The second round of the 2025 NCAA men’s college basketball tournament is over, leaving 16 teams fighting for this year’s championship. While the tournament hasn’t seen as many upsets as in years past, it has brought exciting games and big-time matchups that have delivered thrilling moments.
In what was perhaps the most-anticipated game of the second round, John Calipari’s Arkansas team held on to beat Rick Pitino’s Big East champion St John’s squad. Conference player of the year RJ Luis Jr. was sat for the final stretch of the game for the Red Storm after making only three of his 17 field goals and the team shooting a combined 11% from three. The matchup was another chapter in the rivalry between Pitino and Calipari, with the latter now reaching the Sweet 16 for the 16th time in his career.
In a defense of their two back-to-back titles, Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies fell in the second round to number one-seeded Florida. The game stayed tight all afternoon, but with the help of All-American Walter Clayton Jr. the Gators held on for the two-point win. Clayton scored 13 of his 23 points in the final eight minutes of the game, and Florida shot 46% from the field compared to the Huskies’ 37.5%. While Florida moves on, UConn’s 13-game tournament win streak is now over.
Even with the other big-time matchups, Colorado State vs. Maryland delivered what was maybe the most exciting game of the tournament so far. The 12-seeded Rams came into Sunday on an 11-game winning streak and held the lead against the Terapins for the majority of the game. With the help of Nique Clifford’s 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, he made a pass to Jalen Lake to hit the go-ahead three-pointer with three seconds remaining. In the final play of the game, Maryland’s Derik Queen hit an off-balance fadeaway runner at the buzzer to help his team pull out the win and move on. The game featured 15 lead changes and the first buzzer-beater of the tournament.
On paper, Arkansas beating St. John’s was the biggest upset of the second round just by seeding, but it wasn’t the only one of Saturday and Sunday’s games. In what was an extremely close game that almost ended in heartbreak, BYU pulled off the upset against Wisconsin. The Cougars had the lead all night, shooting 46% from deep and 93% from the free-throw line. The Badgers had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but John Tonje saw too much pressure and ended up air-balling the game-winner despite scoring a tournament-high 37 points.
In what was another second-round upset, Michigan beat Texas A&M with a dominant second-half performance. With the help of Vladislav Goldin’s 23 points and 12 rebounds, the Wolverines came back from down four at the half to win by 12, ending the Aggies’ season. Despite A&M being the best offensive-rebounding team in the country, Michigan beat them in that category and had a commanding 42 points in the paint. The game featured a tournament-high 62 free throws as the Wolverines moved on, winning their fifth straight game.
Iowa State couldn’t get anything going against Ole Miss in the first half of their game. After getting out to an early 11-point lead, the Rebels never looked back, shooting a combined 58% from the field and from three-point range on the night. Ole Miss forced 15 turnovers and had five players score in double-digits. It’s the Sweet 16 for the Rebels since 2001, with head coach Chris Beard now looking to take a second school to the Final Four in six years.
Even with all of the upsets and tight games, there were a lot of matchups that saw strong performances by teams that were easily favored to win. The largest win of the second round came in the form of Duke beating Baylor 89-66. The Blue Devils shot 64.4% from the field and 54.5% from deep compared to the Bears’ 36.8% and 32% shooting splits. Tyrese Proctor had the best shooting game of his Duke career with 25 points on seven threes, while Cooper Flagg finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Though the first half stayed close, Auburn outscored Creighton by 14 points to advance to the second weekend of the tournament. It was a shakey start, but the Tigers held the Bluejays scoreless for six minutes in the second half and had a dominant rebounding and points in the paint advantage. Tahaad Pettiford scored 16 of his 23 points in the second, while Johni Broome had eight points and 12 rebounds. Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 18 points in what was his last game for Creighton after becoming the most-winning player in program history.
Arizona played a tight game against Oregon but emerged victorious, helped by Caleb Love’s 29 points and nine rebounds. The matchup stayed close for most of Sunday night, but the Wildcats’ 50% shooting from three was a key factor in holding off the Ducks from advancing to their first Sweet 16 in four years.
With their offensive firepower, Alabama took an early lead against St. Mary’s and never looked back. Seven players scored in double digits, and Alabama shot 51.8% compared to the Gaels’ 34.3%. Though no player had more than 13 points for the Crimson Tide, they showed their offense is still potent even without a breakout game from Mark Sears or Grant Nelson.
Even though they came in as underdogs, Mark Pope and Kentucky got the job done over Illinois. The Wildcats’ largest lead was 16, and they had a plus-nine turnover advantage. The brand-new Kentucky squad under their new head coach advanced to the second weekend for the first time since 2019.
Tennessee’s 50% three-point shooting and plus-ten rebounding advantage helped them beat out UCLA. The Bruins were held to their lowest points-scoring performance in a loss of the year while shooting just 30.4% from deep. The Volunteers had strong efforts from Zakai Zegler and Chaz Lanier to reach the Sweet 16 for the third straight year.
Michigan State was able to pull away late from New Mexico to help head coach Tom Izzo reach his 16th Sweet 16 appearance. The Spartans dominated from the free-throw line and had a clear advantage all night in the paint. It was close to the start, but Izzo’s experience helped him win his 58th tournament game, which was the fourth-highest mark ever.
Top-seeded Houston held on against Gonzaga after a second-half comeback. LJ Cryer had 30 points, and the Cougars shot 50% from deep end Mark Few’s run of nine-straight Sweet 16 appearances.
Texas Tech’s 50 points in the paint were the key factor in its victory against Drake. JT Toppin and Darrion Williams combined for 53 points for the Red Raiders, who easily defeated the Missouri Valley conference champions.
Purdue got out to an early lead against McNeese, and the game never really looked in question. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Boilermakers knocked out the Cowboys following their first-ever tournament win.
This year’s second round of the March Madness tournament had some big-time matchups that delivered entertainment and last-second shots. While other games weren’t as exciting and no team higher than a tenth seed advanced, it gave some great moments many of these programs will be extremely proud of. The second weekend of the tournament continues on Thursday, with national title contenders and exceptional teams set to face off throughout the weekend.
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