Quite simply, this is not the year of the Cinderella squad. The silver lining: The second-weekend matchups are loaded.

The Wildcats shot a blistering 12-of-24 from three-point range in both of those earlier meetings, coming away with a 78-73 win on Jan. 28 and a 75-64 victory on Feb. 11 to hand the Volunteers two of their seven losses.

Reniya Kelly grew up in Hoover, Alabama, and led her high school team to three state titles at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. That’s where Carolina will face Duke in the Sweet 16.

Villanova fired Kyle Neptune, and the Wildcats waited quite some time while the rest of the coaching market swirled. Villanova ended the year with a 19-14 overall record; the Wildcats have missed the NCAA Tournament three straight years.

Favorites went undefeated with a perfect 8-0 record in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1985, per Evan Abrams of Action Network. Teams favored by at least seven points in the 2025 tournament are also 26-1 overall, with the only loss being No. 5 Clemson's first-round defeat at the hands of No. 12 McNeese State.

It’s been three long days, but the men’s NCAA tournament returns Thursday with 16 teams just two wins away from the Final Four.

In a foul-ridden game, No. 1 Duke survived a Caleb Love-inspired Arizona rally in the second half to oust the No. 4 Wildcats and advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite 8.