Saturday’s second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament provided fireworks and close finishes, a mix of results that left us with zero perfect brackets remaining by midnight. Best of all? Round 2 continues unabated Sunday with another slew of tremendous matchups that should add even more spark to March Madness.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin nearly staged an epic comeback win over No. 6 seed BYU, but the Cougars held on for a 91-89 win after star John Tonje missed a game-tying jumper in the final moments. Tonje’s miss left us with zero perfect brackets remaining in CBS Sports’ Bracket Games, but we tip our cap to the parties who had had rattled off McNeese over Clemson, Arkansas over both Kansas and St. John’s, the meatgrinder that was the 8-vs-9 games and Drake over Missouri — all while avoiding trendy upset picks like Yale over Texas A&M or UC San Diego over Michigan.
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The lack of upsets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament — all top-four seeds advanced for just the sixth time ever — was a bummer to those who look forward to Cinderellas and small-school success stories like Saint Peter’s and Loyola-Chicago, but the bracket going mostly chalk at least resulted in numerous marquee matchups of big-name brands, coaches and players during the second wave. The lone double-digit seed to advance Saturday was No. 10 seed Arkansas. The Razorbacks upset No. 2 seed St. John’s to advance to the Sweet 16 in Year 1 of John Calipari’s tenure at the school.
The drama carried over to the final window of the night when No. 8 seed Gonzaga nearly came back against No. 1 Houston. The Bulldogs had a chance to tie the game in the final moments but turned the ball over. The Cougars held on for an 81-76 win, which snapped Gonzaga’s streak of nine consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16 or later.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Saturday’s second round slate. We can’t wait to see what Sunday has in store!
Winner: John Calipari dances on
John Calipari will be coaching in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 as a result of Arkansas’ win over St. John’s. A second weekend run seemed highly improbable after the Razorbacks started 1-6 in the SEC during his first season with the program. In fact, it seemed like a longshot that the Hogs would be dancing at all after such a bad beginning to league play. But when the calendar flipped to February, things began to change. That’s when the Razorbacks marched into Rupp Arena and dominated Calipari’s old team with an 89-79 victory, igniting a surge which has Calipari on the cusp of winning his breakup with the Wildcats. – David Cobb
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Loser: St. John’s magical season ends in disappointing fashion
At one point in the first half of St. John’s (eventual) 75-66 loss to No. 10 seed Arkansas, the No. 2 seed Red Storm missed 13 consecutive field goals. St. John’s shot 21 of 75 from the floor (28%) and missed 20 of 22 attempts (9.1%) from the 3-point line. St. John’s had a great game plan to crash the boards and play its style of basketball, but the lackluster shooting turned out to be an Achilles heel. Pitino’s players, namely benched star RJ Luis, just did not have it Saturday.
This season should be viewed as successful for Rick Pitino and company, but the way the season ended will be a massive “what-if.” – Cameron Salerno
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After star guard Chad Baker-Mazara suffered what Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said is likely a “pretty good bruise,” Tigers freshman star Tahaad Pettiford flung his superman cape on and helped save the day for Auburn in an 82-70 win over 9-seed Creighton. Pettiford finished with 23 points, one point shy of a career-high, in leading the Tigers to a strong finish after a back-and-forth battle that featured 16 lead changes. Sixteen of those 23 points came in the second half and seven came in the closing four minutes to help ice the game.
“Losing a guy like Chad, everybody knew they had to step up,” Pettiford said.
And step up he did. Pettiford’s 32 minutes were the most he’s played in two weeks and the fourth-most total minutes in a single-game all season. With Baker-Mazara ailing, his role could be elevated as Auburn looks to close out a championship. – Kyle Boone
Winner: Dusty May solidifies standing top coach
Michigan likely had high hopes after luring Dusty May away from Florida Atlantic to Ann Arbor and smartly snagging him before Indiana could open. But even grand designs on a year-one turnaround under May have probably been exceeded by what’s unfolded this season with the No. 5 seed Wolverines.
May and Michigan are now moving on to the Sweet 16 with 27 wins under their belt after downing No. 4 seed Texas A&M 91-79 on Saturday. After three-straight losses to end the regular season killed its chances to win the Big Ten, UM reeled off three wins in three days to claim the Big Ten Tournament title and is now dancing into the second weekend for the first time since 2022 on the strength of a five-game winning streak.
It’s a remarkable one-year flip for May and his staff who, I might remind you, took over a team that last season went 8-24, finished last in the Big Ten and was the laughingstock of the league. May deserves his flowers as Michigan revels in what is quickly looking like one of the smartest hires of the last few years. – Boone
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Loser: Drake gets raided
Drake had gone eight straight games without allowing an opponent to shoot 50% from the floor. Then, the Bulldogs ran into Texas Tech. The No. 3 seed Red Raiders sliced up the No. 11 seed Bulldogs in a 77-64 win behind a combined 53 points from JT Toppin and Darrion Williams. The duo combined for 22 of Texas Tech’s 28 makes as the Red Raiders shot 53.8% from the floor. Texas Tech also hit 19 of 22 free throws to keep the Missouri Valley champions at bay during the second half. – Cobb
Winner: Purdue dancing into second weekend, again
Purdue and coach Matt Painter are dancing their way into the Sweet 16 for a sixth time in the last eight NCAA Tournaments after extinguishing No. 12 seed McNeese and its viral student manager Amir Khan in the second round in emphatic fashion. Its 76-62 win over the Cowboys to move into the second weekend is its second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance after going there – and much further – last year in a run that ended with a national runner-up finish.
No. 4 seed Purdue had seven Sweet 16 appearances in program history prior to Painter’s hiring in 2005 and it now has eight in the two decades under his tutelage. In that span, only 10 teams in the entire sport have more appearances in the Sweet 16. – Boone
Loser: Wisconsin becomes first Big Ten team to exit tournament
Wisconsin’s comeback bid against No. 6 seed BYU fell short after star guard John Tonje missed what would’ve been a game-tying jumper in the final moments — a forced shot and not a good look, but you can’t blame Tonje for trying. BYU was able to hold on for a 91-89 win and ended the Big Ten’s winning streak in the process. The Big Ten got off to a perfect 10-0 start in the NCAA Tournament before the Badgers became the first team from the conference to get eliminated. – Salerno
Winner: Houston shows grit in win over Gonzaga
In a matchup of two of the greatest coaches in college basketball history who haven’t won a national title, Houston and Kelvin Sampson emerged victorious over Gonzaga and Mark Few. After cruising through the Big 12 and winning the regular season title for the second consecutive season, these Cougars look poised to make a big run in the NCAA Tournament. Despite a late push from Gonzaga, Houston came away with an 81-76 win over Gonzaga. The Cougars never trailed and now are just two wins away from getting back to the Final Four. – Salerno
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