Pac-12 dominates, Oakland rolls: Bold predictions, upsets for March Madness' Round 2
The 2024 NCAA Tournament started strong with multiple close finishes and upsets in the first 36 hours of March Madness. More than 2,000 brackets remained perfect after Thursday only to be eliminated during Friday's action. With the 68-team field whittled down to 32 for the second round starting Saturday morning, there's plenty of opportunity for more surprises.
Sixteen games across Saturday and Sunday will set the field for the Sweet 16. Here are three bold predictions for this weekend's matchups:
Are there any perfect brackets left? Very few remain after Auburn loss
NCAA Tournament bold predictions: Oakland continues its run
The South region's No. 14 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies became the story of the first round with their upset win over Kentucky powered by Jack Gohlke's 32 points off the bench. Their opponent in the second round also earned an upset win with the No. 11 NC State Wolfpack knocking off No. 6 seed Texas Tech.
The Golden Grizzlies moved on thanks to their outside shooting and will rely on that once again. NC State's front court starters can score in the paint at will but if the Golden Grizzlies can stay hot, it'll be hard to keep up. There's only room for one Cinderella in this region and Oakland will make sure they move on.
NCAA Tournament 2024: Kansas-Gonzaga, Creighton-Oregon lead best March Madness games today
NCAA Tournament bold predictions: Three combined No. 1 or No. 2 seeds lose
All eight No. 1 and No. 2 moved on to the second round after the first two days of action but that'll change this weekend.
In the West region, No. 9 Michigan State cruised in the second half to a 69-51 win over No. 8 Mississippi State and set up the Spartans' first game against North Carolina since Nov. 26, 2017. The Spartans won that PK80 Invitational championship game 63-45. The No. 1 Tar Heels took care of business in the first round but Michigan State is a tougher challenge and will earn another win.
In the East region, No. 2 seed Iowa State faces off against No. 7 Washington State. The Cougars are no slouch - they swept their season series against No. 9-ranked Arizona - and will challenge Iowa State enough to get a win.
In the South region, No. 10 Colorado just knocked off No. 7 Florida after winning their First Four game. Next up is No. 2 Marquette. That game will offer a great point guard matchup between Marquette's Tyler Kolek and Colorado's KJ Simpson. The Buffs have won 10 of their last 11 games and can ride that momentum to the Sweet 16.
NCAA Tournament bold predictions: Pac-12 stays undefeated
This year marks the Pac-12's last ride ahead of members leaving for other conferences in 2024-25. The four Pac-12 teams in the tournament (Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, Washington State) all won their games in the first round. This prediction ties in to the last one with Washington State and Colorado earning upset wins. Beyond those two upsets, Arizona's taking a Dayton team that needed a second half comeback to beat Nevada. Oregon looked good in the first round and take on Creighton to cap off Saturday's action.
March Madness winners and losers: Pac-12 riding high after perfect first round
The Pac-12 had a fantastic season last fall in football with Washington in the College Football Playoff championship game and multiple top-25 teams. Now, the men's basketball teams get their chance to send the conference off in style.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness 2024: Bold predictions and upsets for the second round
