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Examining the six most surprising Sweet 16 teams no one saw coming

Florida State Seminoles guard PJ Savoy (5) celebrates after defeating the Xavier Musketeers in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Bridgestone Arena.

The NCAA tournament is never short on madness and crazy upsets. But consider these first two rounds as bracket-busting as it's ever been.

The field of 68 has been trimmed to 16 teams, but among these final remaining teams are ones we hardly saw coming. 

Here's a look at the six most surprising teams that are still dancing heading into the second weekend.

Are they pretenders or contenders? 

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No. 11 seed Syracuse

Pretender: The Orange are channeling 2016's Final Four run in these NCAAs by shooting from the First Four round to the Sweet 16. They beat Arizona State in Dayton and then took down TCU in the first round, but the most impressive showing came Sunday when Syracuse stunned No. 3 Michigan State, a trendy Final Four pick. Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone is difficult to prepare for in limited time, and we saw the Spartans' horrid shooting percentage prove that. But now that teams have a longer period of time to prepare (even if it's just a few days), look for this team's real weakness — only three capable scorers on offense — to be exploited by title favorite Duke. 

No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago

Contender: The Ramblers don't have a superstar, and they've barely survived their first two NCAA tournament wins off last-second shots. But keep in mind these weren't Hail Mary shots. Donte Ingram's top-of-the-key game-winner vs. Miami and Clayton Custer's game-winner vs. Tennessee were both a product of a well-oiled offensive machine that coach Porter Moser has orchestrated. Great floor spacing, extra passing and gritty defense might make this team the Hoosiers of the Sweet 16, but it also makes them a viable threat. 

No. 9 seed Florida State

Contender: Many experts picked No. 8 seed Missouri to stun Xavier in the second round. Instead the Seminoles ousted Mizzou and the No. 1 seeded Musketeers in thrilling fashion. Coach Leonard Hamilton's team is athletic and plays with a chip-on-the-shoulder tenacity that could make things tough for Sweet 16 opponent Gonzaga in Los Angeles. 

No. 9 seed Kansas State

Pretender: The Wildcats played beneficiary to UMBC's historic upset of No. 1 Virginia and the Retrievers' fall back down to earth. After beating a better-seeded Creighton team in the first round, the Wildcats showed their might as a powerful Big 12 team against little-engine-that-could UMBC. Pathways to the Sweet 16 don't determine how a team will fare once it makes it there, but don't expect to see KSU reach the Elite Eight. Kentucky is one of the hottest teams in the tourney and has twice the talent. It'd take a determined effort from Bruce Weber's squad and a step backwards by UK's youngsters for that upset to happen in the South Region. 

No. 7 seed Nevada

Contender: Nevada is the comeback king of these NCAAs, storming back from 14 down to drop Texas in overtime and then pulling off an even larger (22 down) upset comeback over Final Four contender Cincinnati on Sunday. Coach Eric Musselman's group is never short on the dramatics, which have made them one of the funnest teams to watch thus far. The Wolf Pack have two weapons in twins Caleb and Cody Martin that their Sweet 16 opponent doesn't have. The 6-7 forwards have a multidimensional skillset that will pose problems for Loyola's top-five ranked defense. 

No. 7 seed Texas A&M

Contender: The SEC's regular-season champs, Auburn and Tennessee, are gone. But the seventh-seeded Aggies, who underachieved all of the regular season, have found their groove here in the tournament. To beat the defending champs by 20+ points took a horrid shooting night from North Carolina and a well-executed game plan by A&M. And that game plan, as well as whatever coach Billy Kennedy draws up for his Sweet 16 matchup with Michigan, will center around the most imposing frontcourt in the entire tournament. The front line of Robert Williams, Tyler Davis and DJ Hogg can take this team further than many thought. 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NCAA TOURNAMENT'S SECOND ROUND