A tournament without many big-time upsets in the first round saw more favorites make a case for a deeper run, as only two of the eight games on Saturday featured an upset.
No. 10 seed Arkansas provided the most exciting upset of the day when it upended the second-seeded St. John’s Red Storm, 75-66, giving Arkansas’s John Calipari his first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2019.
.@RazorbackMBB pulls off the upset!
Future Hall of Famer John Calipari joined our @ChrisCarrino & @jordancornette after the big win
That’s 16 trips to the #Sweet16 for Calipari, beating nemesis Rick Pitino to get there #MarchMadness2025 pic.twitter.com/M8fO2Yoxno— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) March 22, 2025
The sixth-seeded BYU Cougars stayed red-hot, notching their 11th win in 12 games behind 25 points from Richie Saunders and elite scoring from all over the floor.
Wisconsin gave them everything they had, but @BYUMBB held off the late rally and won 91-89 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2011@KevinKugler & @AustinCroshere had the call for Westwood One.#MarchMadness #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/4unouThQp2
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) March 23, 2025
Trey Kaufman-Renn and No. 4 seed Purdue shut down the hopes of potential Cinderella McNeese State in the day’s first game, as Kaufman-Renn’s 22 points and 15 rebounds helped lead the Boilermakers to a 76-62 victory.
Purdue is headed to Indy! #Sweet16@BoilerBall hits 11 triples, including this one from Loyer
The Boilermakers ROLL to a 76-62 victory
️: @ChrisCarrino & @jordancornette #MarchMadness2025 | #SecondRound pic.twitter.com/q6DCO50hkG
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) March 22, 2025
Michigan trailed by 10 early in the second half, but eventually the fifth-seeded Wolverines powered past 4-seed Texas A&M to win going away, 91-79.
FINAL SCORE ALERT IN DENVER@umichbball defeats @aggiembk 91-79 to advance to the #Sweet16 of #MarchMadness
Tre Donaldson’s circus layup in the final moments seals victory for the Wolverines!
️: @KevinKugler & @AustinCroshere pic.twitter.com/JuAPjinz7v
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) March 22, 2025
No. 1 overall seed Auburn trailed No. 9 seed Creighton at halftime, but flexed its muscles with a 47 point explosion in the second half, defeating the Bluejays 82-70, led by 23 off the bench for Tahaad Pettiford
Bruce Pearl Postgame Interview@AuburnMBB defeats @BluejayMBB 82-70 to advance to the #Sweet16
Tigers Head Coach Bruce Pearl visited with our @JohnSadak & @PhonzLovesHoops postgame! pic.twitter.com/FLDCH9zeIS
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) March 23, 2025
Fellow No. 1 seed Houston faced a tough battle of their own against No. 8 Gonzaga, but 30 from L.J. Cryer and key plays down the stretch helped the Cougars take down the Bulldogs 81-76 to reach a sixth-straight Sweet Sixteen.
#1 Seed Houston Survives
A ferocious comeback by @ZagMBB comes up just short as the Bulldogs fall to @UHCougarMBK 81-76 in Wichita!
Our @tedemrich & @cjacobsen23 have the final call! pic.twitter.com/0BW35GvC6V
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) March 23, 2025
The three seed in the West, the Texas Tech Red Raiders took care of business against No. 11 seed Drake, overwhelming the Bulldogs with 50 points in the paint in a 77-64 win.
For the fourth time in eight years, @TexasTechMBB is moving on to the Sweet Sixteen
After a 3-pointer heavy approach in the opening round, Darrion Williams and company were dominant in the paint in a 77-64 defeat of Drake.@tedemrich & @cjacobsen23 had the call on Westwood… pic.twitter.com/dfJXilzg0p
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) March 23, 2025
Second-seeded Tennessee blew a close game wide open after halftime, using lockdown defense to get past the UCLA Bruins in a 67-58 win to close out the night.
Tennessee put on the clamps and got the job done in the second half, as @Vol_Hoops advanced to a third straight Sweet Sixteen with a 67-58 win over UCLA. This 3-pointer from Jahmai Mashack was the dagger in a strong second half performance.@JohnSadak & @PhonzLovesHoops had the… pic.twitter.com/rYwt2REFzj
— Westwood One Sports
