2010 NCAA Bracket Update: March 20th

Half of the Sweet Sixteen portion of the NCAA bracket has been decided, and it looks a lot different than many expected. Already missing is a one seed (Kansas), a two seed (Villanova), and two three seeds (New Mexico and Georgetown). Here's a rundown of the teams already in the Sweet Sixteen and a list of the games that will be played on Sunday, March 21.

Washington (11 seed)

After squeaking by Marquette in the first round, Washington rolled by New Mexico in the second round, winning 82-64. Washington dominated New Mexico in almost every facet of gameplay, from rebounding (35-33) to shooting (48.5% to 39.4%) to assists (21 to 7) to turnovers committed (5 to 11). The Huskies will have their hands full in the Sweet Sixteen, however, as they will have to play the winner of the Missouri vs. West Virginia game on Sunday. It'll be tough for them to follow up their 5 turnover performance against either of those teams, although if they keep shooting as well as they have, they could see a further run in the bracket in their future.

St. Mary's (10 seed)

Coming off an 80-71 win in the first round against Richmond, St. Mary's continued their winning ways against a Villanova team that seemed vulnerable after a near loss to fifteen seed Robert Morris. St. Mary's, in a game where they shot 50% from the field, almost blew a lead that stretched as high as 12 points during the first half, but managed to pull out in the end against two seed Villanova. It's the first ever Sweet Sixteen for St. Mary's, and they are one of two double digit seeds to advance in the bracket on Saturday. Their next game will be against three seed Baylor.

Northern Iowa (9 seed)

Although the first round was full of upsets (and near upsets), Northern Iowa's second round 69-67 beating of top-seed Kansas is the shocker of the tournament so far. Northern Iowa, known as a defensive squad that has struggled at times to generate on the offensive end, was able to produce enough on Saturday to bust Kansas out of the bracket and make their first ever Sweet Sixteen. They will play the winner of Michigan State vs. Maryland.

Tennessee (6 seed)

After Tennessee's first round game went down to the final seconds, Tennessee easily defeated the Ohio Bobcats in the second round, 83-68. Having overcoming adversity early in the season when three players were suspended and one dismissed from the team following an off-court incident, Tennessee has had its fair share of great moments, including victories over both Kansas and Kentucky. Their next game will be against the winner of Georgia Tech vs. Ohio State.

Butler (5 seed)

Coming off a huge win against UTEP, Butler had to hold off a strong Murray State squad that was riding high after busting four seed Vanderbilt out of the bracket in the first round. Butler will have to be better on the boards in future games if they hope to proceed further, managing only 20 rebounds against a Murray State squad that was coming off only its second ever win in the NCAA Tournament. Butler will play the winner of the Syracuse vs. Gonzaga game.

Baylor (3 seed)

Although they struggled early against Sam Houston State in the first round and almost blew a 10-point lead in the second game against Old Dominion, Baylor has managed to advance in the NCAA bracket to the Sweet Sixteen. The Bears have looked good on offense in both games, but have struggled with their defense and turnovers. Their next game, against 10 seed St. Mary's, should prove to be an offensive battle and a more than capably exciting game.

Kansas State (2 seed)

BYU was hoping to advance to the Sweet Sixteen and play in Salt Lake City, which is only an hour away from their campus in Provo, Utah. Kansas State, however, had other plans, easily ousting BYU in the second round, 84-72. Having won by 20 points in the first round against North Texas, Kansas State is one of the few top seeded teams to be marching into the next round of the bracket without any real trouble. They will face the winner of Sunday's game between Xavier and Pittsburgh.

Kentucky (1 seed)

Kentucky has had no trouble making it past the first two rounds of the tournament, beating East Tennessee State by 29 and Wake Forest by 30. Kentucky entered the tournament with some questions about their composure due to the high number of freshman on this year's squad, but they have sailed through the first two rounds of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. They will next play the winner of the Cornell/Wisconsin game, and with Kansas' loss, Kentucky may be the new favorite to win the national title.

NCAA Bracket games for Sunday, March 21 (all times Eastern Standard Time):

Midwest Bracket:

(5) Michigan State vs. (4) Maryland, 2:30

(10) Georgia Tech vs. (2) Ohio State, 2:20

West Bracket

(1) Syracuse vs. (8) Gonzaga, 12:10

(6) Xavier vs. (3) Pittsburgh, 4:50

East Bracket

(12) Cornell vs. (4) Wisconsin, 2:50

(10) Missouri vs. (2) West Virginia, 2:40

South Bracket

(1) Duke vs. (8) California, 5:15

(5) Texas A&M vs. (4) Purdue, 5:00

Source(s):

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/bracket

All statistics from ESPN.com