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
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
5 things to watch during Tennessee Titans' mandatory minicamp
5 things to watch during Tennessee Titans' mandatory minicamp The Tennessee Titans will be wrapping up their offseason program this week with a three-day mandatory minicamp at the team facility in Nashville. These sessions will be the culmination of all of the work the team has put in as they attempt to climb out of the NFL basement. The Titans have made some significant changes during the offseason and are moving in a positive direction. This period will give the coaching staff and front office a final look at their roster heading into training camp, helping them decide if any further additions or changes are necessary. With minicamp scheduled to start on Tuesday, here are five things to keep an eye on in the coming days. Where is Jeffery Simmons? Simmons did not take part during the initial stages of Phase 3 OTAs. While the star defensive tackle has posted workouts on social media, he was not seen at the facility for the voluntary sessions. While head coach Brian Callahan did not seem concerned about his absence, the media ran with it and called out the team leader. With this minicamp being mandatory, Simmons should be in the facility practicing with his teammates, but if he isn't, it could speak to a larger issue. Odds are, Simmons will be there, but it is still something worth monitoring. Quarterback reps There have been reports that Tennessee will ramp up the amount of first-team reps for first-overall selection Cam Ward moving forward, and this is the final set of practices before training camp. Callahan said at the beginning of Phase 3 that the number and order of reps doesn't mean anything in the big picture, but heading into this week, that approach should start to change. The organization has been clear that Ward is battling Will Levis for the starting job, and it will be interesting to watch how they distribute the first-team reps between the two young signal callers during this final minicamp. If it is genuinely a quarterback competition, the reps should be equal, but if some of the reports are right, that will not be the case. Cornerback battles Quietly, Tennessee acquired a lot of cornerbacks during the offseason between the draft, undrafted rookie free agents and the waiver wire. After entering the 2024 season with only four on the roster, it appears they want to go in a different direction this season and will have some interesting battles ahead. With L'Jarius Sneed still rehabbing, monitoring the reps to see how the team handles the position could be a strong indication of what to expect during training camp. With Sneed, Jarvis Brownlee, and Roger McCreary likely locks for the roster, there is a wide-open battle behind them. Wide receivers Much like at cornerback, the wide receiver room is crowded, and the Titans did a great job at retooling the unit by bringing in multiple receivers with different skill sets. The Titans need better production from the unit outside of Calvin Ridley and have a lot of new bodies competing to carve out a role. Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett should be on solid footing, but they could face some challenges from a young crop of wideouts. Rookies Chimere Dike, Epic Ayomanor, and Xavier Restrepo flashed during the opening sessions of Phase 3. Monitoring how these young receivers progress and where they are positioned could give insight into how the room will look heading into training camp and whether fans can expect more production in 2025. Injury Updates Tennessee has a few players still working their way back from injury, and there should be some final updates prior to the start of training camp. Looking at the veterans, wide receiver Treylon Burks was seen doing individual work, although he has not been cleared for team drills. Veterans L'Jarius Sneed and Lloyd Cushenberry did not participate in the OTAs as they were rehabbing. This week will likely continue the rehab process for these three, and head coach Brian Callahan will likely update their status at some point. Rookies Kevin Winston and Kalel Mullings were both seen during OTAs but have been limited as they recover from injury. Winston likely won't be ready until training camp as he recovers from his ACL injury, but Mullings may be close to seeing some action. Any work these two can get will be a huge positive heading into camp.
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
Tennessee football hiring former Vol as defensive analyst in 2025
Tennessee football hiring former Vol as defensive analyst in 2025 Tennessee will kick off its 2025 football season Aug. 30 against Syracuse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The season opener between the Vols and Orange is slated for noon EDT and will be televised by ABC. Ahead of the upcoming campaign, Tennessee hired former Vol Marion Hobby as a defensive analyst, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. "Tennessee is adding Marion Hobby to its defensive staff, a source tells CBS Sports," Zenitz said. "Hobby, a former All-SEC player at Tennessee, has coached in four NFL conference championship games (Saints, Jaguars, Bengals 2x) and a Super Bowl. Hobby was also part of Clemson's 2016 national championship team." Hobby played on Tennessee's defensive line under head coach Johnny Majors. He was selected in the third round of the 1990 NFL draft by Minnesota. The Vikings traded him to New England. The former Vol played for the Patriots from 1990-92 before launching his coaching career. Hobby served as the Vols' assistant strength and conditioning coach during Tennessee's 1998 national championship season. PHOTOS: Johnny Majors through the years Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Five takeaways from LSU baseball's super regional win vs. West Virginia
Five takeaways from LSU baseball's super regional win vs. West Virginia LSU baseball is headed to Omaha. After sweeping West Virginia in the Baton Rouge Super Regional, LSU punched a ticket to the College World Series. The Tigers erupted for 16 runs in Game 1 before plating 12 more in Game 2. It was just what we wanted to see from the LSU offense after the Tigers' bats were inconsistent at points this spring. Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson didn't pitch at the elite level they did in the regional, but both were good enough to get the wins. Anderson allowed six earned runs, but made it through seven innings in Game 1. Eyanson held WVU to three runs and struck out seven of the course of five innings in Game 2. Tigers' head coach Jay Johnson has now led LSU to Omaha in two of his four years in Baton Rouge. LSU's last CWS trip came in 2023, when the Tigers won it all with Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews. Before LSU continues its quest for another national title, here are five takeaways from LSU's Super Regional win. 1. LSU responded in the seventh inning LSU controlled the game early, scoring six runs in the first two innings. WVU began to stage a comeback. The Mountaineers scored three runs in the fourth and plated another in the fifth. Then, LSU had a response of its own. LSU scored six runs in the seventh inning, putting the game out of reach. It started with a two-run single off the bat of Chris Stanfield. Not long after, Derek Curiel scored on a throwing error. Steven Milam kept the rally going with an RBI double. Jake Brown capped it off with a two-run shot to center field. West Virginia had the momentum entering the seventh, and the Mountaineers were a couple of swings away from tying it up. Good teams respond like LSU did in the seventh. 2. Anderson and Eyanson were good enough Good pitchers find a way to do enough even when they don't have their best stuff. Neither Kade Anderson nor Anthony Eyanson had their best, but they combined to pitch 12 innings and both got the win. Anderson held WVU to one run through five innings, which allowed LSU to build a substantial lead. West Virginia put up some runs in the later innings, but Anderson hung in there and threw 109 pitches, keeping LSU's bullpen rested. On Sunday, Eyanson held WVU to three runs in five innings. Between the regional and the super regional, Eyanson allowed just three runs over 13.2 innings. LSU can't expect eight shutout innings from Anderson and Eyanson every night, but the Tigers proved they can win a different style of game vs. West Virginia. 3. Steven Milam was a star Steven Milam had ups and downs in the regular season, but he's been a star for LSU in the NCAA Tournament. He stayed hot vs. West Virginia. On Saturday, Milam came to the plate with LSU up 3-1 and the bases loaded. Milam put one in the bleachers to give LSU a 7-1 lead. Milam walked twice and scored two runs. On Sunday, Milam had two more extra-base hits with four RBI. Again, he walked twice and scored twice. If Milam is going to hit like this, it changes the outlook for LSU's lineup. It gives the Tigers another all-around bat in the middle of the lineup. "He will play baseball for a very long time if he takes the caliber of at-bats that he has," Jay Johnson said of Milam last weekend. 4. Potential emergence of Cooper Williams Aside from Casan Evans, LSU's bullpen has struggled in recent weeks. Even Zac Cowan has faltered after being one of the nation's most effective relievers for most of the year. LSU needed another bullpen arm to emerge -- it might just be Cooper Williams. Williams, a true freshman, was ranked as the No. 12 left-handed pitcher in the 2024 class by Perfect Game. He began his career without allowing an earned run in his first 12 appearances, but didn't see a ton of high leverage spots in the regular season. After LSU struggled to get outs last Sunday vs. Little Rock, Williams entered and pitched 3.2 scoreless innings. Then, a week later vs. West Virginia, Johnson called on Williams with the tying run at the plate. Williams delivered and gave LSU 2.2 innings, allowing just one run. That'll play. In 19.2 innings, Williams owns a 1.83 ERA this year. LSU will need a strong effort from the freshman in Omaha. 5. LSU looks like a complete team The Super Regional was LSU at its best. The Tigers have not played two straight complete games like vs. a quality opponent all year. Sure, the Tigers have found ways to win, but LSU was dominant in every phase of the game vs. the Mountaineers. This team is good enough to go all the way in Omaha. We had questions about the lineup entering the weekend. Those were answered. We know guys like Derek Curiel and Daniel Dickinson are going to produce, but when Milam, Brown, and Josh Pearson are showing off the power too, it's hard to find outs vs. this group. And Tiger fans should feel better about the bullpen now, too. LSU finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the polls for a reason. When this squad plays to its potential, it's the best in the country.
