As we hit the Sweet 16 of the “Least Liked Brewers of the Last Decade” bracket, you start to get a clearer picture of who is in contention. It also means you might have some tougher decisions to make; although, some fans have had their minds made up from the get-go.

The biggest news out of the Sheffield Region was the first 2-seed getting knocked out of the tournament when 7th-seeded Cesar Izturis took an early lead and pulled away from Alcides Escobar. He went on to win 63%-37% in the second round.

Meanwhile, Yuniesky Betancourt stayed on a roll with 82% of the vote over the 8-seed, Mark Reynolds. Is there anyone in this region that can challenge Yuni B? Jody Gerut is next on Yuni’s plate after the 5-seed took down 4th-seeded Kirk Nieuwenhuis by just 80 votes. Gerut is installed as a huge underdog in this round.

Perhaps 3rd-seeded Matt Albers poses a roadblock in Betancourt’s drive for a Final Four. Albers had some beefy competition to take down with Jonathan Broxton as the 6-seed, but the former took down the latter by a 54%-46% final after falling behind early.

These 4 remaining men are set to do battle in the Sweet 16 of the Sheffield Region, hoping (or not?) to reach the Elite 8 and keep their championship dreams (nightmares?) alive.

#1 Yuniesky Betancourt vs. #5 Jody Gerut

Though Betancourt has a little bit of cult following of people who do like him, he continues to prove his mettle in this tournament. Just a few steps from Brewers’ immortality, can a guy like Gerut be the one to derail the title train?

Gerut certainly hasn’t yet faced the type of hype and competition that Betancourt brings to the table, so he will need to severely step his game up to advance to the second weekend of play.

Poll Sheffield Region, Sweet 16: Who do you like least? This poll is closed. 74% #1 Yuniesky Betancourt (851 votes)

25% #5 Jody Gerut (289 votes) 1140 votes total Vote Now

#3 Matt Albers vs. #7 Cesar Izturis

With Izturis’ victory, analysts were proven right. Escobar was a touch overrated as a number 2 seed in the tournament. For one reason or another, he didn’t pull in the same amount of dislike as the other top seeds across the bracket. Can Izturis ride that momentum into his matchup with, what many people argued, was the real threat to Betancourt’s path out of the Sheffield Region?

Albers was thoroughly challenged to get by Broxton (6-seed) and appears as strong as ever in his quest for an Elite 8 appearance and possible showdown with Betancourt next round.

Poll Sheffield Region, Sweet 16: Who do you like least? This poll is closed. 67% #3 Matt Albers (781 votes)

32% #7 Cesar Izturis (372 votes) 1153 votes total Vote Now

The cream is rising to the top! Who do you want to ensure makes it one game closer to the Final Four? Vote now and be a part of the action.