The Sweet 16 is here, and unlike the women’s bracket, the men’s bracket has proven to be a lot more volatile and is making March Madness live up to its reputation. There have been a lot more upsets in the men’s bracket, with some contenders now out of the tournament, proving that anything could happen during March Madness.
Duke, the No. 1-ranked team in college basketball, almost got beaten by No. 16 Siena, while North Carolina got eliminated early in the first round by VCU. Heck, No. 1 Florida is now also out, as the defending champs were booted by Iowa. This has proven that upsets, while unlikely, can happen in any game. Here are some of them that are very much possible during the Sweet 16:
4 Possible March Madness Upsets That Could Happen During the Sweet 16
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee
It was Tennessee that stopped the Cinderella run of Miami (Ohio), but now, the Vols are the ones who have found themselves as another Cinderella after upsetting No. 3 Virginia. Iowa State has been very good and very consistent this season, but Tennessee is looking to lengthen its own Cinderella run and move on to the Elite Eight.
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois
While this may barely be called an upset, Houston was once the No. 1-ranked team in the country. However, the Fighting Illini actually have a bit of a chance here, as Illinois has shown to be a very gritty team, being one of the best rebounding teams in the country. Both teams have shown to be efficient, but the Illini have shown that they have the tenacity to pull off a possible upset during the Sweet 16.
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas
Texas came in from the First Four and made it all the way to the Sweet 16, beating higher-ranked teams in No. 6 BYU and No. 3 Gonzaga. They have beaten teams which were supposed to be better than them. Now, Purdue is the heavy favorite coming into this contest, but remember, BYU and Gonzaga were also considered heavy favorites against Texas.
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa
Speaking of Cinderella runs, Iowa knocked off No. 8 Clemson before doing the impossible and beating No. 1 Florida in the second round to book a trip to the Sweet 16. Like Texas, they have been beating higher-seeded teams, and they could continue their improbable run against the Cornhuskers next.
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