in non-conference play with losses to two teams that ended up making the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t until SEC play began that the Razorbacks hit a…

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Publish date : 2025-03-26 19:45:00

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