The first cuts of March Madness 2021 have been made and the choices only get tougher from now on. The field has been narrowed from 64 by half to 32. As the number of contestants reduces, the competition becomes more intense.

Our top seeds have cut a swathe through the newcomers, with only a few underdog upsets. The next round is made up of power match-ups between idols with strong fandoms and storied careers.

SM giants Shinee’s Minho and Onew both triumphed in the Visual and Vocal categories respectively to face against Eunwoo from Astro and Jae from Day6. R&B darling Yerin Baek takes on the nation’s sweetheart IU in another monster mash-up.

The Dance category is hotly contested across the board this round. BoA was narrowly edged out by Red Velvet’s Seulgi, but will she be able to defeat the siren herself, Sunmi? Kai had an unstoppable year in 2020 but could Ateez’s San prove he’s got the chops to take him out?

Keep your votes coming for the next round to make sure your favourite is the winner!

Cast your ballot by Thursday, March 18, 23:45 (EST) to make sure it counts.