March Madness Sweet 16: One Key Stat For Each Team/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ All No. 1 seeds remain alive except defending champion Florida. Most Sweet 16 teams dominated early-round opponents with large margins. Here’s one key stat defining each remaining March Madness contender.
March Madness Sweet 16 Stats — Quick Looks
- Florida eliminated, all other top seeds remain
- Average victory margin 15.3 points in first rounds
- Third-highest margin since 1985 expansion
- Purdue leads tournament in 3-point shooting
- Houston extends Sweet 16 streak to seven
- Duke freshman Cameron Boozer dominating
- Michigan winning close games consistently
- Alabama among top 3-point shooting teams
- Tennessee advancing with defensive dominance
- Michigan State sets assist record
Deep Look: One Key Stat For Each Sweet 16 Team
The defending champion Florida Gators are out, but the rest of the top seeds remain as March Madness moves into the Sweet 16. The tournament’s opening week featured dominant performances, with games decided by an average margin of 15.3 points — the third-highest since the field expanded in 1985.
With the Sweet 16 now set, each team brings a defining statistic that could shape the path to the Final Four.
West Region
Purdue
Purdue has been the most efficient perimeter shooting team in the tournament, hitting 57.9% from three-point range through two rounds. In its victory over Miami, Purdue also joined a rare group of teams shooting at least 50% overall, 50% from three, and 95% from the free-throw line in an NCAA Tournament game.
Texas
Dailyn Swain rebounded from a shaky First Four performance by recording 12 assists and only one turnover across two tournament games, providing steady playmaking.
Arizona
Arizona leads all Sweet 16 teams with a plus-24.5 rebounding margin, highlighting its dominance on the boards — a key factor for deep tournament runs.
Arkansas
Freshman Darius Acuff scored 60 points in the first two rounds — the most by a freshman still playing. He joins elite company alongside Chris Paul and Derrick Rose for multiple 20-point, five-assist tournament games.
South Region
Nebraska
Nebraska now holds the longest postseason win streak remaining, thanks to last year’s College Basketball Crown title run and this year’s tournament victories.
Iowa
Iowa faces Nebraska for the third time this season, but must improve ball control after recording 31 turnovers in the previous two meetings.
Houston
Houston reached its seventh consecutive Sweet 16 — the longest active streak in college basketball.
Illinois
Seven-foot center Tomislav Ivisic has two double-doubles in four career tournament games and leads all 7-footers with 101 three-pointers over two seasons.
East Region
Duke
Freshman Cameron Boozer is averaging 20.5 points and 12 rebounds, becoming the first Duke player since 1978 to record double-doubles in his first two tournament games.
St. John’s
St. John’s trailed for just 38 seconds in its win over Kansas and previously went four games without trailing.
UConn
Veteran Alex Karaban posted a career-high 27 points and owns program records for wins, starts, and games played.
Michigan State
Jeremy Fears recorded 16 assists in one game, breaking Magic Johnson’s school tournament record and leading the field with 13.5 assists per game.
Midwest Region
Michigan
Michigan thrives in close games, posting a 20-5 record in games decided by four points or fewer over two seasons.
Alabama
Alabama’s 436 three-pointers rank fifth all-time for a single NCAA season.
Iowa State
Tamin Lipsey delivered a 26-point, 10-assist performance and leads Sweet 16 players with four steals per game.
Tennessee
Tennessee’s defense forced scoring droughts of over five minutes in both tournament wins, showcasing elite defensive consistency.
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