The first half of our Sweet 16 featured two No. 6 seeds that pulled out surprises in the Round of 32, but advancing to the Elite Eight would require another upset. Will it be chalk, or will we see some underdog magic
No. 1 Kansas def. No. 4 Wisconsin 80-72
Wisconsin boasts a lot of March pedigree, but Kansas looked like the best team in the country for much of 2020, and they just have too many options for the stout Wisconsin defense to handle. The Badgers jump out to an early lead, but as the Jayhawks warm up, they slowly squeeze the life out of their Big 10 opponent and move on to the Elite Eight.
No. 2 Kentucky def. No. 6 Iowa 84-74
Iowa, boosted by the performance of Luka Garza, stunned Duke in the Round of 32. However, Garza alone is not enough for the Hawkeyes to triumph over consecutive blue-bloods. In our only unanimous decision of this article, Kentucky cruises and leads wire-to-wire over Iowa, earning a thrilling match-up with Kansas in the Elite Eight.
No. 4 Maryland def. No. 1 Dayton 77-71
Upset! The Terrapins lockdown Obi Toppin with a variety of defenders led by Jalen Smith, allowing Anthony Cowen to go to work for Maryland. Dayton leads for most of the first half, but Maryland gets a strong second-half effort from Aaron Wiggins to go along with Smith and Cowen, as the Terrapins outlast the Flyers and pull the upset to move into the Elite Eight.
No. 2 Florida State def. Penn State 86-77Much like Iowa, Penn State pulled out a surprise win in the Round of 32, triumphing over third-seeded Villanova, but they don’t have the firepower to pull off a second consecutive upset. The Seminoles led by as many as 20 before allowing the Nittany Lions to make a mini charge, but they never get closer than six. The Big 10 goes 1-3 on the day as Florida State charges on to take on Maryland.
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