When events happen, there will always be questions. Whether they go smoothly or haywire, there will always be after-the-fact questions. The last couple of days, national talking heads have posed some of those inquiries on the regular talk shows. They've looked into the first weekends of both the men's and women's D-I tourneys, offering their thoughts on what to expect in the Sweet 16 and beyond (potentially way beyond). Now, I know I don't have the import or megaphone that those voices do. However, I'd like to take a stab at some of those burning questions.
What Does Success Look Like For the SEC Men?
So far, they've accomplished that overarching goal. The league put more teams in a single bracket than any other conference. They've earned more Sweet 16 spots than any conference in the history of the sport. But more needs to be done. When you represent more than 20 percent of the tournament field, expectations run very high. And it's far from a guarantee that having this amount of squads in the postseason offers up a champion.
If two or more teams making it through to the Final Four would keep the success train rolling. But if any of the conference's hopefuls can't raise the trophy a week from Monday, it's not going to look good.
Has Midnight Come Early For Cinderella?
The major talking point coming out of last weekend is that all of the 16 men's teams left standing are from the Power 4 leagues. Of those entries, only three participants are worse than a 5-seed, and the only double-digit seed alive is Arkansas. With the lack of Mid-Major representation, people are starting to wonder if the two newest variables to the equation (NIL and the transfer portal) will diminish quality of and opportunities for the schools in smaller conferences. Do they have a point? For all of our sakes, I hope not.
Yes, NIL and the Portal will siphon of more talent from smaller schools much quicker. But college sports usually goes in cycles. The ACC and Big East both had four representatives for this year's men's tourney. I highly doubt both of those leagues will be down for long (just like the SEC was about 10 years back). The same is true for the nature of this event. While players are seemingly poached at a higher rate than before, the brackets are all about matchups. I agree that the new rules will take time to establish trends, but historic events did happen in the last eight years that swung the opposite direction of 2025 (1-seeds defeated in the Round of 64; a 15-seed making the Elite Eight). Time will tell.
How Does JuJu Watkins' Injury Effect the Women's Tournament?
It was about as bad as you could imagine for the women's draw. A top candidate for National Player of the Year can't complete the journey with their team. When Watkins tore her ACL midway through Monday's first quarter, the air didn't just exhale out of the Galen Center. All of those involved in the sport winced, even if some found a bit of dark hope in the upcoming absence (something I'm certain nobody wanted to see happen). The Trojan women have talent beyond the sophomore sensation. However, it's tough to see them getting through what looks like a brutal draw to lift the program's first title in 41 years.
The hopeful news in L.A. is that several star players in this event have come back from knee injuries of their own to make massive contributions to contending squads. A couple of them play for the 2-seed in that part of the bracket. To tie it together...
Is UConn the Favorite to Win Another Women's Title?
Relatively speaking, it's been a while since the women's champ resided in Storrs. In 2016, when the Huskies raised the last trophy of their four-consecutive championship run, who suspected that they wouldn't lift another trophy afterwards? This ongoing 7-tournament streak is the longest title drought for Geno Auriemma since he won the school's first championship in 1995. In 2022, UConn returned to the final game of the season. Then-sophomore Paige Bueckers showed the promise of a bright future for her last to years at the helm. Then, things turned sour. Injuries to Bueckers and star backcourt mate Azzi Fudd dulled the prospects of ultimate glory.
Now, the train appears to be back on the track. The backcourt is healthy. Top freshman recruit Sarah Strong has filled the void Aaliyah Edwards left when she graduated. The Huskies completed another undefeated conference slate. Heading into this weekend, they're flying on a 12-game win streak, including a thumping of South Carolina in Columbia. Having said all that, a cakewalk this won't be. The defending champion Gamecocks are still in the field. And while the Trojan team that won in Hartford, the other teams accounting for UConn losses this season (Notre Dame and Tennessee) aren't done quite yet.
Up to this point, both tournaments have been lacking the typical drama that blooms in late March. Hopefully, the last two rounds merely provided the lead up to a tension-filled weekend of hoops. The madness could still be lurking underneath the surface.
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