The NCAA men’s tournament is down to 16 teams with the field only consisting of schools from power conferences and just one seed higher than No. 6. It’s also the first time since 2007 the Sweet 16 has lacked a seed higher than No. 10. There are no Cinderellas left to cheer for in the regionals.
On the bright side, this means we will get matchups featuring the best teams from the presumably best conferences. Will that mean bigger ratings and better games? We’ll see. There still should be plenty of drama and uncertain about the winners on Thursday and Friday night and the four teams that will advance to San Antonio, Texas for the national semifinals.
So who how does it all shake out? Our experts are here to answer that question with their predictions for the Sweet 16 matchups, the Final Four participants and beyond.
Jordan Mendoza
Thursday’s games
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- Florida defeats Maryland
- Arkansas defeats Texas Tech
- Duke defeats Arizona
- Brigham Young defeats Alabama
Friday’s games
- Auburn defeats Michigan
- Michigan State defeats Mississippi
- Houston defeats Purdue
- Tennessee defeats Kentucky
Final Four teams: Florida, Duke, Michigan State, Houston
National champion: Houston defeats Florida
Paul Myerberg
Thursday’s games
- Maryland defeats Florida
- Texas Tech defeats Arkansas
- Duke defeats Arizona
- Alabama defeats Brigham Young
Friday’s games
- Auburn defeats Michigan
- Mississippi defeats Michigan State
- Houston defeats Purdue
- Kentucky defeats Tennessee
Final Four teams: Maryland, Duke, Auburn, Houston
Erick Smith
Thursday’s games
- Florida defeats Maryland
- Texas Tech defeats Arkansas
- Duke defats Arizona
- Brigham Young defeats Alabama
Friday’s games
- Auburn defeats Michigan
- Michigan State defeats Mississippi
- Houston defeats Purdue
- Tennessee defeats Kentucky
Final Four teams: Florida, Duke, Michigan State, Tennessee
National champion: Duke defeats Florida
Eddie Timanus
Thursday’s games
- Florida defeats Maryland
- Texas Tech defeats Arkansas
- Duke defats Arizona
- Alabama defeats Brigham Young
Friday’s games
- Auburn defeats Michigan
- Michigan State defeats Mississippi
- Houston defeats Purdue
- Tennessee defeats Kentucky
Final Four teams: Florida, Duke, Auburn, Houston
National champion: Florida defeats Duke
Blake Toppmeyer
Thursday’s games
- Florida defeats Maryland
- Texas Tech defeats Arkansas
- Duke defeats Arizona
- Brigham Young defeats Alabama
Friday’s games
- Auburn defeats Michigan
- Michigan State defeats Mississippi
- Houston defeats Purdue
- Kentucky defeats Tennessee
Final Four teams: Florida, Duke, Auburn, Houston
National champion: Houston defeats Florida
