What started as a field of 68 college basketball teams is now down to 32. For the most part, the first round went exactly how it was anticipated to, as most higher seeds survived the first round.
But we still saw a few upsets over the first couple of days; there are only 181 perfect brackets remaining in the country, after all. If you are one of those individuals, congratulations, but you better not get too confident. Here is a list of three matchups in the round of 32 that are most likely to bust more brackets.
No. 12 McNeese vs. No. 4 Purdue (Saturday, March 22, 12:10 p.m. ET on CBS)
Although Will Wade has already made the commitment to move on to NC State at the end of this season, he is trying to make a magical run with his current school, McNeese.
Those aspirations got off to a great start on Thursday when the Cowboys busted more brackets than any other first-round game by knocking off the Clemson Tigers in a nail-biter. McNeese is now carrying momentum into their second-round game against the Purdue Boilermakers.
McNeese has that perfect feel of a likeable Cinderella tournament team with their energy and the story surrounding their student manager. Purdue at 23-11 appeared to really just squeak by No. 13 seed High Point. We can expect the Boilers to be challenged again on Saturday, and McNeese could have just enough "aura" to pull off the upset.
No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 2 St. John's (Saturday, March 22, 2:40 p.m. ET on CBS)
Head coach Rick Pitino has done a phenomenal job with St. John's in year one. The Red Storm is 31-4 on the season and won the BIg East with an impressive record of 21-2 in conference play.
But Arkansas was tested all season long playing in the nation's toughest conference. Seemingly every single game was a Quad 1 opportunity for them. Although they only got a No. 10 seed and finished 9-11 in the SEC, Arkansas is in a position to make a deep run.
The Razorbacks were able to fight off Kansas in the first round of the tournament. Although the Jayhawks had been struggling themselves as of late, that should still be an electrifying win for John Calipari's squad.
It is weird to say that St. John's feels like an underdog this tournament as a No. 2 seed, but that is the case. They are not a blue-blood or a school that is at the forefront of issuing impressive NIL deals. It is only natural to wonder if they are for real. They will get the chance to prove they are against Arkansas, which truly believes the Sweet 16 is in sight.
No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 3 Kentucky (Sunday, March 23rd, 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS)
This feels like the type of matchup the Kentucky Wildcats will fumble. Illinois is an explosive team that works as a unit and shares the ball well offensively, averaging 15 assists a game. Kentucky averages 11 turnovers a game, which is music to the ears of an Illini squad that wants to push the pace and wreak havoc on both ends.
The result of this game will come down to which school executes their game plan more efficiently. In March, a lot of times it is not always about who the better team is but who has the better matchup and puts up the most fight.
Considering these factors with other analytics, ESPN BET actually has Illinois as a 1.5 point favorite over Kentucky. If you filled out the majority of your bracket from just choosing the higher seeds, you likely had Kentucky advancing through this weekend or even beyond. This game could shatter some March Madness brackets.