Big 12, ACC lead the way with 3 teams in Sweet 16

There will be nine different conferences represented in the Sweet 16 as the Big 12 and ACC lead the way with three programs each.

Iowa State joined Texas Tech and Kansas in the regional semifinals thanks to its upset of Wisconsin on Sunday to ensure three schools for the Big 12, while Miami's shocking victory over Auburn made it a trio from the ACC.

The SEC has the lowest representation among major conferences, with only Arkansas in the next round.

Here's how the Sweet 16 breaks down.

Big 12 - Three

In: No. 1 Kansas, No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 11 Iowa State
Out: No. 1 Baylor, No. 6 Texas, No. 9 TCU

The Big 12 is once again well represented in the Sweet 16, with three of its six tournament programs making it past the Round of 32. No. 1 Kansas and No. 3 Texas Tech have shown their March pedigree in recent years, while No. 11 Iowa State is the surprise inclusion of the bunch. The draw looks favorable for the Cyclones in the next round against No. 10 Miami following upsets of both No. 7 USC and No. 2 Auburn.

ACC - Three

In: No. 2 Duke, No. 8 North Carolina, No. 10 Miami
Out: No. 11 Virginia Tech, No. 11 Notre Dame

No. 2 Duke finding itself in the Sweet 16 is no surprise, but both No. 8 North Carolina and the Hurricanes can be considered surprises in the next round. The Tar Heels stunned defending champion Baylor in the Round of 32, while Miami dominated Auburn in one of the most impressive wins of the tournament on Sunday.

Big Ten - Two

In: No. 11 Michigan, No. 3 Purdue
Out: No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Iowa, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 11 Rutgers, No. 12 Indiana

The tournament had great potential for the Big Ten with nine teams involved, but just two remain as we head toward the Sweet 16. No. 5 Iowa couldn't keep the momentum coming off the Big Ten tourney title, falling in the first round to Richmond. The conference regular-season champion, No. 4 Illinois, suffered another early exit, this time at the hands of No. 5 Houston in the Round of 32. The Big Ten's remaining hopes lie with upstart No. 11 Michigan and high-scoring No. 3 Purdue.

Big East - Two

In: No. 2 Villanova, No. 4 Providence
Out: No. 5 UConn, No. 8 Seton Hall, No. 9 Creighton, No. 9 Marquette

The two teams left standing from the Big East come as no surprise, as No. 2 Villanova and No. 4 Providence were the best teams from the conference all season. The Wildcats once again look like a team capable of a deep tournament run, while the Friars turned in one of the most dominant performances thus far in a 28-point drubbing of Richmond.

Pac-12 - Two

In: No. 1 Arizona, No. 4 UCLA
Out: No. 7 USC

After placing an incredible four teams in the Sweet 16 last year, the Pac-12 will settle for two in this year's event. While the number may have been cut in half, both No. 1 Arizona and No. 4 UCLA have potential to make a run to the Final Four and give the conference a chance at its first NCAA title since 1997.

SEC - One

In: No. 4 Arkansas
Out: No. 2 Kentucky, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 6 LSU, No. 6 Alabama

March Madness was an absolute disaster for the SEC, with only No. 4 Arkansas remaining from the conference's six teams in the field. That is a fairly shocking number considering all six teams were 6-seeds or better in the draw. The biggest surprise was the opening-round exit of No. 2 Kentucky, becoming just the 10th 2-seed to fall to a No. 15. No. 2 Auburn and No. 3 Tennessee both had high hopes of deep tournament runs before swift exits in the Round of 32.

The rest

No. 1 Gonzaga: West Coast Conference
No. 5 Houston: American Athletic Conference
No. 15 Saint Peter's: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference