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Men's NCAA Tournament 2025: Sunday's Round 2 Winners and Losers
The Sweet 16 for the 2025 men's NCAA tournament is nearly set, and it sure is heavy on SEC teams, isn't it?
Do you think we're headed for an all-SEC Final Four?
Or are you still holding out hope that the 14-bid league will get shut out entirely?
Probably depends somewhat on whether you're loving or hating the ongoing Cooper Flagg experience, doesn't it?
Well, if you missed or want to relive any of Sunday's second-round action, consider this list of biggest winners and losers your means of recapping the day.
Winners and losers are presented in no particular order, outside of oscillating between the two categories.
Winner: Florida Gators After an Uncommonly Slow Start
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Say this much for Connecticut and head coach Dan Hurley: They had the blueprint for knocking off Florida.
The Huskies managed to keep the game at their preferred, slower pace. They avoided turnovers (six total) which stopped the Gators from doing their thing and racking up fast-break buckets. UConn mostly kept the Gators off the offensive glass, too, at least for the first 30 minutes.
Connecticut just couldn't hit much from the perimeter, though, which left the door wide open for the Gators to get the win, despite scoring just 46 points through the first 31 minutes—a preposterously low total for a team that had averaged 89.3 over its previous 14 games.
Lo and behold, the Florida that everyone has fallen in love with over the past two months resurfaced down the stretch, exploding for 31 points over the final nine minutes. (Thoughts and prayers to everyone who bet the under and thought it was a sure thing midway through the second half.)
Walter Clayton Jr. struggled early and matched a season high with five turnovers, but it was the first-team All-American to the rescue late, scoring 13 of his 23 points in the last eight minutes. He hit the triple that gave Florida its first lead of the second half with 2:54 to go, as well as the three-point dagger that put the final nail in Connecticut's coffin less than two minutes later.
What UConn did the past two years—winning every game in convincing fashion en route to a title—was highly unusual. Most champions need to win a survive-and-advance type of game like this before they can win it all. And maybe the red-hot Gators simply have gotten that out of the way.
Loser: Connecticut for a Change
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What Connecticut has done in the men's NCAA tournament over the past 27 years is...well, it's not as ridiculous as what Connecticut has done in the women's tournament during that same window, but it's pretty remarkable.
Heading into Sunday, Connecticut had gone 52-11 (.825 winning percentage) in the dance dating back to 1999, including riding a 13-game winning streak as reigning back-to-back champions.
Even though the Huskies were a far cry from what they had been over the previous two years, you just knew they weren't going to go quietly into the night.
And they'd be dancing into the Sweet 16 if only they had been able to hit some three-pointers.
Liam McNeeley was 1-for-7 from three-point range prior to making a "relevant to some" triple at the buzzer. Alex Karaban and Solo Ball each went 2-for-9 from distance.
Though it was blatantly obvious from the outset that they wanted to get up as many three-point looks as possible—11 of their first 14 field-goal attempts were from beyond the arc, several of them well beyond it—the Huskies shot just 27.6 percent as a team and couldn't quite pull off what would have been a bracket-busting upset for so many.
Winner: The Cooper Flagg Hype Train, Making at Least One More Stop
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By now, you've probably formed some pretty strong opinions on Cooper Flagg.
You might think he's the most overrated player in a long time.
You may feel he's better than Zion Williamson and pound-for-pound, minute-for-minute the greatest player in Duke (or even college basketball) history.
You could believe he gets unfair treatment from the officials, in either direction, really. (He gets a lot of free throws, but nothing compared to what Zach Edey used to get.)
You might even have strong opinions on his parents, who get shown on camera about as many times as any non-player not named LaVar Ball in at least a decade.
Either way, you have opinions, because when Duke is playing, you're probably watching.
The Blue Devils are more than just Flagg, of course. Tyrese Proctor made sure to remind us all of that by scoring 25 points on 10 shots in the 23-point rout of Baylor on Sunday afternoon.
But when Flagg rolled his ankle in the ACC tournament against Georgia Tech, it was an inescapable moment almost on par with when Williamson's shoe busted in front of President Obama six years ago, everyone instantly wondering what it meant for the team's NCAA tournament hopes.
Well, he went for 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists against the Bears, so it seems safe to say that ankle is just fine.
Love him or hate him—love Duke or hate Duke—he and the Blue Devils are into the Sweet 16 without breaking much of a sweat, ensuring the media circus of his one-and-done season lasts for at least one more week.
Loser: Illinois' Perimeter Play
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It had been the ultimate X-Factor all season long: Will the Illini hit their three-pointers?
They take darn near half of their shots from beyond the arc, but they don't even make a third of them.
Get north of 33.3 percent and they were 12-0 this season, including a 12-for-30 performance in a convincing first-round win over Xavier.
Even at 27 percent or better, they were a strong 19-2.
But prior to hitting two meaningless triples in the closing minute against Kentucky on Sunday, the Illini were 7-for-29 (24.1 percent) from distance en route to the type of early exit that everyone knew was possible, if not likely.
Worse than the poor three-point shooting, though, was the dreadful ball security.
Kentucky wasn't much of a turnover-forcing team this season. In fact, even after Sunday's data refreshed, the Wildcats remain bottom 10 percent in the nation in defensive turnover percentage on KenPom. But they forced 14 Illinois turnovers—all of them steals—and turned those turnovers into 26 points.
Incredibly, only two of those steals didn't lead directly to points, as Kentucky ended up +18 in the 'points off turnovers' department in the 84-75 victory.
Meanwhile, Kentucky shot 38 percent from distance (Koby Brea led the way with 23 points) and committed just five turnovers while making sure to join John Calipari in the Sweet 16.
It's a shame we can't get that matchup unless it comes together in a highly unlikely national championship, but perhaps March Madness will deliver.
Winner: The SEC
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When the Big East set what used to be the NCAA tournament record by sending 11 of its 16 teams to the dance in 2011, the opening weekend was a colossal disaster.
No. 1 seed Pittsburgh, No. 2 seed Notre Dame and No. 3 seed Syracuse all got bounced in the second round. No. 4 seed Louisville and No. 6 seeds St. John's and Georgetown were immediately upset. Only two of the 11 made it to the Sweet 16, one of which (No. 11 seed Marquette) was a surprise. Connecticut winning it all silenced the narrative a bit, but the league was initially a punchline.
Suffice it to say, things have gone a bit better for the 14-bid SEC.
The league had already gotten Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas into the Sweet 16 on Saturday, and four more joined the party on Sunday in Florida, Kentucky, Alabama and Ole Miss.
We've already discussed the Florida and Kentucky wins, but Alabama making it six teams with a 14-point victory over Saint Mary's might have been the most impressive of the bunch.
While the game wasn't quite played at Alabama's preferred pace, the Crimson Tide did manage to speed up the Gaels like few have, scoring efficiently in a 70-possession game against a quality defense. Mark Sears (12 points on 15 shots) didn't even have a great game, but he was buttressed by five teammates in double figures, as Alabama came at Saint Mary's in waves.
What Ole Miss did to Iowa State to make it seven SEC teams into the Sweet 16 was also remarkable. The Cyclones were without Keshon Gilbert, but was their entire defense out due to injury? The Rebels might need to change their team name to Ole Make after all the triples they sank in that 91-78 victory.
Certainly nothing legendary is guaranteed yet for the SEC. We could have an all-SEC Final Four in San Antonio, or we could end up without a single team from the league where we're told it just means more.
Hard to argue with the start they've gotten out to, though.
Loser: Saint Mary's. Before the Sweet 16. Yet Again.
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For four months out of the year, Saint Mary's basketball is typically pretty darn good.
Never quite top 10 good, but always top 75 good—at least as far as KenPom is concerned—in every year dating back to 2008. Randy Bennett's teams always do a great job of defending the perimeter, protecting the defensive glass, avoiding turnovers and just generally excelling in slow-paced games.
Those four months of good play never seem to extend into mid-March, though.
The Gaels did make an impressive second-half comeback in their first-round victory over Vanderbilt, but after a 14-point loss to Alabama, here we are once again with a Sweet 16 field and no sign of Saint Mary's.
The Gaels did make it once back in 2010 as a No. 10 seed, but Bennett is now 7-11 in his career in the NCAA tournament, eliminated before the second weekend for the fourth consecutive year and the eighth consecutive trip.
To be fair, even one Sweet 16 is impressive for a team that has never received better than a No. 5 seed. And struggling in the tournament certainly isn't a WCC problem, as Gonzaga just had a streak of nine consecutive Sweet 16 appearances snapped in a great battle with Houston on Saturday.
For whatever reason, though, this team just can't seem to put together a winning streak when it matters the most.
Winner: Crab Five at the Buzzer
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"We were due to get one."
That's what Maryland head coach Kevin Willard told Andy Katz after Derik Queen delivered the game-winning buzzer-beater for No. 4 Maryland against No. 12 Colorado State.
And, well, he ain't wrong.
The Terrapins had endured almost nothing but heart-wrenching losses this season, including the Tyus Edney-like ending delivered by Michigan's Tre Donaldson in their Big Ten tournament semifinal loss.
All eight of their losses had come by six points or fewer, their four most recent Ls coming via buzzer beaters.
So it was almost kismet that Maryland should be on the delivery end of the first buzzer beater of this tournament.
For a moment, it looked like just another dose of heartbreak for Maryland. Colorado State's Jalen Lake drained the lead-changing triple with six seconds remaining, making it look like we might actually get a Cinderella story into the second weekend after all.
Sadly for the Rams, it wasn't meant to be. Nique Clifford went for 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but his Herculean performance wasn't quite enough to batter and boil the Crab Five.
Per usual, Maryland's entire starting lineup scored in double figures, a meager two points and one assist coming from its bench. But it was the freshman Queen who wanted the ball with the game on the line, driving to the baseline—yes, most definitely traveling, but alas—before kissing one off the glass for a moment that will go down in March Madness history.
Loser: Mountain West vs. Big Ten
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For years now, it has been rough sledding for the Mountain West when it runs into a Big Ten team in the NCAA tournament.
In 2022, Wyoming lost in the First Four against Indiana, followed by No. 6 seed Colorado State getting upset by No. 11 seed Michigan. The following year, No. 10 seed Boise State was immediately ousted by Northwestern. And last year, poor No. 8 seed Utah State got annihilated by Purdue by a 39-point margin in the second round.
That 0-4 record in recent Marches didn't get any better this year.
No. 10 seed Utah State lost to UCLA back on Thursday. And though No. 12 seed Colorado State and No. 10 seed New Mexico pulled off minor upsets (over non-B1G teams) on Friday, it put them both in a tough spot against the league's foremost nemesis.
We already discussed the Rams' heartbreaking loss to Maryland, and that was followed by the Lobos falling at the hands of Michigan State.
New Mexico more than held its own for the first 30 minutes, jumping out to an immediate 10-2 lead, up by two at halftime and still tied with a little over seven minutes remaining. At that point, MSU star Jase Richardson was sitting on zero points for the game.
Looked primed for an upset to at least somewhat make up for Colorado State's near miss.
All of a sudden, though, Frankie Fidler couldn't miss and New Mexico couldn't get anything to fall, as Tom Izzo's Spartans pulled away for an eight-point victory.
These two Mountain West losses also sadly mark the death of anything close to a Cinderella story in this tournament. The only team seeded worse than No. 6 into the Sweet 16 is John Calipari and No. 10 seed Arkansas, and that's no Cinderella.
Winner: Caleb Love and Arizona in a "Pac-12" Clash
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Caleb Love giveth and Caleb Love taketh away.
But in the final game of the second round, one of the most mercurial players in the country pretty much single handedly taketh Arizona into the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats were down by 15 almost immediately in this familiar matchup with Oregon, but they didn't blink. In fact, it only took them 10 minutes to reclaim the lead.
Love didn't play a huge role in the comeback, finishing that first half with a modest nine points. But he was massive in ensuring Oregon never made it back over the hump after the intermission, scoring 20 of their 45 second-half points. That included a late stretch where he scored 10 in a row for the Wildcats, as well as the game-sealing free throws with two seconds to go.
He ended up with 29 points, nine rebounds and four assists in getting Arizona back to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year.
And after falling one game shy of setting up the fabled "Caleb Love Bowl" against North Carolina last March, now he gets to go up against the team he hated like no other back when he was with the Tar Heels.
In what was the final game of Mike Krzyzewski's career. Love went off for 28 points in UNC's victory over Duke in the 2022 Final Four.
Sure would be something if he also put an end to Cooper Flagg's college career this Thursday.
