Written By: Chad Washington
San Antonio, TX – What a weekend of basketball we were given in the rounds of 64 and 32 this past weekend. We saw a few upsets, some big shots, and a load of good games. Going into the Sweet Sixteen, we have only four conferences represented.
The SEC with 7, Big 12 and Big 10 with 4, and the ACC with 1, Championship favorite Duke. Every other tournament since 1975 contained at least 7 conferences represented in the Sweet Sixteen, meaning we have a top-heavy bracket this year.
Some games to look at are:
Florida/Maryland, Thursday 7:39 p.m. The Gators come off of a marquee win vs UConn and are looking to continue their quest to the championship, while Maryland and the “Crab Five” are still riding high after Derik Queen’s go-ahead shot with no time remaining vs Colorado State.
Duke/Arizona, Thursday, 9:39 p.m. Duke coasted through the first weekend, winning by 41 in round one, and 23 in round two, the highest win margin in the tournament. On the other hand Arizona beat Oregon in a late-night thriller to set up Caleb Love, the former Tar Heel to take on an old rival in the Blue Devils.
Kentucky/Tennessee, Friday, 7:39 p.m. A good old all-SEC matchup. Both teams had two solid wins to get here. It should be noted that the Wildcats won both regular season meetings. will the Vols be able to get back or can Kentucky Sweep the season 3-0?
Additionally, these games could lead to some good Elite 8 Matchups, We could see Auburn/Michigan. State, Duke/Alabama, and Houston/Tennessee. Although we don’t have a “Cinderella” team this year, we can expect to see great basketball this weekend and next.
Here’s the full slate for Thursday and Friday’s matchups (All times ET)
Thursday, March 27
(2) Alabama vs. (6) BYU, 7:09 p.m. | CBS
(1) Florida vs. (4) Maryland, 7:39 p.m. | TBS
(1) Duke vs. (4) Arizona, 9:39 p.m. | CBS
(3) Texas Tech vs. (10) Arkansas, 10:09 p.m. | TBS
Friday, March 28
(2) Michigan State vs. (6) Ole Miss, 7:09 p.m. | CBS
(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Kentucky, 7:39 p.m. | TBS
(1) Auburn vs. (5) Michigan, 9:39 p.m. | CBS
(1) Houston vs. (4) Purdue, 10:09 p.m. | TBS
Cover Photo Via Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
