Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
Surprising Sweet 16
It might sound cliché, but who doesn’t enjoy rooting for the underdog? Unless you have a connection to one of the schools still involved or your bracket still has a chance at winning, who doesn’t want to see Northern Iowa, Cornell, or St. Mary’s College push deeper into the tournament?
As the Sweet 16 begins on Thursday there are still 11 conferences being represented (only 7 conferences represented in the Sweet 16 last year). Duke vs. Purdue is the only matchup pitting the two highest possible seeds against one another. My guess is that at least one surprise team will earn themselves a ticket to the Elite 8.
Let’s do a quick rundown of the games with some predictions. Post yours below in the comments section.
Midwest
#9 UNI vs. #5 Michigan State: The magical run for Northern Iowa continues. Panthers coach Ben Jacobson was rewarded today with a big raise as part of a new 10-year contract. There is a great chance for the magical run to continue as Michigan State will be without junior guard Kalin Lucas who ruptured his Achilles tendon and underwent surgery.
