The field is set for the West regional in the men’s NCAA Tournament, which returns to the Bay Area this week.
San Francisco’s Chase Center will host Sweet 16 games on Thursday night before an Elite Eight matchup on Saturday.
No. 10 seed Arkansas, led by coach John Calipari in his first year, will face No. 3 seed Texas Tech, which is making its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in the last eight years. Top-seeded Florida, coached by former Saint Mary’s guard Todd Golden, will take on No. 4 Maryland after Derik Queen’s buzzer-beater sent the Terrapins on to next weekend.
Only one team will advance to the Final Four in San Antonio.
Here’s what to know about each of the teams:
Walter Clayton Jr. #1 and Will Richard #5 of the Florida Gators celebrate in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Lenovo Center on March 23, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
No. 1 FLORIDA GATORS
Coach: Todd Golden
Record: 32-4
Top players: Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, Will Richard, Alex Condon
How they reached San Francisco: Beat No. 16 Norfolk State 95-69, No. 8 Connecticut 77-75
Storylines: Florida coach Todd Golden is dancing back to San Francisco after his Gators dethroned two-time defending national champion UConn 77-75 on Sunday. UConn’s 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament wins had matched Duke’s record (1991-93) in the 64-team era. But Florida heated up down the stretch to give Golden, who was USF’s head coach from 2019-22, a Bay Area homecoming. He will bring an ultra-talented team that has won eight in a row, 14 of its past 15 and on Sunday showed it can raise its level of play to save its season. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., a first-team All-American, averages nearly 18 points per game and was even better against UConn. He was 5 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc and finished with 23 points. Guards Alijah Martin and Will Richard and 6-foot-11 forward Alex Condon also average double figures in scoring. Florida is making its 12th trip to a Sweet 16 – though its 1987 appearance was later vacated – and seeking its sixth regional championship. The Gators won their only national titles in 2006 and 2007 under coach Billy Donovan. In Golden’s three seasons at USF, the Dons went 57-36 and made the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
– Darren Sabedra
Texas Tech forward JT Toppin (15) gets between Drake forward Cam Manyawu (3) and guard Kael Combs (11) during the second half of the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
No. 3 TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
Coach: Grant McCasland
Record: 27-8
Top players: JT Toppin, Darrion Williams, Elijah Hawkins, Chance McMillan
How they reached San Francisco: Beat No. 14 UNC Wilmington 82-72, No. 11 Drake 77-64
Storylines: Texas Tech likes to shoot 3-pointers – a lot. The Red Raiders set a school record in the first round with 46 attempted 3s but made just 13. That was enough to get by UNC Wilmington, as Kerwin Walton led the way with eight made 3-pointers and 27 points. Against Drake, Tech again struggled from 3 despite dialing back the attempts, making just 2 of 14. But the Red Raiders were efficient inside the arc, making 28 of 52 2-point attempts and limiting Drake to 42.6% shooting overall. Tech is led by JT Toppin, a New Mexico transfer who was the Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Year. Toppin is the first player to win both awards in the same season. Grant McCasland is in his second year in charge of Texas Tech after a successful six-year career at North Texas, where he led the Mean Green to the 2023 NIT championship to cap his final season in Denton. This is Texas Tech’s first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2022. The Red Raiders have a recent history of regional success, especially in the West. Texas Tech’s 2018-19 squad won the West Regional in Anaheim and eventually advanced to the national championship game. That team, led by lottery pick Jarrett Culver, was also the No. 3 seed in the West region.
– Christian Babcock
Maryland center Derik Queen, center, makes the game-winning basket against Colorado State guard Ethan Morton (25) and guard Jalen Lake, right, in the final seconds of the game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
No. 4 MARYLAND TERRAPINS
Coach: Kevin Willard
Record: 27-8
Top players: Derik Queen, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Julian Reese, Rodney Rice
How they reached San Francisco: Beat No. 13 Grand Canyon 81-49, No. 12 Colorado State 72-71
Storylines: The Terrapins erased a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Colorado State on Sunday on a buzzer-beater by freshman center Derik Queen. Their starting unit, dubbed the Crab Five, is the hub of their team. All five starters average at least 28 minutes and 12 points per game, while no other player averages even four points. Queen, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, leads the charge with 16.2 points and 9.2 rebounds, while forward Julian Reese adds 9.0 boards himself. The Terps’ success isn’t slanted toward one side of the court: They rank in the top 30 in both points scored per possession and points allowed per possession. Coach Kevin Willard, in his third season at Maryland, made waves before the tournament by calling out former athletic director Damon Evans, who was named the new AD at SMU on Friday. Willard is reportedly a candidate for Villanova’s job and has been negotiating a new deal at Maryland. This is the Terrapins’ first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2016, and only their third since winning the 2002 national championship.
– Michael Nowels
Head coach John Calipari of the Arkansas Razorbacks talks with the team against the St. John’s Red Storm during the first half in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Amica Mutual Pavillion on March 22, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
No. 10 ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
Coach: John Calipari
Record: 22-13
Top players: Adou Theiro, Boogie Fland, Johnell Davis, D.J. Wagner
How they reached San Francisco: Beat No. 7 Kansas 79-72, No. 2 St. John’s 75-66
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Storylines: Arkansas has gotten hot at the right time. The Razorbacks defeated blue blood program Kansas, then Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Red Storm by a comfortable margin. It’s an impressive run for Hall of Fame coach John Calipari, who left Kentucky last year for Arkansas after 15 seasons and one national championship. The Razorbacks struggled in Southeastern Conference play, opening with a five-game losing streak and finishing two games below .500. But Arkansas finished the regular season with five wins in its last six games. The Razorbacks are led by Adou Theiro, who leads the team in scoring (15.6), rebounds (6.0) and steals (1.7). Calipari, making his 16th appearance in a Sweet 16, will be looking to win his seventh regional championship. When the West Regional was held at Chase Center in 2022, Arkansas beat top-seeded Gonzaga in the Round of 16 before losing to second-seeded Duke in the regional final.
– Nathan Canilao
