NCAA Tournament 2023: Ranking all 16 Second Round matchups

By Joey Loose | Mar 18, 2023

Mar 17, 2023; Denver, CO, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) and Creighton Bluejays guard Ryan Nembhard (2) react to a play during the second half against North Carolina State Wolfpack in the first round of the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ciaglo-USA TODAY Sports /

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NCAA Tournament Princeton Tigers forward Tosan Evbuomwan Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

16. 2 UCLA vs. 7 Northwestern

An incredible season saw Northwestern finish 2nd place in the Big Ten and earn just their second ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. After a 75-67 win over Boise State, the Wildcats are into the second round once more, but face a stiff test with UCLA. Northwestern lost four of their final five games before the Tournament, and are leaning heavily on Boo Buie and Chase Audige, while hoping for more breakout games from Brooks Barnhizer and Robbie Beran.

UCLA is one of the hottest teams in the Big Dance, falling to Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament final last Saturday but winning every other game they’ve played since the start of February. Stars Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were both part of the Bruins’ run to the Final Four two years ago and the freshman talent behind them has been performing at a high level this season. The Bruins are coming off a drama-free 86-53 win against UNC Asheville and will be fresh and ready for the Wildcats, hoping to further expose the weakness of the Big Ten.

15. 7 Missouri vs. 15 Princeton

Their performance against Arizona was legendary, with Princeton shooting terribly but limiting a strong Wildcats squad and pulling out a 59-55 win with their defense. Teams that score big upsets rarely do so by shooting 20% from beyond the arc and this will not be the recipe for victory against Missouri. Princeton has a rising star in Tosan Evbuomwan, but do they have enough to get another win in this Tournament?

On the opposite side, Missouri has responded well to first-year head coach Dennis Gates, getting back into the Big Dance and looking sharp in a 76-65 first-round win over Utah State. Missouri has had its fair share of rough outings this season but should show offensive fireworks against Princeton on Saturday in this battle of Tigers. Neither team has exactly been lighting it up from long range, but Missouri is a better defensive squad and might end this Cinderella’s dream after one game.

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