Men's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16: Rankings, recaps and bracket analysis
What happened
The men's NCAA Tournament second round concluded Sunday, setting the Sweet 16 field. Key results included Iowa eliminating defending champion Florida on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, St. John's beating Kansas on a last-second layup by Dylan Darling, and Iowa State routing Kentucky by 19 points.
How it was covered
ESPN dominated the coverage with game recaps, bracket analysis, and a team rankings piece noting "Six Big Ten teams! Upset-minded Texas! Buzzer-beaters and blowouts!" The NY Post zeroed in on the St. John's story, framing Darling's shot as a long-awaited breakthrough: "the St. John's heights we've been waiting for." Two Yahoo Sports articles in the input cover LSU *women's* basketball — a different tournament entirely — and don't speak to the men's bracket story.
What one side told you that the other didn't
ESPN added off-court drama beyond the scores: Bill Self said he hasn't decided on his coaching future after Kansas's loss, and Tyrese Haliburton trolled Kentucky NBA alumni on social media — noting pointedly that John Calipari "coaches Arkansas these days." ESPN also flagged the historical weight of Kentucky's defeat, calling it the program's worst tournament loss since 1972.
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