A closer look at all the matchups ahead in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16
The 2025 NCAA Tournament began with 68 teams earlier this week, and the bracket has now been reduced to the Sweet 16. With regional semifinal matchups set with the conclusion of the second round, scouting work has already begun for the teams just two wins away from reaching the Final Four in San Antonio.
Duke, Florida and Houston are back in the Sweet 16 as familiar faces, while BYU and Ole Miss are making their long-awaited return to the second weekend of March Madness. BYU is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011, while Ole Miss will return to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.
The theme of the NCAA Tournament has been the lack of seeding upsets. No. 10 seed Arkansas advanced to the Sweet 16 after an upset win over St. John’s on Saturday. No. 12 seed Colorado State — the highest seed remaining — lost at the buzzer when Maryland star Derik Queen hit a fadeaway jumper as time expired to give his team a 72-71 win.
Meanwhile, all four No. 1 seeds (Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida) are still alive.
Now that the matchups are set, let’s take an early look at what’s ahead for the Sweet 16, which is set to tip off on Thursday.
West Regional
Thursday — Chase Center in San Francisco
(1) Florida vs. (4) Maryland
Scouting the Terrapins — Maryland has one of the most talented starting lineups in this country. It starts with star big man Derik Queen, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Queen and fellow frontcourt mate Julian Reese — the brother of former LSU star Angel Reese — are a dynamic duo with each capable of finishing with a double-double every night. You can’t forget about the guard play on this team, either. Ja’Kobi Gillespie (14.7 points per game), Rodney Rice (13.8) and Selton Miguel (12.0) all average double-digit points. Maryland did finish ranked No. 314 in bench minutes, and part of that is because the starting lineup is that good.
Scouting the Gators — Florida rolls into the West Regional as the team to beat. The Gators withstood a heavyweight fight against two-time reigning national champion UConn to advance to the Sweet 16. Florida’s offense starts and stops with All-American Walter Clayton Jr., who is arguably the best guard in the country. Florida can overwhelm teams with its size down low and has the perfect blend of depth and star power to make a deep run. Florida ranks No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and 10th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Gators don’t have many weaknesses.
(3) Texas Tech vs. (10) Arkansas
- Scouting the Red Raiders — You may notice a trend with the roster that coach Grant McCasland is building at Texas Tech. A majority of the Red Raiders production and scoring has come from transfers. Seven of the eight players on the roster who have played at least 30 games came from the transfer portal. The lone exception is freshman guard Christian Anderson — the Red Raiders’ fourth-leading scorer. One of those prized transfers is JT Toppin, who won this year’s Big 12 Player of the Year. Toppin was a coveted commodity in the transfer portal after a standout freshman season at New Mexico and has blossomed into a legitimate NBA Draft prospect. Texas Tech’s offense is efficient. The Red Raiders rank No. 5 in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom, and rank in the top 50 in 3-point percentage (37.1%), 2-point percentage (54.9%) and free-throw percentage (76.4%) as a team.
- Scouting the Razorbacks — Arkansas became the second team in the last 20 years (joining Texas A&M’s 2017-18 team) to reach the Sweet 16 after starting conference play 0-5. The Razorbacks had an up-and-down season in coach John Calipari’s first year with the program, but everything seems to be clicking at the right time to make this run possible. Arkansas is one of the best shot-blocking teams in the country and has tremendous length and size in the frontcourt. The Razorbacks finished fourth in the country (behind UConn, Auburn and Bryant) by averaging 5.6 blocks per game. This Arkansas roster is transfer and freshmen heavy, with most of the players in the rotation being either former Kentucky players or Kentucky recruits before they flipped their commitment to follow Calipari from Lexington to Arkansas.
East Regional
Thursday — Prudential Center in Newark
(1) Duke vs. (4) Arizona
- Scouting the Blue Devils — Duke is the tallest team in Division l basketball by average height. The Blue Devils have a lengthy starting lineup headlined by a pair of future NBA lottery picks: Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach. Duke has a veteran backcourt in Sion James and Tyrese Proctor that give opposing teams trouble on defense. The Blue Devils rank in the top five in offense and defensive adjusted efficiency and are top 20 in 3-point percentage (37.7%), 2-point percentage (58.2%) and free-throw percentage (78.4). Duke has the right blend of experience, talent and youth, making it the popular pick to cut down the nets next month in San Antonio.
- Scouting the Wildcats — After a heartbreaking loss to Clemson in the Sweet 16 last year, the Wildcats are back in the second weekend. Arizona hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2001. Arizona’s defense has to find ways to create second chances on the glass to pull an upset against Duke. Arizona ranks 15th in offensive rebounding percentage and is averaging 82.1 points per game, good enough for 19th.