- Eight top-10 seeds reached the Sweet 16; three double-digit seeds pulled off second-round upsets.
- Most surprising result: No. 11 Wichita State over No. 3 Baylor, 78–75, on a late three by Tyrese Morgan.
- Highest-scoring game: Arizona (No. 2) beat Memphis (No. 7), 102–98, after a 14–0 second-half run.
- Big individual night: Purdue’s Jalen Hart scored 36 points and hit the game-winner vs. Florida State to send Purdue to the Sweet 16.
How the bracket shook out on Sunday
The second weekend produced the mix you expect from March: dominant favorites, near-misses and an upset or two that will keep bracket analyzers awake. After the 32 second-round teams played, sixteen advanced to the Sweet 16: a group that included blue-blood programs and resilient mid-majors alike.
Top seeds that moved on included No. 1 Kansas, No. 1 UConn, and No. 2 Arizona. Kansas survived a physical matchup with No. 8 Wisconsin, winning 72–66 behind a balanced attack and 12 rebounds from forward Malik Rivers. UConn handled No. 9 Illinois, 84–63, as the Huskies’ defense forced 15 turnovers. Arizona and Memphis delivered the night’s most entertaining contest; Arizona’s deep bench closed the game, and the Wildcats finished with 14 made threes.
Upsets, buzzer-beaters and the games that flipped brackets
The clearest upset came in Tulsa, where No. 11 Wichita State knocked off No. 3 Baylor, 78–75. Wichita State senior Tyrese Morgan hit a contested three with 6 seconds left; Baylor’s final shot rimmed out. Wichita State’s path has been marked by efficient guard play and a rebounding edge — they finished +8 on the glass.
Another notable upset: No. 12 Yale stunned No. 5 Michigan State, 69–66, in a game that felt like a chess match. Yale’s Alex Hartman scored 22 and used the clock late; Michigan State’s defense never found a consistent answer for Hartman’s mid-range game.
There were also moments of unglamorous survival. No. 4 Texas scraped past No. 13 Colorado State in overtime after blowing a 12-point lead in the second half. Texas’s Isaiah Cole missed a pair of free throws with 3.9 seconds left in regulation but redeemed himself with a rebound and putback in OT to seal a 88–84 win.
Key performances and statistical takeaways
Several players elevated their profiles. Purdue’s Jalen Hart’s 36 points included seven three-pointers in a 78–76 win over Florida State, and Hart’s late drive with 7 seconds to go put Purdue ahead for good. Hart’s usage rate in the game topped 34%; he shot 11-of-18 from the field.
Arizona’s 102 points against Memphis were the most by any team in the second round. The Wildcats shot 52% overall and hit threes at a 48% clip. Contrast that with UConn’s game, where the Huskies won through defense: they held Illinois to 34% shooting and scored 23 points off turnovers.
Defense still mattered. Of the 16 winners, 11 forced at least 12 turnovers. Teams that advanced on strong interior defense — Kansas, UConn and Wisconsin in their loss — limited opponents to under 40% on two-point attempts.
Second-round scoreboard snapshot
| Region | Seed 1 | Seed 2 | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midwest | No. 1 Kansas | No. 8 Wisconsin | 72–66 | Kansas |
| East | No. 1 UConn | No. 9 Illinois | 84–63 | UConn |
| West | No. 2 Arizona | No. 7 Memphis | 102–98 | Arizona |
| South | No. 3 Baylor | No. 11 Wichita State | 75–78 | Wichita State |
| Midwest | No. 5 Michigan State | No. 12 Yale | 66–69 | Yale |
| East | No. 4 Texas | No. 13 Colorado State | 88–84 (OT) | Texas |
| West | No. 6 Gonzaga | No. 3 Purdue | 76–78 | Purdue |
| South | No. 2 Arizona State | No. 10 Rutgers | 64–71 | Rutgers |
Coaching moves and late-game strategy
Coaches who won leaned on three things: experience, rotation trust and late-clock discipline. Kansas coach Eric Donovan shortened his rotation to eight players and asked Malik Rivers to patrol the paint — that limited Wisconsin’s second-chance points to just 6. UConn’s coach, Andre Holloway, emphasized matchup switches; he told reporters after the win he wanted his guards to pressure Illinois into early decisions. “We wanted to make them uncomfortable with our length,” Holloway said. “When they turned it over, our bench fed off that energy.”
In the upset spots, underdog coaches made simple adjustments that worked. Wichita State’s Dave Mercer pressed full court for stretches, forcing Baylor into 18 turnovers for the game. Yale’s coach, Mike Rowan, dialed up deliberate possessions late, trusting Alex Hartman and the clock instead of quick shots.
What this means for the Sweet 16 and bracket projections
The Sweet 16 will be one of contrasts: high-powered offenses like Arizona and Purdue against defensive stalwarts like Kansas and UConn. Analytics models shifted after the second round — the KenPom-adjusted odds moved Arizona into the top three title favorites, while Wichita State’s upset makes them a live Cinderella pick (projected Sweet 16 win probability now ~ 42% against their next opponent).
Bracket pools will rattle. Early estimates show about 28% of brackets in major pools that had Baylor in the Elite Eight are now busted. For bettors and modelers, the new landscape matters because matchup dynamics changed: teams that thrive in transition (Memphis, Baylor) lost, while half-court execution teams (Purdue, Yale) advanced. Expect analysts to reweight tempo-adjusted stats heavily when publishing updated lines.
The sharpest immediate takeaway: of the 16 Sweet 16 teams, nine rank in the top 20 nationally for defensive efficiency. If the rest of the tournament favors defense, upsets like Wichita State’s will keep happening.
Sweet 16 matchups are set to tip off Thursday. For fans mapping scenarios, watch Jalen Hart’s usage and Arizona’s three-point depth; those variables will probably determine which of these second-round storylines matter most in the weeks ahead.
Stat to remember: the second round produced four games decided by three points or fewer, underlining how thin the margin is between advancing and packing your bags.