
Sweet 16 college basketball teams with best chances in advancing to Elite Eight
Sweet 16 college basketball teams with best chances in advancing to Elite Eight
The first and second rounds have concluded after the first week in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. 16 teams remain in contention for the 2025 men's basketball national championship.
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, BYU, Duke, Florida, Houston, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Purdue, Tennessee and Texas Tech have advanced to the Sweet 16.
Midwest Region No. 2 seed Tennessee defeated Wofford in the first round and UCLA in the Round of 32 to claim its third consecutive NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance. The Vols will now face No. 3 seed Kentucky at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tipoff on Friday between the Vols and Wildcats is scheduled for 7:39 p.m. EDT (TBS/truTV).
Ahead of Sweet 16 games, ESPN's Basketball Power Index released updated percentage chances for each team to win their games and to advance to the Elite Eight.
Teams with best chances in advancing to the Elite Eight are listed below.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
Former USC star pitcher Caden Aoki commits to Georgia
Former USC star pitcher Caden Aoki commits to Georgia Last week, USC baseball ace Caden Aoki made headlines when he surprisingly announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. On Monday, Aoki made his new home official: He will play for the Georgia Bulldogs in 2026. After spending his freshman year at Notre Dame in 2022, Aoki transferred to USC prior to the 2023 season. He emerged as the Trojans' top starting pitcher over the better part of the past three seasons. In 2025, he went 6-4 with a 3.99 ERA. However, it was the NCAA Tournament where Aoki forever etched himself into Trojans lore. In USC's tournament opener against TCU, Aoki allowed just one run over eight innings, throwing 114 pitches. For his performance, he was named to the all-Corvallis Regional team. Despite being a senior this past season, Aoki was granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA. However, it appears he will spend that year in Athens, Georgia, rather than in Los Angeles. USC's lacked significant pitching depth behind Aoki in 2025. The Trojans will need to improve on that front next year if they want to have any chance of making it further in the postseason.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Candace Parker Dismisses Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Rivalry: "It's Like Comparing Apples And Oranges"
Candace Parker Dismisses Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Rivalry: "It's Like Comparing Apples And Oranges" originally appeared on Fadeaway World. WNBA icon Candace Parker appeared on the latest episode of the Spolitics podcast, where she shared her thoughts about the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry. Parker made it clear she isn't a fan of Clark and Reese being compared to each other. Advertisement "I just think that it's like comparing apples and oranges," Parker said. "Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, it's like, what are we doing? They like doing the Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird comparison. Well, they played similar positions. Bird wasn't a point guard, but he played the guard position. They at least kind of matched up. This? What are we doing? I'm not falling into that. I'm not into the comparison. "I think there are a number of things that Angel can improve on, will improve on in the situation she's in," Parker continued. "And I think Caitlin Clark has done that, even in her first year, in terms of being able to be that floor general... I think the thing about Caitlin, yes, she can shoot from the logo, but she makes her team better." Parker makes some good points here. A guard like Clark and a forward like Reese aren't really matching up against each other, but the main focus from the outside when it came to this rivalry wasn't about the play on the court. Race was a big part of it, and things kicked off towards the end of the 2023 national title game, when Reese taunted Clark as LSU beat Iowa. The teams would meet again in the Elite Eight the following year, but the tables had turned by then. Clark and Iowa beat LSU, only to lose in the national title game again, this time to South Carolina. Advertisement Failing to win the national title certainly didn't lead to Clark's stock falling. The Indiana Fever would select her with the first pick of the 2024 WNBA, while Reese went seventh to the Chicago Sky. The rivalry would be a big talking point throughout their rookie season. In their first-ever meeting in the WNBA, Reese came under fire for clapping after her teammate cheap-shotted Clark. That ensured that the media and fans would keep talking about these two. They were the leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year award as well, which only brought more attention to the rivalry. Clark would end up winning ROY, and she has had a much better sophomore season than Reese, too. Clark averaged 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for the Fever before going down with a quad strain. Reese, meanwhile, has put up 9.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Sky. Candace Parker On Caitlin Clark Being "Targeted" During Her Rookie Season Clark being targeted by her opponents was another big storyline during her rookie season. The notion was that they were jealous of her, but Parker stated that's always been the case in the WNBA when the next big thing comes in. Advertisement 'When you are a generational talent, and I say that in Diana [Taurasi], Maya [Moore], myself, Breanna Stewart, Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson, you're gonna experience the physicality," Parker stated. "The scouting report is to stop you, and a lot of it is to be physical. Do you take a couple extra licks from people? Yeah. Was I the rookie coming in and got different shots taken at me or hard fouls? Oh yeah.' To Clark's credit, she never made a big deal of the increased physicality. She played it down every single time it was brought up, and you really admire how this 23-year-old has carried herself during her time in the WNBA. Related: Aries Spears Weighs In On Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Rivalry: "One Is Good And The Other One Is Hot Garbage" This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Southeast Spotlight: Five committed prospects on flip watch
Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman takes a look at five Southeast commitments that could be at risk to flip their pledges before the end of the year. MORE: Three new FutureCasts in for Billy Napier and the Florida Gators CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info Carter has logged official visits to Georgia and Florida State to open the summer. The touted Rivals250 receiver from the Peach State is a Seminoles legacy and has been back to Tallahassee on a few instances since giving Auburn his commitment. Advertisement North Carolina and Auburn are on deck for Carter. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH AUBURN FANS AT Gibson was one of the first commitments for Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide – committing on Christmas Eve after his junior season and returning to Tuscaloosa on several visits since his declaration. The speedy blue-chip corner is an Ole Miss legacy and returned to Oxford over the weekend for an official. Auburn and Tennessee both are swinging away at Gibson in this one, too. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ALABAMA FANS AT Harris gave Auburn a commitment last summer during a colossal Big Cat Weekend. Nearly a year later, the Tigers are working to hold onto the in-state Rivals250 edge defender, who has made a string of visits to Tennessee and more recently Florida. Advertisement Alabama is also working hard to keep Harris inside the Yellowhammer State. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH AUBURN FANS AT Keys has logged official visits to Miami and Texas A&M over the past two weekends – with trips back to Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and LSU all on the horizon. The No. 1 WR in the Rivals250 out of Hattiesburg (Miss.) High gave Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers an early commitment this spring. He will make his final official visit to Baton Rouge on June 20 before finalizing his college plans. Miami remains in pursuit of Keys, along with Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH LSU FANS AT Tennessee landed a commitment from Sneed nearly a year ago, and the Vols have been working to hold onto the Rivals250 pass-catcher since. Sneed has made visits around the country this offseason with Ole Miss and Florida making it a tight race with Tennessee at the top of this recruitment. Advertisement Ole Miss made a big move during its official visit on May 30 weekend and Florida gets Sneed back to The Swamp on June 13. The Vols have the last crack at Sneed before he finalizes his plans. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH TENNESSEE FANS AT