Eleven Seahawks hold bragging rights as the madness continues this March.
The 2016 NCAA men's basketball tournament's 64-team field was reduced to a Sweet 16 pool this past week. The competition resumes this Thursday and Friday, March 24 and 25, when these Seattle players will be rooting on their respective college squads:
SOUTH DIVISION
TE Jimmy Graham: No. 3 Miami Hurricanes
How His School Got Here: Graham, who played four years of college hoops at Miami and helped the club advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2008, watched his former team defeat No. 14 Buffalo, 79-72, in the first round before surviving a rabid rally by No. 11 Wichita State, 65-57, in the second round.
What's Next: The Hurricanes meet the No. 2-seeded Villanova Wildcats at 4:10 p.m. PT on Thursday, March 24.
DT A.J. Francis: No. 5 Maryland Terrapins
How His School Got Here: Francis' Terps defeated South Dakota State, 79-74, in round one and knocked down their final 17 free-throw attempts to top Hawaii, 73-60, in round two, games that were played east of the Cascades at Spokane Arena.
What's Next: Maryland faces the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks at 6:40 p.m. PT on Thursday, March 24.
EAST DIVISION
T Kona Schwenke: No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
How His School Got Here: Schwenke's Fighting Irish notched a 70-63 come-from-behind win over No. 11 Michigan in the first round and followed that up with a thrilling 76-75 win over No. 14 Stephen F. Austin thanks to a tip-in score with 1.5 seconds left.
What's Next: Notre Dame plays at 4:27 p.m. PT on Friday, March 25 against No. 7 Wisconsin, a team backed by the Seahawks' No. 3.
QB Russell Wilson: No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers
How His School Got Here: Wilson, who led Wisconsin to the Rose Bowl during his one and only season at Madison, watched his Badgers endure a pair of close contests in round one and two, as his alma mater defeated No. 10 Pittsburgh 47-43 in round one and No. 2 Xavier 66-63 in round two by way of a buzzer-beating three-pointer from guard Bronson Koenig.
What's Next: The Badgers face No. 6 Notre Dame at 4:27 p.m. PT on Friday, March 25.
Take a look at which Seahawks players' alma maters are still alive in the Sweet 16 of the 2016 NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Maryland defensive lineman A.J. Francis (96) looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against North Carolina State, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Oday Aboushi signals to offensive line teammates Germain Ifedi and Justin Britt prior to the snap.
Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin hauls in a pass over the outstretched arms of Colts defensive back Vontae Davis.
Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin hauls in a pass over the outstretched arms of Colts defensive back Vontae Davis.
Seahawks Earl Thomas and Shaquill Griffin upend Indy's Donte Moncrief in the first quarter.
Seahawks Earl Thomas and Shaquill Griffin upend Indy's Donte Moncrief in the first quarter.
Photographers focus their lenses during the singing of the national anthem.
Quarterback and captain Russell Wilson waits for his name to be called during pregame introductions.
Quarterback and captain Russell Wilson waits for his name to be called during pregame introductions.
Defensive end Michael Bennett address the team in the locker room before they take the field.
Defensive end Michael Bennett address the team in the locker room before they take the field.
Specialists Blair Walsh and Jon Ryan warmup during pregame.
Specialists Blair Walsh and Jon Ryan warmup during pregame.
Stephen F Austin's Cordell Roberson, right, comes down with a touchdown catch in front of Texas A&M's Steven Terrell, left, during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)
MIDWEST DIVISION
DT Ahtyba Rubin: No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones
How His School Got Here: The Cyclones beat out No. 13 Iona in the first round and topped No. 12 Arkansas Little Rock in the second round by a combined 30 points.
What's Next: Iowa State's run of matchups against double-digit seeds comes to a close at 4:10 p.m. PT on Friday, March 25, when the Cyclones will meet the No. 1-seeded Virginia Cavaliers.
WEST
DE Michael Bennett, WR Jeff Fuller, C Patrick Lewis, RB Christine Michael, FS Steven Terrell: No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies
How Their School Got Here: After handling No. 14 Green Bay, 92-65, in round one, Texas A&M - the school with the most Seahawks ties in this year's tournament - pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in tournament history, as the Aggies outscored No. 11 Northern Iowa 14-2 in the final 33 seconds of regulation to push the game into double overtime, where Texas A&M secured a 92-88 second-round win.
What's Next: Texas A&M meets No. 2 Oklahoma at 4:37 p.m. PT on Thursday, March 24.
TE Cooper Helfet: No. 4 Duke Blue Devils
How His School Got Here: The Blue Devils defeated No. 13 UNC Wilmington 93-85 in the first round before earning a 71-64 victory over No. 12 Yale in round two.
What's Next: Duke faces its first non double-digit seed, matching up with the No. 1-seeded Oregon Ducks at 6:55 p.m. PT on Thursday, March 24.
[wysifield-embeddedpoll|eid="379651"|type="embeddedpoll"|view_mode="full"]
