SWEET 16

This year’s record-breaking women’s NCAA Tournament featured breakout stars, upsets and capped off with the flamboyant Kim Mulkey leading LSU to its first basketball championship.

The NCAA has gotten mostly positive reviews for its new women's Sweet 16 format during March Madness.

Miami coach Jim Larrañaga wants to know how much money athletes at other schools are making through name, image and likeness deals.

Aliyah Boston had eight points, 14 rebounds and two blocks while reigning national champion South Carolina turned in its latest overwhelming defense-and-rebounding-first performance to beat UCLA 59-43 on Saturday in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

March has gone from madness to unprecedented.

Alexis Morris hit two foul shots with 10 seconds to play as No. 3 seed LSU reached the Elite Eight for the first time since 2008, beating second-seeded Utah 66-63, Down 64-63, the Utes had a chance to back in front, but Jenna Johnson — a near 75% foul shooter — missed both attempts with 4.7 seconds to go.

Florida Atlantic, playing in just its second NCAA Tournament, moved within a victory of the Final Four by using a second-half push led by Michael Forrest to beat fourth-seeded Tennessee 62-55.

The No. 7 seed Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball team’s season comes to a close after falling 98-93 in overtime to the No. 3-seed Kansas State Wildcats in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama was expected to be in the Sweet 16 as the overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The women’s college basketball Sweet 16 features a new format and a bit of history when it begins later this week.

After a three-day pause, the madness will resume on Thursday with the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament.

Underdogs have blown up every bracket in the country in what may be the maddest March ever.

No. 7 seed Michigan State advanced to the Sweet 16 on Sunday with an upset win over No. 2 seed Marquette.

Blake Peters made five 3-pointers in the second half and Princeton shocked another power conference team to reach the regional semifinals for the first time in 56 years by beating Missouri 78-63.

March Madness isn’t just about filling out — and later trashing — brackets.

The NCAA Tournament has reached Sweet 16 weekend in the battle for the national championship in men’s basketball.

Saint Peter’s was among the most profitable teams for sports bettors in 2022.

The NBA announced today that 112 players have notified the league that they wish to be removed from the list of “early entry” players eligible for selection in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Saint Peter’s has knocked off Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue and now has its sights on pulling another NCAA Tournament upset.

Naz Hillmon had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Laila Phelia scored the go-ahead layup in the final minute and No. 3 Michigan beat No. 10 seed South Dakota 52-49.

The University of Michigan women’s basketball team punched their ticket to the Elite 8 on Saturday night with a win over the No. 10 seeded North Dakota in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women’s bracket.

Hailey Van Lith had 23 points and six assists, Emily Engstler had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 1 seed Louisville held off Tennessee 76-64 in the women's NCAA Tournament to reach the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive time.

Raina Perez’s steal at midcourt and go-ahead layup with 14 seconds left lifted top-seeded N.

Morgan Maly scored a career-high 21 points to help 10th-seeded Creighton beat Iowa State 76-68 in the NCAA Tournament, becoming one of the lowest seeds to ever reach a women’s regional final.

Daryl Banks III scored the tying and go-ahead baskets that pushed 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s to the brink of the Final Four.

Aliyah Boston had 28 points and 22 rebounds, and top-seeded South Carolina moved on to the Elite Eight with a 69-61 victory over North Carolina in the women's NCAA Tournament.

Mike Krzyzewski would pass famed UCLA coach John Wooden for most Final Four appearances if No. 2 seed Duke can beat fourth-seeded Arkansas in the West Region final in San Francisco.

Although your favorite team may or may not still be dancing, the NCAA Tournament continues on, with Sweet 16 games running through the weekend.

JD Notae scored 21 points despite missing 20 shots and fourth-seeded Arkansas made Gonzaga miserable on both ends of the floor, bouncing the top overall seed from the NCAA Tournament with a 74-68 win.

The magical run from the University of Michigan men’s basketball team has come to an end as the men in maize fall to No. 2 seed Villanova 63-55 in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.

It has been seven years since the Big Ten had a team reach the Final Four and more than two decades since the conference had a national champion in women’s basketball.

The Michigan men’s and women’s basketball programs have advanced to the Sweet 16.

The University of Michigan women’s basketball team has advanced to its second-straight Sweet 16 after a win over Villanova in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Michigan Wolverines have advanced to their fifth consecutive Sweet 16 after upsetting the No. 3 ranked Tennessee Volunteers 76-68 in the round of 32 on Saturday (March 19).

Top seeds Gonzaga, Arizona and Kansas are in the NCAA Sweet 16.

Diamond Miller scored 24 points, and fourth-seeded Maryland used a 19-0 run spanning parts of both halves to pull away to a 89-65 win over 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast.

The onset of spring signals the beginning of maddening March brackets -- but we’re not just talking about college basketball.

A second-half surge sent the Michigan Wolverines to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after they defeated No. 6 seed Colorado State, 75-63, in the opening round.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index projected Michigan (16%) as one of the double-digit seeds with the best chance to reach the Sweet 16 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team is canceling another game due to COVID-19 protocols.

Michigan guard DeVante’ Jones has withdrawn from the NBA draft.

The Dallas Wings chose Charli Collier of Texas and Finnish player Awak Kuier with the first two picks of the WNBA draft.

The Dallas Wings basically control the WNBA draft on Thursday night with the top two picks and four first-round choices.

… Gonzaga is seeking to become the first team to make it to the Final Four unbeaten since Kentucky in 2015. 11 seed UCLA (21-9), East Region final, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis. … UCLA is back in a regional final for the first time since earning three straight Final Four berths from 2006-08. 6 seed Texas (21-9), Hemisfair Region final, Alamodome, San Antonio. … Texas is in a regional final for the first time since 2016 and seeking its first Final Four appearance since 2003.

Michigan basketball has been doing just that for the better part of a month. MORE: Game time, details announced for Michigan basketball vs. UCLA in Elite 8AdIt was a clinic on both ends of the court. Many experts thought Michigan would lose to LSU in the second round, and even more expected a Florida State victory Sunday night. The former ended up a much more real possibility than the latter, as the Florida State game was never in doubt. Other than the Texas Southern and Michigan State wins, Michigan had faced big deficits in five of its previous seven games.

Charli Collier scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and No. 6 seed Texas used a grinding, hustling defensive effort to shut down the nation's highest scoring offense for a 64-61 win Sunday night in the Sweet 16. Collier scored 10 points in the second half and her last basket in the fourth quarter pulled Texas even after second-seeded Maryland had swung momentum with two baskets, including a 3-pointer. "They are not letting anybody in that huddle think about anything but win," Schaefer said. Miller scored 21 points to lead Maryland (26-3) but there was just no punch in the offense outside of her.

Instead, they scored the first five points of the extra session, then cruised from there to an 88-78 victory that gave the No. 11 seed Bruins their first trip to the Elite Eight since 2008 — and Cronin the first of his 18-year coaching career. Singleton was fouled and made two free throws for UCLA, pushing the lead to 65-62 with 4 seconds to go. Alabama led the nation in 3-pointers attempted and made this season, so it was fitting that a 3 would send the game to overtime. UCLA has beaten Michigan in three of their four NCAA Tournament games, including the 1965 national championship in Portland, Oregon.

ACC teams finished with a 4-7 NCAA Tournament record, marking the league's lowest win total and winning percentage in this event since 1979. Duke went 13-11, withdrew from the ACC Tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test and ended a string of 29 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. When the NCAA Tournament brackets came out, the ACC teams with the best seeds were Florida State and Virginia at No. “We weren’t quite as good at the top,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said after the first round of the NCAA Tournament. AdThe ACC’s one pleasant NCAA Tournament surprise was Syracuse, which sneaked into the field with a No.

Hunter Dickinson #1 of the Michigan Wolverines rebounds the ball in the game against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 28, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)(2021 Getty Images)

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)SAN ANTONIO – Missouri State had waited two years to get another crack at the Sweet 16 and Stanford, only to watch the Cardinal turn their rematch into a romp. 5 Lady Bears 89-62 to earn a spot in the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA Tournament for the 21st time. Elle Ruffridge scored 18 points to lead Missouri State (23-3), a team with a history of punching above its status as a mid-major from the Missouri Valley Conference. And Missouri State was hungry to push for even bigger things after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 tournament and abruptly ended a 26-4 season. “Every game we’ve been down, we’ve always come back,” Missouri State coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said.

Nembhard had 17 points and eight assists, both season highs, to keep the NCAA Tournament's top overall seed rolling Sunday with a 83-65 rout of fifth-seeded Creighton in the West Region semifinals. Defensively, the Zags held Creighton to 40 points over the final 30 minutes as they methodically turned a 27-25 game into a blowout. “They just play so fast, so efficient with everything they do," said Marcus Zegarowski, who led Creighton with 19 points. That just about finished off Creighton as the Zags moved within three wins of becoming the first undefeated national champion since Indiana in 1976. Gonzaga: The Zags have won their first three tournament games by a combined 77 points.

... Oregon State opponents are shooting just 31.3% overall and 23.1% from 3-point range in the NCAA Tournament. That Missouri squad lost a regional final to an Oklahoma team coached by Kelvin Sampson, who’s now at Houston. … Arkansas is in a regional final for the first time since 1995, when it lost to UCLA in the championship game. … Arkansas’ Justin Smith is averaging 20.3 points and 11 rebounds in three NCAA Tournament games. Arizona and Indiana are both in an NCAA regional final for the first time.

Now it's taken coach Kelvin Sampson's team somewhere new: the program's deepest NCAA Tournament run since the days of Olajuwon, Drexler and the famed “Phi Slama Jama." That sent the second-seeded Cougars through to their first regional final in 37 years, earning a matchup with No. Houston (27-3) came in holding opponents to a national-low 37.3% shooting, and then harassed Syracuse (18-10) into just 28% (14 for 50). “It’s the best defense that that we’ve seen this year and they deserved to win,” coach Jim Boeheim said. Syracuse had shot at least 52% each time while making 29 3-pointers — but there would be no repeat of that unexpected 2016 Final Four run thanks to Houston's defense.

Davion Mitchell, a 46% shooter from 3 this season, went 0 for 3 from long range on a 14-point day. Jared Butler scored nine points on 1-for-9 shooting from 3, and MaCio Teague had five points without a 3. The guards did a great job of not settling and probing more.”Because of that, Baylor shot 53% in the second half, even though it made only one 3. Constantly harassing Villanova shooters who'd carved out space in the first half, Baylor held Villanova to 37.5% shooting in the second and 0 for 9 from 3. Forward Brandon Slater left the game about midway through the second half after landing awkwardly during a fight for a rebound.

Oregon State won 65-58. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)INDIANAPOLIS – Picked to finish dead last in the Pac-12, Oregon State instead might be the last one standing. Then the Ramblers, who failed to take advantage of their defense, proceeded to miss 11 consecutive shots as Oregon State flip-flopped between man-to-man and zone defenses. Oregon State built on Warith Alatishe's buzzer-beating bucket to end the first half by getting some shots to go in the second. Oregon State has never played Syracuse, but it beat Houston in the 1966 West Region semifinal and again in the 2009 CBI Tournament.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Michigan Wolverines Women’s Basketball team isn’t just winning games -- it’s making history. For the first time ever, they punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 and let everyone know there’s more than just one good basketball team on campus. Congrats to @KBA_GoBlue & her squad for reaching the Sweet 16 -- FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!! pic.twitter.com/NSaoSB7zVk — Juwan Howard (@JuwanHoward) March 23, 2021“It’s a great win for the university, a great win for Michigan,” Barnes-Arico said. “Great win for little kids growing up in Michigan and for the country to see Michigan is not just a football school, or a men’s basketball school -- it’s also a women’s basketball school.”

It’s been a couple years since Spike Albrecht played for Michigan, but he’s still dialed in with his alma mater. Albrecht says his group text with former Wolverine players was getting heated Monday night, especially when LSU came out firing. But thanks to Eli Brooks and Chaundee Brown, Michigan stamped its ticket to the Sweet 16 4th straight tournament, 6th in eight years. You can’t deny it, the Michigan Wolverines are on a roll. Michigan is on to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year.

Chaundee Brown #15 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts to beating the LSU Tigers in the second round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 22, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 1 seed Michigan basketball knocked off No. 8 seed LSU on Monday to clinch a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Wagner ended up with 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists. 11 seed Michigan State have all been eliminated.

Oregon players celebrate following a second-round game against Iowa. When another kink surfaced in the NCAA Tournament, the resilient, adaptable Ducks shook it off and soared. Chris Duarte scored 23 points and Oregon showed no signs of rust after a long layoff, beating No. 2 seed Iowa 95-80 on Monday to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five NCAA Tournaments. “We did and it was a lot of fun.”The Ducks' sweet offensive movements left the Hawkeyes (22-9) flailing, one game short of the Sweet 16 for the fourth time under Fran McCaffery.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)For the third time since 2016, Syracuse is headed to the Sweet 16 as a double-digit seed. “It's hard to make the Sweet 16. Here are the six double-digit seeds who made the Sweet 16 from 2016-19:2016 SYRACUSE (No. 11 seed)The Bulldogs beat Seton Hall and Utah by a combined 39 points before falling 63-60 to Syracuse in the Sweet 16. Syracuse lost to Duke 69-65 in the Sweet 16.

The Cougars play No. By the time the first half ended, and the Scarlet Knights had forged a 30-27 lead, Rutgers and Houston each had two regulars mired in foul trouble. AdChaney took a seat with his fourth with 15:45 left and the Scarlet Knights went on the attack. And by the time there was 10 minutes to go, the Scarlet Knights had meticulously built a 50-40 lead. UP NEXTThe Cougars play the Orange next weekend for a spot in the Elite Eight.

Syracuse defeated Syracuse 75-72. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – Buddy Boeheim kept shooting, carrying his Hall of Fame father and 11th-seeded Syracuse back into the Sweet 16. The Orange, a top program for four decades under Jim Boeheim, once again showed they're just as dangerous as an NCAA Tournament afterthought. Now they're heading to Jim Boeheim's 20th Sweet 16, thanks to his 6-foot-6, sweet-shooting son. They have advanced to the Sweet 16 each time they’ve been given a double-digit seeding, reaching the Final Four as a 10 in 2016 and the Sweet 16 as an 11 in 2018.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)The Latest on the second round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):___7:45 p.m.Florida guard Tyree Appleby has been cleared to play and was in the starting lineup for No. 1 seed in the second round for a third time, joining the 2000 team against Arizona and the 2017 squad against Villanova. Sister Jean Delores Schmidt gave an inspirational pregame prayer to her Loyola Chicago team before the eighth-seeded Ramblers met top-seeded Illinois in Sunday’s second round. UCLA and Abilene Christian face off Monday, assuring that at least one double-digit seed will reach the Sweet 16. This is the first time four teams seeded 13th or worse made it to the second round.

PORT HURON, Mich. – A teenage boy got a bittersweet gift from his dad on his Sweet 16, but it was the timing of the gift that made it all the more special. It was the first birthday the teen celebrated without his father. The birthday boy's sister, Chandler Mae Crow, posted on Facebook about the surprise that was left for Johnny Crow. Video of Johnny opening the guitar went viral, with more than 6 million views. Johnny's sister ended her post with a special message for her brother: "Happy 16th birthday buddy.