March Madness recap: Top seeds fall in battle for Sweet 16 berths

March Madnesshas begun and top teams are already heading home.

By Saturdaynight, two No. 1 seeds, Kansas and Purdue, No. 2 seed Arizona andNo. 4 seed Virginia were all gone — and gone with them weremillions of busted brackets.

Here is whatto know, including the favorites and underdogs as well as key gamesto watch:

TOPSEEDS

The top four seeds in thetournamentwere given to Alabama, Houston, Kansas andPurdue.Each had its share ofheadachesto set up what is already proving to be achaotic tournament. The Boilermakers were the first to fall, oustedin a first-round stunner, and the Jayhawks followed the very nextday.

EAST REGION:The Boilermakers got a No. 1 seed for thefourth time, but Purdue wasdumped by Fairleigh Dickinson in anear-historic upset.The region appears to be wide openfor the likes of No. 2 seed Marquette, Kansas State, Tennessee,Michigan State and more. No. 5 seed Duke was ousted by theVolunteers. FDU or FAU will advance to the Sweet 16 in thebracket’s biggest underdog matchup.

SOUTHREGION:Alabama,led by coach Nate Oats in achallenging season,is a No. 1 seed for the first timebehind SEC player of the year Brandon Miller,who has armed security onhandafter being the subject of threats. The Crimson Tideopened the tourney with aneasywin.Potential hurdles could include Baylor andCreighton.Princeton is heading to the Sweet16out of the South.

MIDWEST REGION: Houston got atop seed and won its opener before a rugged victory over Auburneven withAll-American Marcus Sasserhobbledby a groin injury. Potential hurdles could includeNo. 2 seed Texas, No. 3 seed Xavier or the winner of a 4-5 matchupbetween Indiana and Miami.

WEST REGION: Kansas, thedefending national champion that waswithout coach Bill Selfinthe tournament following a heart procedure,blew an 8-point halftime lead andlost to 8-seed Arkansas.Like the East, the West is nowopen for the likes ofNo. 2 seed UCLA,No. 3Gonzaga and the winner of a juicy 4-5 matchup between UConnandSaint Mary’s.

SHINING MOMENTS

Theunforgettable plays are piling up.

Princetonused a late run to earn itsfirst NCAA Tournament win in 25yearsby ousting No. 2 seed Arizona and then answered anyskeptics byrolling Missourito lock inits regional semifinal spot. Furman celebrated its first tourneyappearance since 1980 witha win over No. 4 seedVirginiaona deep 3-pointer by JP Pegues with2.4 secondsleft.

Then came16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson’s win over Purdue as the 22 1/2-pointunderdog stifled 7-4 center Zach Edey to advance andjoin UMBC in the recordbooks.

All thathappened before the Razorbacks andshirtless coach EricMusselmancelebrated their win over top-seeded Kansas.

GAMESTO WATCH

No. 16 seedFairleigh Dickinson (21-15) vs. No. 9 seed FAU (32-3), Sunday, 7:45p.m. ET (truTV)

One of theseunheralded teams is going to the Sweet 16. The underdog Knights ofFDU may be the smallest team in the tournament, but after knockingout All-America 7-foot-4 center Zack Edey and Purdue they will nowface the ninth-seeded Owls. Florida Atlantic is comingoffa thrilling win overMemphisand coach Penny Hardaway.

No. 6 seedKentucky (22-11) vs. No. 3 seed Kansas State (24-9), Sunday, 2:40p.m. ET, (CBS)

Wildcatsabound!Oscar Tshiebwe pulled down 25rebounds,the second-most in the tournament since 1973, asKentucky beat Providence. That’s only four fewer rebounds thanKansas State grabbed in its 77-65 win over Montana State. K-State’svictory was its first in the tournament since 2018, when it beat... Kentucky.

No. 7 seedMichigan State (20-12) vs. No. 2 seed Marquette (29-6), Sunday,5:15 p.m. (CBS)

Quick, nametwo coaches you think are terrific. Tom Izzo and Shaka Smart needto be in your top 10, but only one will reach the Sweet 16 thistourney.The Spartans ousted SouthernCalbehind 17 points from Joey Hauser, and will face aMarquette team to got18 straight points from KamJonesin the second half of a 78-61 victory againstVermont.

GODEEPER

Gunviolencehas cost lives and disrupted collegesports all season, touching some of the top programs in collegebasketball, including Alabama. Coaches have been thrust intouncertain and unwelcome roles in trying to navigate the topic — aswell as the fallout from theSupreme Court decision to overturnRoe vs. Wade.

On a lighternote, if you feel you know March Madness prettywell,try this 25-question triviaquizput together by AP.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

The NCAATournament is filled with great players and theAP All-America teamis agood place to get familiar with the names. It’s also an eventwhereguys you’ve never heardofcan take a star turn.Guard play is always going to beimportant(see: Baylor, 2021 title winner) and therearesome NBA prospectsin themix.

Bet on this,too: Some player — maybe more than one — will have a chance tojointhe mustachioed DougEdert(remember Saint Peters’ inspiring run last year?)and find a way to cash in on their celebrity.

HOWTO WATCH

Every game ofthe men’s tournament will be aired —here is a schedule—either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms.CBS,which also has a handyschedule that includes announcing teams,will handle theFinal Four and national title game this year.

The NCAA isstreaming games via itsMarch Madness Liveoption andCBS games are being streamed onParamount+. Fans of longtime play-by-playannouncer Jim Nantz should soak up every moment:It’shis final NCAA Tournament.

BETTING GUIDE

Who’s going to win the national championship?The bettingfavorites as of Saturday to reach the Final Four are (in order)Houston, Alabama, UCLA, Texas, UConn and Tennessee, accordingtoFanDuelSportsbook.