The 2026 tournament is the second year in a row, but this is the second time since 1985, that the mid-major tournament was not included in the second tournament weekend.
WASHINGTON — The first four days of the NCAA tournament have flown by. Now we know who punched their ticket to the Sweet 16. There was a mix of top seeds with some teams in the lower seeds. The two teams with the lowest seeds are No. 9 Iowa and No. 11 Texans.
This year featured several teams that were mainstays in the Sweet 16, one team making it through for the first time and another team ending a nearly 30-year drought to return to the second week of the tournament.
The 2026 tournament is the second year in a row but it is the second time since 1985 that a mid-major team (a team not in a power conference) has not advanced to the second weekend of the tournament.
Who made it to the Sweet 16?
Duke No.1: The Blue Devils survived a scare by 16th-seeded Siena, then beat 9th-seeded TCU to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16. Duke is no stranger to making it through the first weekend of the tournament. This is the 29th time they have advanced to the Sweet 16 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
No.5 St. John: The Red Storm returned to the Sweet 16 after beating Northern Iowa in the first round. Their second-round game against Kansas resulted in a game-winning shot in the final seconds from St. Louis. John’s after the team squandered a 14-point second-half lead. St. John’s returns to the Sweet 16 for the seventh time and first time since 1999.
Number 3 Michigan State: The Spartans opened the tournament with a win over North Dakota State, then punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 after beating then-No. 6 Louisville on Saturday. Michigan State has advanced to the Sweet 16 23 times in its history. Current head coach Tom Izzo carried them 17 of those 23 times.
No. 2 UConn: The Huskies opened their tournament with a win over 15th-seeded Furman. This led to a matchup with two of the most famous programs in the US: UConn vs. UCLA. The score remained tight for most of the game before the Huskies pulled away in the second half. The win marked UConn’s ticket to the 20th Sweet 16 in program history. The last two times the Huskies reached the Sweet 16, in 2023 and 2024, they won the National Championship.
No. 9 Iowa: The Iowa Hawkeyes are back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999, and their journey hasn’t been easy. Iowa beat Clemson in the first round to set up a meeting with the defending champion Florida Gators. Iowa drained a three-pointer to take the lead with four seconds remaining, which stood and sent them to the Sweet 16. This will be the Hawkeyes’ ninth time in the Sweet 16 and first time in 27 years.
No. 4 Nebraska: The Cornhuskers opened the tournament with a 20-plus point win over Troy, then needed last-second heroics to fend off the No. 1 seed. 5 Vanderbilt. This win was especially sweet for Nebraska as it secured its ticket to the school’s first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.
Number 3 Illinois: The Illini opened the 2026 tournament with a 30-point win over Penn, then a 20-point win over VCU. Illinois has been to the second weekend tournament 12 times in school history, with their last trip in 2024.
No. 2 Houston: The Cougars have been rolling through the first two rounds of the tournament. They beat Idaho by 30 points, then picked up another 30-point win over Texas A&M. Houston returns to the Sweet 16 for the 17th time in program history and for the 7th consecutive year. The team has made every tournament since 2019, with no tournaments held in 2020.
Number 1 Arizona: The Wildcats opened the 2026 tournament with a 34-point win over Long Island. The second round game saw them beat Utah State by 12 points. Arizona is no stranger to progress in March Madness. 2026 will be the 21st time the Wildcats have advanced to the Sweet 16. It will be the first time they have played in the second week of the tournament since 2024.
Well 4 Arkansas: The Razorbacks opened the tournament with a win over Hawaii, then beat Cinderella-minded High Point in the second round. The Razorbacks returned to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time in school history. They also played in the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in the last six years.
No. 11 Texas: The Longhorns have had to play more games than anyone else so far during the tournament. They opened play-in play, where they beat North Carolina State by two points. They beat No. 6 BYU by eight points in the opening round of the tournament, then knocked off No. 3 Gonzaga just days later. The win over Gonzaga ended the Bulldogs’ run of nine straight Sweet 16 appearances.
No. 2 Purdue: The Boilermakers are in the Sweet 16 after opening the tournament with a 30-plus point win over Queens (NC), then a 10-point win over Miami. Purdue has reached the second weekend of the tournament 15 times and has had three straight years in the Sweet 16.
No. 1 Michigan: One of the most talented teams in the country, Michigan has not been tested in this tournament. They beat Howard by 21 in the opening half and Saint Louis by 23 in the second half. The Wolverines will make their 21st appearance in the Sweet 16.
No. 4 Alabama: The Crimson Tide opened the 2026 tournament with a 20-point win over Hofstra. Alabama led the entire game against Texas Tech to send itself to the Sweet 16. This will be the Crimson Tide’s 13th trip to play in the second weekend of the tournament. The team has also reached the Sweet 16 five times in the last six years.
No. 6 Tennessee: Tennessee started the tournament by playing a nearly perfect Miami (Ohio) team. They finished quickly, winning by 22 points. That sets up a matchup against then-No. 3 Virginia. Tennessee beat Virginia by seven to punch its ticket to the Sweet 16. The win sent the Volunteers to their 12th Sweet 16 in program history. This is also the fourth year in a row that they have made it past the first weekend of the tournament.
Number 2 Iowa State: The Cyclones opened the tournament by dropping 108 points in a win over Tennessee State, then they beat Kentucky by nearly 20 points. This will be Iowa State’s eighth Sweet 16 appearance. The team is making its third appearance in the Sweet 16 in five years under head coach TJ Otzelberger
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