The chase to land a place in this year’s Elite Eight is on as March Madness returns with the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday and Friday.
Top-ranked Gonzaga and Virginia will face No. 4 Florida State and No. 12 Oregon in the West and South Regions, respectively. A collision between No. 3 Purdue and No. 2 Tennessee promises fireworks in the South, while No. 2 Michigan seek to continue their bounce-back to form against No. 3 Texas Tech. The NCAA Tournament only gets better from here.
Sweet Sixteen Schedule
Thursday, March 28
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 1 Gonzaga, 7:09 p.m. ET (CBS)
No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 2 Tennessee, 7:29 p.m. ET (TBS)
No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 2 Michigan, 9:39 p.m. ET (CBS)
No. 12 Oregon vs. No. 1 Virginia, 9:57 p.m. ET (TBS)
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Seldom do fans see such a stacked selection of high seeds remaining at this stage of the tournament, with Oregon the only team remaining ranked outside the top-five spots and every 1-3 seed still alive from each region.
The Ducks’ quest to topple No. 1 Virginia looks a futile one on paper. However, the superstitious will appreciate the Cavaliers’ last defeat came to Florida State in the ACC Tournament semifinals, who were also ranked 12th at the time – albeit overall, not within the tournament.
The South Region showdown between Purdue and Tennessee doesn’t read like a blockbuster, but two teams with immense potential could produce the game of the round. The Boilermakers blew out defending champions Villanova 87-61 behind 42 points from Carsen Edwards and are motivated to progress past the Sweet Sixteen after two failed attempts in the past two seasons.
Friday, March 29
No. 3 Lousiana State vs. No. 2 Michigan State, 7:09 p.m. ET (CBS)
No. 5 Auburn vs. No. 1 North Carolina, 7:29 p.m. ET (TBS)
No. 4 Virginia Tech vs. No. 1 Duke, 9:39 p.m. ET (CBS)
No. 3 Houston vs. No. 2 Kentucky, 9:57 p.m. ET (TBS)
NCAA title favorites Duke just barely slipped by No. 9 UCF in a 77-76 battle that could easily have been a loss. The Blue Devils return to the last 16 led by Zion Williamson, who scored an impressive 32 points on Sunday.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s guys can’t afford to rest, though, as they prepare to face No. 4 Virginia Tech, one of only five teams to beat them in the regular season.
SEC champions LSU and Big Ten winners Michigan State will meet which could contend for the best matchup in the Sweet Sixteen. Tom Izzo has sat as Spartans coach since 1995, while LSU assistant is serving as stand-in for Will Wade, who is suspended following his alleged involvement in a recruitment scandal.
Finally, coach Roy Williams and his experienced UNC Tar Heels take on a hot-shooting Auburn team that dominated perennial blue blood Kansas. In the bottom half of the Midwest region, #3 Houston takes on #2 Kentucky in a matchup between one dominant but relatively unknown quantity and one inconsistent, and young team trying to put it all together.
Most of the top-rated pre-tournament favorites remain in the running for this year’s NCAA Championship, which means the Sweet Sixteen promises to produce some fantastic games.
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