A First Four Virginia team provided the tournament's biggest surprise. Through opening weekend the bracket had been largely by-the-book until Virginia, a First Four entry, shocked No. 2 Iowa in double overtime — the first First Four team ever to reach the Sweet 16 and the latest sign that at least one No. 2 seed will miss regionals for the third time in four years. Other lower seeds also prevailed on the road: No. 6 Notre Dame knocked off No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 5 Kentucky escaped No. 4 West Virginia.
The four No. 1 seeds remained dominant. UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina combined to win their second-round games by an average of 38.5 points, leaving them atop the field. The Sweet 16 tilts toward the SEC (six teams) and ACC (five teams) and mixes long-established powers with rising programs.
1. UConn Huskies Original seed: No. 1 overall (Fort Worth 1) Results: Def. No. 16 UTSA 90-52; def. No. 9 Syracuse 98-45 Notes: After a sluggish opener the Huskies blew Syracuse away, led by Azzi Fudd's 36 points (26 in a career-best first half). UConn produced a 65-point first half, its seventh 60-plus half in NCAA tournament play, a continuation of its season-long dominance of ACC opp
