Sweet 16 primer: All eyes on Peacocks after wild 1st weekend

Top seeds Gonzaga and Kansas are in. So is little Saint Peter’s, the giant killer and only the third No. 15 seed to make it this far in the NCAA Tournament.

And Coach K's farewell tour continues as he and his Duke Blue Devils made it to the Sweet 16, too.

All eight of the regional semifinal matchups will be set by late Sunday night, capping a wild opening weekend that so far has seen seven double-digit seeds win in the first round and two of them move on.

This is the second year in a row a No. 15 seed has captured the imagination of basketball fans.

Last year, it was Oral Roberts, which came within a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer from beating Arkansas and going to the Elite Eight. This time, it's those lovable Saint Peter's Peacocks, who knocked off Kentucky and Murray State and don't have a single player that made the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference first team.

EAST REGION

Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

Friday-Sunday

The Peacocks (21-11) will face No. 3 seed Purdue or No. 6 Texas. This group of New Jersey toughs won't be intimidated.

“Everybody keeps saying we can’t do that, we can’t do that, we don’t have this and we don’t have that,” coach Shaheen Holloway said. “We got heart. That’s what matters.”

Two of the college game's biggest brands, No. 8 North Carolina (26-9) and No. 4 UCLA (27-7), will square off in the other semifinal.

First-year coach Hubert Davis' Tar Heels are the hottest team in the tournament, having won eight of nine after their rout of Marquette and overtime win over defending champion Baylor. UCLA turned back Akron's upset bid and rolled past Saint Mary's.

WEST

Chase Center, San Francisco

Thursday-Saturday

No. 1 Gonzaga (28-3) plays No. 4 Arkansas (27-8) after overcoming slow starts