Which conferences have most teams in Sweet 16 for 2023 NCAA tournament?

The 2023 NCAA tournament has reached the Sweet 16 stage and it’s a good time to see how each conference is doing in the only tournament that matters. Here’s a look at how the 16 teams shake out with respect to conference.

Conference affiliation of Sweet 16 teams

SEC - 3 (Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas)
Big East - 3 (UConn, Xavier, Creighton)
Big 12 - 2 (Texas, Kansas State)
Big Ten - 1 (Michigan State)
Pac-12 - 1 (UCLA)
AAC - 1 (Houston)
ACC - 1 (Miami)
WCC - 1 (Gonzaga)
Mountain West - 1 (San Diego State)
Ivy League - 1 (Princeton)
Conference USA - 1 (FAU)

The conventional thinking of backing SEC and Big 12 teams to go far in this tournament has somewhat worked out, although the names of the teams making it to the Sweet 16 might be surprising. The Big East is also well represented with perennial tournament producers UConn, a strong Xavier outfit and a veteran Creighton team.

The Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 only have one team left, with the former two conferences losing their best units to upsets. No. 1 Purdue became the second top seed to ever lose to a No. 16 seed, while the only other program to hold that designation (Virginia) suffered a first-round loss as the No. 4 seed. No. 2 Arizona lost in the first round to Princeton, but UCLA might’ve been the best overall team for the Pac-12.

Some other conferences that only have one team are going to still get significant buzz. Houston and Gonzaga have been to a Final Four before. FAU and Princeton are the media darlings of this tournament, although the Owls have denied FDU a shot at the Sweet 16 and that might hurt them a bit. San Diego State has the potential to shock No. 1 overall seed Alabama.