Welcome to Part 2 of The Athletic’s party props competition for the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments! Think you can get the most predictions correct for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight? We have curated a party prop sheet that you can fill out directly to compete in The Athletic’s prop pool.
We have 16 new questions plus a tiebreaker for the second weekend, which covers the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight of both tournaments. You’ll find six questions from the men’s tournament, six from the women’s tournament, four combining the two and a final tiebreaker. The questions range from (of course) Caitlin Clark point totals to Donovan Clingan blocks, South Carolina win margins, the fate of the No. 1 seeds, whether we’ll see an Iowa vs. LSU rematch and the possibility of a game-winning buzzer-beater.
This is mostly intended for entertainment, but we will be running a contest every week of the tournaments, and the top five cumulative scores combined from our three contests during the tournaments will win a free one-year gift subscription to The Athletic (additional terms and conditions may apply).
You can fill out the form below to submit your entry.
Plus, if you’re throwing a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight party or just want to play at home, we also have a PDF available that you can download, print out and distribute however you like.
(Note: Each correctly answered question is worth a point. We’ll provide updated answers after the conclusion of the second weekend of both tournaments, so final answers will come after Monday night. Be sure to check back to see how you did! Here are the answers from Part 1.)
All entries must be submitted no later than 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 28.
WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT QUESTIONS
1. Will a No. 1 or No. 2 seed lose in the Sweet 16? YES or NO
All four No. 1 seeds and three No. 2 seeds remain in the tournament. In last year’s Sweet 16, No. 2 Utah lost to No. 3 LSU and No. 2 UConn lost to No. 3 Ohio State.
2. What will be the largest margin of victory? OVER or UNDER 30.5 points
In the first two rounds, the largest margin of victory was 52 points when South Carolina beat Presbyterian 91-39 in the first round. Last year, the largest margin of victory in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight was 17 points when Maryland beat Notre Dame 76-59.
3. Will South Carolina win any game this weekend by fewer than 15 points? YES or NO
South Carolina won by 52 and 47 points in the first and second rounds, respectively. The Gamecocks play Indiana next, a team they have not yet played this year. In the Elite Eight, they will play the Oregon State vs. Notre Dame winner. They beat Notre Dame in their first game of the season 100-71.
4. Will we get a rematch of last year’s championship, LSU vs. Iowa, in the Elite Eight? YES or NO
If LSU and Iowa both win in the Sweet 16, they will play each other in the Elite Eight. LSU won the championship last year.
5. Will Caitlin Clark score over 40 points in a game? YES or NO
Clark is averaging 31.8 points per game this season and has scored 40 or more points in four games. In the Tournament, she scored 27 in the first round and 32 in the second.
6. How many steals will Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo get this weekend? OVER or UNDER 8.5
Hidalgo averages 4.6 steals per game this season and got six in the first round and four in the second. (Notre Dame plays No. 3 Oregon State in the Sweet 16. If they win, they will play a second game this weekend.)
MEN’S TOURNAMENT QUESTIONS
1. Will a No. 1 seed lose in the Sweet 16? YES or NO
All four No. 1 seeds remain in the tournament. In last year’s Sweet 16, No. 1 Alabama lost to No. 5 San Diego State and No. 1 Houston lost to No. 5 Miami.
2. How many No. 1 seeds will make the Final Four? OVER or UNDER 2.5
Again, all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Sweet 16. Last year, no No. 1 seed made it to the Final Four.
3. Will any conference have multiple Final Four teams? YES or NO
Going into the Sweet 16, five conferences have multiple teams still in play: Atlantic Coast (4), Big East (3), Big 12 (2), Big Ten (2), SEC (2)
4. What will be the lowest seed of a team in the Final Four? 11, 6, 5, 4, OTHER
Last year, the lowest seed in the Final Four was No. 9 Florida Atlantic.
5. How many blocks will UConn’s Donovan Clingan have across the weekend? OVER or UNDER 3.5
Clingan is averaging 2.4 blocks per game. In the Tournament, he had zero in the first round and eight in the second.
6. How many Sweet 16 games will be decided by 10 or more points? OVER or UNDER 3.5
In last year’s Sweet 16, four games were decided by 10 or more points.
COMBINED QUESTIONS
1. Will there be a game-winning buzzer-beater? YES or NO
For this to count, there must be no time left after the shot goes in.
2. How many No. 2 seeds will advance to the Final Four (combined)? OVER or UNDER 2.5
There are seven total No. 2 seeds left heading into the Sweet 16. Last year, only one No. 2 seed advanced to the Final Four across both tournaments: the Iowa women.
3. Will any school make the Final Four for both the men and women? YES or NO
The schools that had both a men’s and women’s team advance to the Sweet 16 are Duke, Gonzaga, UConn and NC State.
4. Who will score more points in the Sweet 16, USC’s JuJu Watkins or Alabama’s Mark Sears?
Watkins is averaging 26.9 points per game on the season and 25.5 in the Tournament. Sears is averaging 21.5 points per game on the season and 28 in the Tournament.
TIEBREAKER
What will be the lowest score for a winning team in a game this weekend across the men’s and women’s tournaments?
Here’s the downloadable PDF. Below is the online form and the terms for winning a gift subscription. Good luck, everyone, and enjoy the game!
By filling out the form below and including your email and username, we’ll be able to send you your score once we have the final results from the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds. We’ll share the top point-getters at certain points during our live coverage. The top five cumulative scores combined from our three contests during the tournaments will win a free one-year gift subscription to The Athletic (additional terms and conditions may apply). All entries must be submitted no later than 7 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 28.
The information collected here is subject to the policies, terms and conditions set forth below. We will only use the information submitted for the purposes of this game and to share the results. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to editorial director Oskar Garcia at [email protected] (or @oskargarcia on Twitter). And you’re welcome to use our printable sheet if you would prefer to keep things analog. Enjoy the games!
You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 U.S. states or the District of Columbia. A purchase or a payment of any kind will not increase your chances of winning. Subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited. Limited to one entry per person. Employees of The Athletic Media Company (“The Athletic”), its parent and affiliate companies, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. Participation constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to these terms and The Athletic’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this game. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.
Note: You can also fill out the survey directly at this link. Use two fingers to scroll on mobile devices, and remember that there are two scroll bars: one for the page and one for the embedded survey.
(Photo Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic; Matthew Holst / Getty Images, Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Greg Fiume / Getty Images
