The Big Lead

NCAA Tournament 2025: Previewing East Regional's Sweet 16 March Madness matchups

By Sam Westmoreland

Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) takes the ball up the court during the second half of an NCAA Tournament First Round game against the Robert Morris Colonials at Rocket Arena on Friday, March 21, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) takes the ball up the court during the second half of an NCAA Tournament First Round game against the Robert Morris Colonials at Rocket Arena on Friday, March 21, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The BYU Cougars are one of the most fascinating stories of this March Madness tournament. Fresh off the loss of head coach Mark Pope to his alma mater, Kentucky, no one quite knew what to expect of the Cougars this season.

Sure, BYU had Egor Demin joining the squad, but how would the talented guard jell with the rest of the team? And could Kevin Young build the Cougars into a legitimate force in a super competitive Big 12?

Now, they're in the Sweet 16, and are playing one of the biggest games the school has had since the Jimmer Fredette era. Can the Cougars continue their stellar season, or will stiffer competition bring them back to earth? Let's break it down.

RELATED: 2025 March Madness: Only 10 Sweet 16 teams can win it all

(1) Duke vs. (4) Arizona: The Duke Blue Devils are defined by their superstar big man, Cooper Flagg, but there's more to this team than one stud NBA prospect. Yes, Flagg, a true freshman, has been a revelation, but guards Kon Kneuppel and Tyrese Proctor are fantastic shooters who can force defenses to stretch and open up lanes for Flagg in the middle. Defensively, center Khaman Maluach is one of the best rim protectors in basketball, and this team is aggressive as heck. This might be the best Duke team since the Zion Williamson era, and these Blue Devils are far deeper at guard than Zion's teams were.

However, Jon Scheyer's team is INCREDIBLY young, and have had some problems executing down the stretch in tight games. While Flagg didn't appear all that injured in the first two rounds, he did suffer an ankle injury in the ACC Tournament, and that could be a factor as the tournament progresses.

They face a white-hot Arizona team who shot the absolute lights out against both Akron and Oregon. Superstar guard Caleb Love has been on a tear in the postseason, and dropped 29 on the poor Ducks to lead the Wildcats to this matchup. Tommy Lloyd's team is lethal in transition, and big men Tobe Awaka and Henri Veesaar do an excellent job of orchestrating quick turns on the fast break. The Wildcats can fill it up with any team in the country.

The questions for the Wildcats come in the form of whether or not the defense can hold up, and whether or not Love has the chops to keep scoring at the rate he has been in the first two rounds. Arizona will go as far as Love can take them, and if he goes cold, they could be in trouble.

Pick: Duke. Arizona is fun, but Duke look like world beaters right now. It's hard to see a path to a Wildcat victory.

(2) Alabama vs. (6) BYU: The Alabama Crimson Tide live by a simple mantra: gotta go fast. They move quickly, hit quick shots, and batter teams from the outside. Guard Mark Sears is a legit playmaker, and the Crimson Tide score points in bunches. Forwards Grant Nelson and Clifford Omoruyi are stellar rebounders, and extend possessions when Alabama's shots aren't falling.

It's not all sunshine and rainbows for Alabama, though. If their threes aren't falling, the offense gets ugly. And the Crimson Tide's high octane pace means turnovers tend to also come in bunches, and if those two things combine, it can be too much to overcome.

They're facing one of the few teams in the country capable of matching their offensive production. BYU wants to score, and they want to score a LOT. Star forward Richie Saunders is the engine of this offense, shooting 43.1 percent from three, and the Cougars' offense is one of the best in the country as a result. They're deep and balanced, but everyone wants to score. Demin has been hot and cold, but when he's hot, he's HOT.

The problem for BYU is the defense. And when I say a problem, I mean that most of the time, BYU simply solves its defensive problems by electing not to play it. You can get buckets on this team, and it's not particularly difficult. The Cougars want to outscore you, and if giving up points gets the ball back in their hands faster, all the better for them.

Pick: Alabama. The trick to beating the Crimson Tide is to not let their offense get going. This is going to be a shootout, and unfortunately for BYU, Alabama has the bigger guns.

(1) Duke vs. (2) Alabama: If Cooper Flagg is healthy (and at this point, he certainly seems to be), it's hard to see a world where the Blue Devils lose before the Final Four. Alabama is good, but they survive on threes, and Duke is awfully good at denying teams three pointers on the defensive side of the ball. Pick: Duke

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