This article is part of our Sweet 16 Preview series.
East Region
West Region
Midwest Region
South Region
Site: Indianapolis, IN
Tip-off: Saturday, 5:15pm
Three of the top-five seeds in the South Region advanced to the Sweet 16. And then there was Oral Roberts. Cinderella brought out her dancing shoes, as the Golden Eagles became just the second No. 15 seed in tournament history to advance to the Sweet 16. The only other No. 15 seed to advance this far? Dunk City's Florida Gulf Coast University, which also got to the Sweet 16 in 2013. ORU defeated Big Ten titan Ohio State in an overtime thriller in the first round, followed by another narrow escape versus No. 7 seed Florida in the second round. Oral Roberts would become the first No. 15 ever to make the Elite 8 if they can beat Arkansas on Saturday. The Razorbacks, meanwhile, overcame a slow start versus No. 14 Colgate in round one, then eked out a win over Texas Tech to punch their ticket to the program's first Sweet 16 in 25 years.
On the flip side of this region, rumors of Villanova's demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated. Picked by many to lose to Winthrop in the classic 12-5 trap game in the first round, the Wildcats instead dispatched of two lower seeds, each by double-digits, to reach the Sweet 16 for the third time in the last five tournaments. Props to No. 13 North Texas, which upset No. 4 Purdue in the first round before succumbing to the Wildcats. It
East Region
West Region
Midwest Region
South Region
Site: Indianapolis, IN
Tip-off: Saturday, 5:15pm
Three of the top-five seeds in the South Region advanced to the Sweet 16. And then there was Oral Roberts. Cinderella brought out her dancing shoes, as the Golden Eagles became just the second No. 15 seed in tournament history to advance to the Sweet 16. The only other No. 15 seed to advance this far? Dunk City's Florida Gulf Coast University, which also got to the Sweet 16 in 2013. ORU defeated Big Ten titan Ohio State in an overtime thriller in the first round, followed by another narrow escape versus No. 7 seed Florida in the second round. Oral Roberts would become the first No. 15 ever to make the Elite 8 if they can beat Arkansas on Saturday. The Razorbacks, meanwhile, overcame a slow start versus No. 14 Colgate in round one, then eked out a win over Texas Tech to punch their ticket to the program's first Sweet 16 in 25 years.
On the flip side of this region, rumors of Villanova's demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated. Picked by many to lose to Winthrop in the classic 12-5 trap game in the first round, the Wildcats instead dispatched of two lower seeds, each by double-digits, to reach the Sweet 16 for the third time in the last five tournaments. Props to No. 13 North Texas, which upset No. 4 Purdue in the first round before succumbing to the Wildcats. It was the first win in the NCAA Tournament in program history for the Mean Green.
Last but certainly not least, the top seed in the region remains, as the Baylor Bears had little trouble with No. 16 Hartford before dispatching of No. 9 Wisconsin in round two. The Bears have a ferocious three-headed monster in the backcourt with Big 12 Player of the Year Jared Butler, two-way stalwart Davion Mitchell and smooth scorer MaCio Teague. Other than Gonzaga, the Bears have been the best team in college basketball throughout this season, and they appear to be fully recovered from the program's COVID stoppage earlier in 2021.
No. 1 Baylor vs. 
No. 5 Villanova
Key Matchup: Davion Mitchell vs. Justin Moore. With Villanova floor general Collin Gillespie lost for the season due to a torn MCL, Moore is now tasked with catalyzing the Wildcat offense. Baylor's Mitchell was named the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year, and will likely be tasked with slowing Moore down. Mitchell held Wisconsin's leading scorer D'Mitrik Trice to just 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting in Baylor's second round victory, while also forcing an uncharacteristic four turnovers for Trice. Mitchell is also no slouch on the offensive end, leading the squad in assists, scoring 14.1 points per contest and shooting an outstanding 46.1 percent from three-point territory. Jared Butler gets the pub, and MaCio Teague averages more points, but Mitchell may just be the straw that stirs the drink for the Bears.
Baylor will Win IF: the Bears stay efficient on offense and share the ball. Baylor was already among the most diverse offenses in the country prior to the tournament, and there has been no change in its offensive philosophy since entering the big dance. The Bears have accumulated 31 assists in two games, right on par with their season average. An offensive juggernaut buoyed by three ultra-talented guards, the Bears will be difficult to contend with if they continue to stay true to what got them here and don't resort to hero ball. Baylor was also the best three-point shooting team in the country during the regular season, connecting on nearly 42-percent of their shots from long range.
Villanova will Win IF: the Wildcats continue to value possessions. That means limiting unforced errors, turnovers and poor shots. The Wildcats have shot 50 percent from the field thus far in the tourney, while collecting only six turnovers apiece in each of the first two contests. Baylor, meanwhile, has forced a staggering 28 turnovers through its first two games. The Wildcats do not want to get involved in a track meet with the Bears, and they certainly do not want to give them easy buckets in transition.
Player to Watch: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, F, Villanova. The one spot on the court where the Wildcats have a clear advantage is at the forward/center position. Coach Jay Wright of the Wildcats loves to run three-guard sets, which will help him against the three-headed monster of Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague. However, the absence of Collin Gillespie hurts the Wildcats tremendously. Still, Robinson-Earl playing at one of the two forward positions has a clear advantage over the Baylor frontcourt. Mark Vital was first-team All-Defense in the Big 12, but stands at just 6-5, while Flo Thamba and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua rotate in and out depending on matchups and foul trouble. Meanwhile, Robinson-Earl has been the best player on the floor for Villanova through its first two outings. If the Bears are forced to double Robinson-Earl, that will also open up some open three-point opportunities for the Wildcats.
Prediction: Villanova hasn't really been tested through its first two tournament contests, and it is unlikely they will hit 15 three-pointers against Baylor like they did versus North Texas. Baylor has a more talented triumvirate of guards, especially due to Gillespie's injury. The backcourt for the Bears will simply be too much for the Wildcats to overcome.
No. 3 Arkansas vs. 
No. 15 Oral Roberts
Key Matchup: Justin Smith vs. Kevin Obanor. Obanor has been simply monstrous for the Golden Eagles thus far in the tourney, averaging 29 points and 11 rebounds while playing every minute of the first two upset triumphs. Smith, meanwhile, is averaging 24.5 points and 9.5 rebounds through the first two tournament games for the Razorbacks. The forwards are similar size and build, though Obanor has been a lethal three-point shooter in the tourney, canning 9-of-19 shots from long distance. Smith tends to keep his game inside the arc. Nevertheless, these two studs will likely be matched up against each other on both ends of the floor. Whomever gets the upper hand in this clash will have a great chance at leading their squad to the Elite 8.
Arkansas will Win IF: it limits turnovers. Oral Roberts has forced an impressive 36 turnovers in its first two contests. Usually these games end up the other way around; the small conference school is flustered by the speed, strength and quickness of the power conference program. Not this time. Meanwhile, Arkansas boasts a high-scoring offense but averaged 13.1 turnovers per game during the regular season. By contrast, the Razorbacks never reached double-digits in turnovers in either of their first two tilts in the tourney.
Oral Roberts will Win IF: three-pointers start to fall for the Golden Eagles. During the regular season, Oral Roberts as a squad hit 39-percent of their treys, which was tied for eighth in the country. The three-pointer has always been the great equalizer for David vs. Goliath, right? Except that in two games thus far, ORU is hitting just 32.3 percent of its shots from long distance. In other words, Oral Roberts has posted massive upsets DESPITE shooting decidedly worse from three-point land during the NCAA Tournament. At some point, the Golden Eagles will be outmatched in terms of size, strength, athleticism or all of the above. However, if their three-pointers start falling with greater frequency, that can neutralize any perceived disadvantage the Golden Eagles may have.
Player to Watch: Max Abmas, G, Oral Roberts. With apologies to Moses Moody, Abmas is the best pure scorer in this contest. Abmas led the nation in scoring during the regular season, and has not slowed down at all during March Madness. He can beat you in so many ways. Abmas canned five treys in the OT stunner over Ohio State, then got to the line with reckless abandon and went a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe in the 81-78 thriller versus the Gators. Abmas hasn't hit the 30-point mark in almost a month, but had a four-game stretch at the end of February where he averaged a staggering 37.3 points per contest. If Abmas really gets rolling, Arkansas could be in a world of trouble.
Prediction: Will the clock finally strike midnight for the Golden Eagles? Will I stop using clichés from Disney movies? Arkansas has the depth at guard to at least make Max Abmas uncomfortable and work for his points, and can throw multiple bodies at him, including sixth-man of the year JD Notae off the bench. Both teams have short rotations, playing essentially seven players. Meanwhile, Oral Roberts has been crushed on the boards in both of its games, yet still prevailed. Turnovers will play a crucial role in determining the winner. At the end of the day, Arkansas has a plethora of ball-handlers that can withstand the pressure from the Golden Eagles. The Hogs will end this captivating underdog tale in a matchup that will be much closer than the current -11.5 spread.
