South remains:

#5 Kentucky – vs – #9 Kansas State

#7 Nevada – vs – #11 Loyola-Chicago

East remains:

#1 Villanova – vs – #5 West Virginia

#2 Purdue – vs – #3 Texas Tech

West remains:

#3 Michigan – vs – #7 Texas A&M

#4 Gonzaga – vs – #9 Florida State

Midwest remains:

#1 Kansas – vs – #5 Clemson

#2 Duke – vs – #11 Syracuse

First Round

#13 Buffalo over #4 Arizona:

If you’re like us, your bracket is pretty much broken after Buffalo defeated Arizona, 89-68 in the largest upset of the tournament so far. Only 18% of the brackets in the country predicted this momentous flip flop. On a statistical basis, 3 million brackets had Buffalo reaching the final four;  just under 2 million had them reaching the final game; and around 1 million had them taking home the tournament.

Jeremy Harris was the dynamic player for the Bulls. He was dangerous on both ends of the court, recording 23 points, shooting 10/20 from the field and 3/9 from behind the arch. With 6 defensive rebounds, Harris was key to Buffalo’s victory.

Looking back at Arizona’s 27-8 record, 5 of those 8 losses came to teams outside the top 100. The outcome was highly unpredictable but not impossible.

#16 UMBC over #1 Virginia: David vs. Goliath

 No one expected this big of a loss from a #1 seed this early in the tournament. The Retrievers made NCAA history, stunning the sports world by beating the Cavaliers by 20 points, 74-54. UMBC is the first #16 seeded team to record a win in the tournament.

#11 Loyola-Chicago vs. #6 Miami

Sister Jean, Loyola Chicago’s team chaplain and lucky charm, has brought fortune to this Chicago University. With 6.3 seconds on the clock, Junior Townes brought the ball down the court, eventually making a dish pass to Senior Donte Ingram who put up the game-winning shot with 1.9 seconds remaining in the game.

Second Round

#11 Loyola-Chicago vs. #3 Tennessee

Loyola Chicago found a way to win again as they led in field goal percentage and limited turnovers in this game. The Ramblers only sent the Volunteers to the line to take 6 shots while they were able to make 11 of the 16 they were given. A goal set before the game was to cut down the 11.7 offensive rebounds that the Volunteers get and they ended up with only 6. The Ramblers led the game until 21 seconds left when they trailed by 1, soon to hit a bucket with 5 seconds left to send them to the sweet sixteen.

#7 Texas A&M vs. #2 UNC

Texas A&M dominated the entire game duration in the second round of the March Madness tournament. The Tar Heels held onto a small three point lead in the first half of play before the Revilles turned up the heat of play. Everything began to drop for them as they shot for 41.7% from behind the three point line, unlike the Tar Heels who struggled, shooting 19.4% (6/31) behind the arch. Joel Berry  and Theo Pinson were emotional following the game’s conclusion at their post game conference.

Joel Berry finished the game with 21 points, shooting 7/21 from the field, but it wasn’t enough to bring his team back into the game in the second half. Pinson led the game in assists, racking up 11 total

#11 Syracuse vs. #3 Michigan State

Jim Boeheim and his Syracuse keep finding ways to win, especially in this bracket-busting Round of 32 upset against Michigan State. In a sloppy game that came down to defensive play, Syracuse and their famous 2-3 zone prevailed once again, winning with a score of 55-53. Both teams were held below 40% shooting from the field, and under 25% from the 3-point line. Oshae Brissett, ACC Freshman of the Year, and Tyus Battle led the way for Syracuse, scoring 17 and 15 points respectively. Big Ten first team member Miles Bridges was held to 11 points on 4-18 shooting, and future NBA draft pick Jerren Jackson only scored 2 points off free throws.

Sweet Sixteen – Games to watch

#11 Syracuse vs. #2 Duke Saturday March 24, 9:37pm (CBS)

The Orange are on a hot streak, winning their play-in game against Arizona State, their first round game against TCU, and their huge second round upset over Michigan State. Leading the charge is sophomore Tyus Battle, a shooting guard averaging 19.3 points per game. Oshae Brissett is having a brilliant freshman year, winning the ACC Freshman of the Year award while averaging 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Duke has performed well throughout the tournament, playing with a chip on their shoulders after narrowly missing out on a #1 seed for the Midwest region. Marvin Bagley, a future NBA lottery pick, has averaged 22 points per game across his team’s Round of 64 and Round of 32 victories. It’s worth noting that Duke obliterated Syracuse earlier this year in ACC play, winning by a score of 60-44. They boasted a regular season record of 24-5, with all 5 losses coming in the ACC.

Expect this game to be a game won by strong defense and stellar coaching in future Hall of Fame coaches Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski. Although Syracuse has made another miraculous tourney run; expect the Duke Blue Devils to ride into the Elite Eight.

(11) Loyola Chicago vs. (7) Nevada Thursday March 22 7:07pm (CBS)

America’s new favorite Cinderella team, the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, will continue their improbable tourney against another surprise team, the Nevada Wolf Pack. Looking for their first championship since 1963, the Ramblers have posted a 30-5 record this year on their journey to the Sweet Sixteen. They got here by winning close games in crunch time, with buckets by Donte Ingram and Clayton Cluster winning them games against Miami and Tennessee.

Nevada, despite not being favored to win against neither Texas or Cincinnati, finally comes into a tournament game where they are the betting favorite. They are lead in scoring by forward Caleb Martin, who averages 18.8 points per game. All-around forward Cody Martin is a star on this team, leading the Wolf Pack in rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals.

With two seemingly even-matched teams facing off, expect this game to be an offensive showdown. In the end, Lancer Media predicts that Loyola-Chicago will continue their miracle run into the Elite Eight.