Iowa State entered March Madness as a No. 2 seed in the Midwest region. 

They throttled Tennessee State in round one, winning 108-74, and beat Kentucky 82-63 in the round of 32 without Joshua Jefferson, who suffered an injury scare to his left ankle in the Cyclones’ first game.

Likely with Jefferson, the Cyclones take on Tennessee on Friday. But what do the rest of the teams look like ahead of the Sweet 16?

No. 1 Duke – East region

Duke finished the season as the No. 1 team in the AP poll to end the season, finishing 32-2 and winning the ACC conference. 

Before March Madness began, reports came out that Caleb Foster would not play in the first weekend, and center Patrick Ngongba II was ruled out of their game against Siena.

Because of this, Siena gave the Blue Devils a run for their money. At the half, Duke was down 11 points and shocked fans around the nation. They slowly clawed back in the second half and won 71-65. 

The Boozer brothers led them in their victory and scored a combined 41 points between the pair. 

Against TCU a couple of days later, Duke was only up four at the intermission. After outsourcing the Horned Frogs by nearly 20 in the second half, Duke prevailed 81-58.

Duke is headlined by future top-three NBA draft pick Cameron Boozer. Isaiah Evans is a great complement to Boozer as a threat around the perimeter. 

No doubt the team is different without Ngongba II, a defensive anchor and an honorable mention for the All-ACC teams. That was a component for why they were almost beaten by Siena. He started on the bench in their game against TCU.

There is also a shot that Foster comes back next week when they play St. John’s.

Duke is a great, physical team with most of their points coming from inside the paint. They carry this over on the glass as well and are one of the best rebounding teams in the country. 

The same goes defensively, led by Sixth Man of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the ACC, Maliq Brown and the Boozers. 

Duke’s only weakness when playing at full health can be their depth scoring if Cameron Boozer is having an off-night, but lately, his brother Cayden has stepped up. 

The Blue Devils likely need to get healthy if they want to go all the way. If they do, watch out. 

No. 2 UConn – East region

The back-to-back champs in 2023 and 2024 are attempting to claim their third title in four years.

Alex Karaban has brought his experience from the first two championships into this March. 

The senior forward dropped 22 in their first contest when they faced Furman, and a career-high 27 points against UCLA. 

Tarris Reed Jr. had a monster game against the 15-seed, putting up 31 points and 27 rebounds. The last time a player tallied 30 points and 25 rebounds in a game was Elvin Hayes in 1968. 

Freshman of the year in the Big East, Braylon Mullins gained some much-needed confidence in game two after going 0-8 from three in round one, dropping 17 points. He is vital to UConn’s success.

Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr. fill out a well-rounded backcourt, each averaging 10 points while playing good defense. 

Demary Jr., Karaban and Reed Jr. all made the All-Big East First Team. 

UConn only lost five games all year and dominated in non-conference play. They fell to St. John’s in the conference championship game, losing by 20 points. 

Dan Hurley’s team has a balanced offense and defense, as they shoot it well from the field and defend inside just as well as they do from three-point land.
The Huskies don’t shoot the three-ball as well as other teams left in the tournament, and don’t generate many points off free throws. If their shots aren’t falling from inside, they will have to shoot it better and get to the charity stripe.

UConn squares off against the Michigan State Spartans on Friday to advance to the Elite Eight. 

No. 3 Michigan State

Legendary coach Tom Izzo is in his 31st season with the Spartans and has gone to 27 straight NCAA Tournaments, but has only been to the finals once in his tenure back in 2000.

They had no problem with North Dakota State, taking down the Bison 92-67. Carson Cooper recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 boards, Coen Carr added 17 points and Cam Ward contributed with 13 off the bench. 

Louisville stuck with the Spartans in the next round, but Michigan State shut the door in the end. Carr dropped 21-10 while star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. had 16 assists. 

MSU got scoring off the bench again, this time via Trey Fort, who finished with 12 points.

Fears Jr. led the nation in assists per game with 9.4 and led the team with 15.3 points a night. 

Jaxon Kohler is their most efficient shooter, who shoots nearly 40% from three to go along with athletic freak Carr. 

Carson Cooper rounds out the frontcourt as a reliable defender and rebounder. 

Five of the seven losses the Spartans had this season were against teams that were seeded fifth or better in March Madness. The other two came against a red-hot UCLA Bruins to end their conference tournament hopes.

No. 4 St. John’s – East region

The Johnnies, under Head Coach Rick Pitino, just came off an electric buzzer-beater layup to move past Kansas and will need that momentum going forward as they stare down Duke. 

The Red Storm started the season 9-5, but was unable to get wins against good teams like Alabama, Iowa State, Auburn and Kentucky. 

From that point on, they only lost one game, against UConn, who they blew out in the Big East Conference Championship game 72-52. 

Their first round matchup came against Northern Iowa and the game was never close. St. John’s got up to 13 points before the Panthers could make their first bucket. 

The Jayhawks gave them a run for their money in the next game, shooting a better percentage from the field, from three, making more free throws and outrebounding the Johnnies. 

However, St John’s forced double the turnovers and scored 18 points off of them compared to Kansas’ 7. 

With the game tied, the Red Storm had to score with 3.9 seconds on the clock and they did just that.

Dylan Darling, who only averages seven points, iced the game on a contested layup that beat the buzzer.

Pitino stresses physicality and intensity and that reflects in St. John’s play. Forwards Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins lead the team in both offensive and defensive win shares. 

A deep bench also helped the Red Storm succeed later in the season and it will have the same effect moving forward. 

St. John’s biggest knock is their shooting from beyond the arc, where they shoot 33.2%.

They shoot a lot of twos, so normally, it doesn’t make that much of a difference, but in their first two rounds, they shot an average of 32, 10 more than they usually attempt with the same efficiency.

Pitino will have his squad ready to battle Duke and he will look to crack the championship game for the first time since 2013. 

No. 2 Houston – South region

Houston’s defense has always been a staple of their game, and this year is no exception. 

Houston hasn’t had under 30 wins in a season since 2022 and fell to the 2025 national champion Florida Gators.

They destroyed No. 15 Idaho 78-47 and then dismantled Texas A&M 88-57 without a 20-point scorer in either game.

The Cougars only lost six games this season and all were to teams ranked in the AP top 25 poll and they lost by double-digits only once. 

They were 14-4 in a loaded Big 12 and advanced to the Big 12 Championship game, where they were defeated by Arizona for the second time this season. 

They are led by freshman guard Kingston Flemings, who will be a top 10 pick in the NBA. He can hit shots from anywhere and has improved on his jumpshot since high school, where he shoots nearly 40% from three.

Emanuel Sharp is one of the best contested shot makers and hits head-scratching shots on smothering defense regularly. He also shoots 89% from the free-throw line, the best in the Big 12. 

At his best, Milos Uzan is another sniper from deep, but he has shot the ball worse than last season with the Cougars. 

JoJo Tugler and Chris Cenac Jr. make up the frontcourt in Houston and play fantastic defense, but also nail shots from inside. 

Finally, Mercy Miller has been key off the bench as of late. The sophomore put up double digits in both tournament games.

Houston does an outstanding job not turning the ball over, and also shoots it well from the charity stripe, which is extremely important in March. 

They allowed the second fewest points per game, and were just outside the top 10 in field-goal percentage allowed. 

Houston looks great; however, this is arguably Kelvin Sampson’s worst team over the past five years on both sides of the ball. 

They haven’t gone all the way despite being close last season. Perhaps they still have a bitter taste in their mouth from seeing the confetti fall and the trophy raised, despite not being for them.

No. 3 Illinois – South region

The Illini shot the lights out in their first two games in the big dance, and doing that against Houston will be a tall task. 

They shot a combined 40% from the perimeter en route to 21 and 35-point wins over Penn and VCU. 

At one point, Illinois was 20-3 and 11-1 in the Big 10, but ended the season poorly. They lost five of their last eight games, but four of them were in overtime and all were to quality teams.

Illinois currently sits only behind Purdue as the best offense in the country, according to KenPom. 

Behind unexpected freshman standout Keaton Wagler, Illinois shoots 30 threes a game, usually lighting it up from deep. 

They are a top 10 rebounding team and are great on the offensive and defensive glass. 

The Illini’s defensive points don’t tell the whole story because their underlying numbers are a lot better. On top of not allowing opponents to shoot it effectively, they are the best team in the country at not allowing other teams to the free throw line. 

Wagler is the initiator, averaging 17.8-4.9-4, and can use their entire bench with an eight-man rotation. 

Many players can get 20 a night, with players like David Mirković getting 29 against Penn and Andrej Stojaković dropping 21 off the bench against VCU. 

Kylan Boswell is another threat, as he put up 20 points four times in November before the emergence of Wagler. 

Illinois could get in trouble on nights when they don’t shoot the ball well because of their lack of defensive discrepancy. They are one of, if not the worst, team left at forcing turnovers and turning them into points. 

2005 was the last time Illinois was in the Final Four and this could be their year to break the drought. 

No. 4 Nebraska – South region

Nebrasketball has been in full effect this March, as games in Oklahoma City basically turned into home games as loyal fans cheered on their Cornhuskers.

They haven’t seen much success, with only two March Madness berths in the 21st century before this year, not made it past the second round.

They’ve played behind their fans to get this far. Nebraska and Troy were evened up at 15 until Nebraska went on a run and never surrendered its lead. 

The Cornhuskers’ game against Nebraska is one of the best games of the tournament so far. It was back-and-forth all game, and Braden Frager made a layup in transition with two seconds left. 

Vanderbilt point guard Tyler Tanner heaved up a half-court shot that was almost three-quarters in the hoop, but ultimately rimmed out in a heartbreaker for the Commodores.

Fred Hoiberg won the Coach of the Year honors in the Big 10 after going through many tough years in Lincoln. 

Pryce Sandfort has been showcasing his shot-making ability on the biggest stage, catching fire when it matters. The junior averages 18 points a night on 40% from three.

Rienk Mast is a well-rounded big man who can do a little bit of everything, and Frager has been a bucket off the bench all year long. 

Sam Hoiberg, Fred Hoiberg’s son, is the heart of the Cornhuskers, doing everything as the smallest player on the court. 

Defense is their strong suit, and their high-energy elevates their ceiling. They also shoot it well and chuck up a lot of threes a game. 

Questions surrounded the Cornhuskers because all of their good wins came in 2025 and they were competitive, but couldn’t get the job done facing good teams. 

They take on a rival in Iowa in the Sweet 16, and want Nebrasketball to carry on. 

No. 9 Iowa – South region

Who would’ve thought? Iowa State’s rival, Iowa, defeated No. 1 Florida in the round of 32. The Gators were the first one-seed to perish so far in this tournament, and the Hawkeyes got it done. 

Ben McCollum was announced as the head coach of the University of Iowa and brought tons of transfers from Drake who have made a huge impact.

The main one being Bennett Stirtz, point guard and NBA prospect, leads the charge and averaged almost 20 and 5 a contest. 

The Hawkeyes made it to the Sweet 16 with Stirtz having a couple of off games, so if he can get back on track, Iowa could be scary. 

Tavion Banks, Iowa’s other double-digit scorer, is also from Drake and was the difference-maker against Florida. 

The game was tied as Stirtz carried the ball up in transition and bounced a pass to Alvaro Folgueiras in the corner, who cashed a triple to go up three.

Florida couldn’t answer, and Iowa walked away with the win. Folgueiras was not only clutch, but he also contributed 14 off the bench in both first-round games. 

Iowa first had to face Clemson, and took a lead in the first half. The Tigers got it within two in the second half, but Iowa pulled away to move on. 

Iowa barely got in the tournament after they finished 21-12 with one win against a top 25 opponent. But close games against Iowa State, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan and Nebraska were enough for the committee to put Iowa in the big dance. 

Iowa has been one of the Cinderella stories so far, and only time will tell if the Hawkeyes’ story will continue. 

No. 1 Arizona – West region

Arizona is one of the best teams in the nation, and they’ve stayed true to that word so far in March.

Fins up was not enough to stop the Wildcats from destroying Long Island in round one, 92-58.

A strong first half against one of the best mid-major teams, Utah State, carried them to a victory against the Aggies 78-66.

Arizona has been consistently great all season long, with its only two losses coming in a row against, at the time, No. 9 Kansas and No. 16 Texas Tech.

Outside of this hiccup, they’ve been perfect, including taking home the title as Big 12 champions. 

Arizona doesn’t necessarily have a weakness. They can confidently sub in seven different rotational players and be confident they can do the job. 

Jaden Bradley was announced the Big 12 player of the year and is one of the clutchest players in the country. He hit the game-winner over Killyan Toure to send Iowa State home in the semi-finals of the Big 12 conference.

Freshman Brayden Burries has been a bucket all year, but was inconsistent in the conference tournament. However, he rebounded in the rounds of 64 and 32 and looks as good as ever. 

Koa Peat, Motejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka complete a frontcourt that is one of the best rebounding units in the nation. 

Ivan Kharchenkov and Anthony Dell’Orso are role players who could also put it in the cup whenever the Wildcats need it. 

Arizona is a big team with stellar guard play and is one of the most well-rounded teams in the country. 

No. 2 Purdue – West region

Purdue is one of the most experienced teams in the field and even though they haven’t gone all the way, they know this might be their last chance. 

They are headlined by four seniors, three of whom have been with Purdue all four years. 

All-Big 10 First Team Braden Smith averages 14-9, the second most assists in Division I hoops. 

In fact, he is the all-time leader in total assists in college basketball over a career, after he passed Bobby Hurley in the first round, and sits at 1,091. 

Fletcher Loyer is the Batman to his Robin in the backcourt, serving as a sniper from deep at 43.3%, the best mark in the Big 10. 

Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff are great in the post and both grab more than 7.5 rebounds a night. 

Their season was filled with ups and downs. They were the preseason No. 1-ranked team headed into the campaign. They lived up to expectations after starting 17-1, their only loss to the Cyclones. 

Then, they lost three in a row. Illinois and unranked UCLA and Indiana got the best of the Boilermakers. Purdue lost four of six in February and March as well.

But it’s all about getting hot at the right time, and Purdue did that as they won the Big 10 championship, beating Northwestern, Nebraska, UCLA and Michigan. 

They are a great offensive team and currently, KenPom’s number one-ranked team in offensive rating. 

Their defensive woes could hold them back, as outside of limiting teams getting to the line, they aren’t particularly great at anything. Their size could eliminate that factor, and they could make a run. 

Purdue made the championship game against UConn two years ago and is looking to run it back but come out on the opposite side this time. 

No. 4 Arkansas – West region

Arkansas freshman duo makes the Razorbacks one of the best teams to watch in the country. 

Darius Acuff is in conversation as one of the best players in the country and his backcourt mate, Maleek Thomas, is also a prolific scorer. 

A strong supporting cast of Trevon Brazile, Billy Richmond III and Malique Ewin creates an offensive unit that is nearly impossible to stop. 

They score 90.3, just behind Alabama as the highest scoring team in the country. 

Under iconic head coach John Calipari, the Razorbacks went 28-8 in his second year with the team. 

Arkansas had a favorable SEC schedule, but only lost to one team not ranked in the AP’s top 25 teams. 

In a conference with the likes of Florida, Vanderbilt and Alabama, Arkansas stood atop the rest in the SEC conference tournament. 

There is no doubt that Arkansas can score. They put up 97 against Hawaii in round one and 94 against High Point to advance to the Sweet 16. 

Darius Acuff keeps proving why he is one of the most dynamic guards coach Calipari has ever coached, as he finished with a combined 60 points and 13 assists in both contests. 

Acuff was the SEC Player of the Year as the freshman tallied 23.3-3.1-6.5 a game on 44.7% from beyond the arc. 

With this good of an offense, they are bound to let up points as well. They give up 80 points a game and their field-goal percentage allowed isn’t great.

The Razor Backs defend the three well and rack up a lot of blocks, but nothing else stands out about this defense. 

Coach Calipari took Kentucky to the final four in four of five seasons from 2011-2015 and with one of his signature guards, he could do the same this year.

No. 11 Texas – West region

Texas is arguably the biggest surprise to get this far and is still dancing after grabbing three wins in five days as an 11 seed. 

They were one of the last teams to even make it in March Madness after going 21-14 in the regular season. The Longhorns dropped five of their last six games and almost sold their chances of making the tournament.

Since they had to go through a gauntlet in the SEC, the committee gave them the edge and they haven’t looked back. 

They defeated NC State in a thrilling game to kick off the madness after Tramon Mark hit a go-ahead contested mid-range shot to give Texas the lead with a little over a second left.

The Longhorns held on and stared down BYU, whom they took care of. Even though potential number one pick AJ Dybantsa scored 35, their size was too overwhelming.

Center Matas Vokietaitis finished with 23-16, but almost got BYU back in the game after going 3-11 from the free-throw line.

Jordan Pope hit a dagger three in the game to put the rain on BYU’s parade. 

Texas found itself in another close game, facing the No. 3 seed Gonzaga in the round of 32. 

The game was neck-and-neck the whole way through and Cameron Heide, who only finished with three points in the game, drained a three to go up by two possessions with 14 seconds left. 

Gonzaga missed a three and that was all she wrote; Texas advanced to the Sweet 16. 

Even though clutch plays were made by Vokietaitis, Mark, Pope and Heide, Dailyn Swain is the Longhorns’ number one option. 

The All-SEC Second Team performer averaged 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, with nearly two steals to go along with that. 

Texas shoots a great percentage from the field at 34% and can find themselves knocking down free throws at a high rate as well. 

The problem is their defense, which isn’t above average at any aspect, but it’s been better when it matters.

Texas wants to prove there is more to their story ahead of their matchup versus Purdue. 

No. 1 Michigan – Midwest region

The Wolverines have had no problem in March so far, and they want to keep it that way ahead of a duel with Alabama. 

The Howard Bison gave it everything they had, but it didn’t wind up mattering as Michigan handled them 101-80. 

The Wolverines generated 32 points from their bench this game and shot an insane 67% from the field. 

The starters were the ones to get it done against Saint Louis, as every player in the starting five got to double figures. 

Michigan lost three games, coming against Wisconsin, Duke and Purdue in the Big 10 championship game. Yaxel Landeborg played JUCO his first three years in college hoops and after two years at UAB, joined Michigan and is balling. He was the Player of the Year in the Big 10. 

Landeborg and Aday Mara form a two-headed monster of a frontcourt. The 7’3’Mara was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 10 and led the Big 10 in blocks with 2.7. 

Morez Johnson and Eliot Cadeau were other additions from the portal that benefited them greatly. 

The Wolverines suffered a tough break when point guard LJ Cason went down with an ACL tear against the Illini. 

It’s hard to poke holes at Michigan’s game, but they don’t force many turnovers. 

The Wolverines are serious title contenders and are a common pick to go all the way for good reason. 

No. 4 Alabama – Midwest region

The Crimson Tide and Nate Oats have a classic Alabama offense that hasn’t made it past the final four yet, but will this be the year?

Alabama scores the most points in college basketball and chucks up the most threes as well.
Overall, the Crimson Tide finished 23-9 and 13-5 in the SEC, but got upset by Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC tournament. 

After being in a tight game against the Hofstra Pride in their first game, Alabama scored 53 in the second half to win 90-70. 

Texas Tech was never close after the Crimson Tide took the lead early and prevailed 90-65 because they shot 45% from three. 

Sophomore Labaron Philon is one of the best bucket-getters in the country and drops 21.6 a night. 

Alabama has seven players in their rotation that averages at least six points. They thrive off having a deep bench. 

The Crimson Tide has always focused on scoring the ball at a high rate rather than focusing on defense and that strategy has not changed for Nate Oats. 

They are a good rebounding team, however, the total number of rebounds skyrocketing could be attributed to the pace they play at.

Alabama has also had two quality players that are no longer playing for the team. Charles Bediako was drafted in the NBA, but since he didn’t play a game, he was allowed to join Alabama. He averaged 10-5 in five games before wasn’t allowed to play anymore. 

Aden Holloway, a 17 point per game scorer, got a drug charge and is currently away from the team.
Alabama not having its best lineup might be its downfall moving forward, especially if they want to beat Michigan. 

No. 6 Tennessee – Midwest region

The Volunteers are the lowest seed remaining in the Midwest region and have looked good against Miami (Ohio) and Virginia. 

They beat the 32-win Miami Ohio 78-56 after they escaped the first four rounds. Then, they upset Virginia 79-72 and shot 42% from three.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the team in scoring in both games and seems like the shifty guard that is made for March. 

Nate Ament, who was the number four recruit in the class of 2025, is a length forward who can score and defend. 

The Volunteers specialize in grabbing rebounds and are one of the best at it in the tournament. They are better on defense, where they can guard the one through five. 

A concern with Tennessee is that their lead duo scores a lot but isn’t very efficient from both two and three-point land. 

Tennessee has gone through many stretches of being hot and cold through the season, regularly winning four or five in a row and being mediocre over the next span of games. 

The Volunteers seem to be heating up at the right time. They’ve had much stronger teams in the past and it would be ironic if this is the year they take it home.

They will take on Iowa State to keep their dreams alive. 

No. 2 Iowa State vs No. 6 Tennessee plays Friday, March 27th at 9:10 p.m.