Power Conferences Dominate Sweet Sixteen

0:00It's March 23rd, from Global Headlines to Breaking Updates. This is Global News Today, powered by AI. The NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 has shut out mid-major teams for the second-stray year, turning into a showdown for Power Coference Giants. The Big Ten set a league record with six teams advancing. While the SEC has four, the Big 12-3, the Big East 2, and the ACC-1. No automatic qualifiers from smaller leagues made the cut. In the East region, top seeds like Duke and Yukon power through, joined by fifth-seated St. John's. The Red Storm nailed a buzzer-beater to edge Kansas and reached their first Sweet 16 since 1999. They'll tangle with Duke, setting up a bruising semi-final alongside Yukon against Michigan state. Meanwhile, the South region stays close to home for second-seated Houston, facing nearby Illinois in a Big Ten clash. Fourth-seated Nebraska meets ninth-seated Iowa in a corn-state battle after Iowa knocked

1:00out Raining Champ Florida. Over in the Midwest, top-seated Michigan eyes Alabama next, while Iowa state shook off an injury to their star and beat Kentucky. Tennessee punched their ticket by outlasting Virginia, marking four straight Sweet 16s for the Vols. Coaches like Arizona's Tommy Lloyd point out how parity has swung back to high majors, feeling talk of fewer automatic bids or bracket expansion. These loaded matchups promise pro-level talent as the field narrows toward the Elite 8.