The NCAA tournament enters its second weekend with the Sweet 16 and a number of teams will be looking to advance even further after a number of opening upsets, including Florida Gulf Coast, who made national headlines with wins over Georgetown and San Diego State University.
Florida and FGCU will face off on Friday, while Kansas and Michigan will play to represent the South region. In the Midwest, Louisville is still on the right track against Oregon, while Duke and Michigan State will play a two-three matchup to see who advances. Out in the West region, Arizona and Ohio State will face off, as will Wichita State and La Salle, two teams that pulled upsets along the way.
Indiana is still the top seed in the East against Syracuse on Thursday, while Miami and Marquette will play before that matchup. Miami has made an excellent run, but they will be without Reggie Johnson, as he needed surgery and will not travel with the team. He could be available for the Final Four, but it is unclear if he will play in the Elite Eight if the Hurricanes advance.
Michigan State (3) vs. Duke (2): The Blue Devils are looking to make a deep run for the first time since winning the NCAA championship and will face off against an experienced Spartans team under coach Tom Izzo. The Blue Devils got a boost from Ryan Kelly after he returned from injury and the team has some history on its side, as Duke defeated MSU in both 1994 and 1999, which was in the Final Four. MSU got revenge in 2005 in the tournament, although Duke won their last game on a neutral site last year.
Indiana (1) vs. Syracuse (4): In one of the most anticipated matchups, the Hoosiers and Orange face off in the Sweet 16 to see who will advance to the Elite eight. The two faced off years ago as the Hoosiers came out on top and this time the Orange are coming off of a 66-60 win over California. The Hoosiers are one of the favorites
Florida (3) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (15): Florida Gulf Coast already pulled one of the biggest upsets in tournament history with their 78-68 win over the Hoyas and after becoming the first 15 seed to make it to the Sweet 16, they could do the same against the Gators. This is the first time three Florida teams have made it to the round and since these two are playing each other, only two will advance if Miami wins.
Louisville (1) vs. Oregon (12): Oregon is one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament because they were grossly miss-seeded at 12 and now they have a chance to knockoff the Cardinals. Louisville is riding hot after winning the Big East tournament and is coming off of a huge 82-56 win against Colorado State. The team hasn't had any trouble through two games so far and could face their first challenge in the Ducks.
