The Sweet 16 for the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament began on Thursday, and now have half of the Elite Eight set. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from Thursday’s game.
Winner: SEC
That has been the common theme of this year’s NCAA season and the tournament itself. The SEC just keeps winning, keeps dominating and keeps sending its teams deep into the tournament.
With Thursday’s wins by No. 1 Florida (87-71 over No. 4 Maryland) and No. 2 Alabama (113-88 over No. 6 BYU) the SEC has already put two teams into the Elite Eight. That number will definitely increase by at least one on Friday when the winner of No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Kentucky advances, while No. 1 Auburn and No. 6 Ole Miss will also have a chance.
We know nearly half of the Elite Eight will be from the SEC. As many as five of the eight teams could be from that one conference.
The SEC — it’s not just a football conference anymore.
Loser: BYU’s perimeter defense
Defending the three-point shot was a huge issue for BYU all season as the Cougars ranked 285th in the country, allowing their opponents to make 35.1% of their shots from beyond the arch.
They would have loved to have been at that level on Thursday.
The Cougars allowed Alabama to make 25 three-point shots, while also allowing the Crimson Tide to shoot 49%. Mark Sears alone was 10-for-16.
