The Sweet 16 for the 2022 NCAA Tournament will be set following the conclusion of the second round on Sunday, March 20. Two double-digit seeds have already punched their tickets to the next round, one being No. 15 Saint Peter’s, and the first No. 1 seed (Baylor) has been eliminated. So what’s in store for Sunday?
Sunday’s action will be broadcast on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV and be available to stream via March Madness Live and other services. Countless brackets have already been busted (to put it mildly) but after a thrilling first round, you won’t want to miss what happens next.
Michigan State vs Duke
On Wednesday after his failed attempt to sidestep the inevitable question about a potential second round matchup with No. 2 Duke, Tom Izzo said, “It would be an honor,” for No. 7 Michigan State to play against Mike Krzyzewski, who he referred to as his “best friend.”
Two days later, Izzo got his wish: The Spartans squeaked by No. 10 Davidson 74–73, and Duke rolled past No. 15 Cal State Fullerton 78–61, to set up the clash of Hall of Fame coaches.
Izzo is 3–12 all-time against Krzyzewski but the last time Krzyzewski played in the NCAA tournament in 2019, it was Izzo who sent him fishing in the Elite 8.
Prediction: Duke -6.5
Iowa State vs Wisconsin
Iowa State might have its issues – it lost three straight before taking down LSU in an ugly first round 59-54 win – but the guard combination of Izaiah Brockington and Tyrese Hunter should give the Badgers fits.
Those two combined for 42 points in the win over LSU, they’re great at generating the assists, and they’re great at generating steals and getting on the move for points.
Wisconsin has a superstar playmaker who stepped up when the team needed him to against Colgate – he has done that all season long.
Combine Davis with the home court advantage – seriously, Wisconsin got the 1 seed treatment getting to play in Milwaukee – along with a massive size differential, and the Badgers will slip on by.
They’ll get a nice day out of Davis, but it’ll be the size and a rarity for this team – a ton of rebounds – to survive and advance.
Prediction : Wisconsin -3