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March Madness games today: Everything to know about NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 schedule – USA TODAY
March Madness has produced mostly sanity thus far through the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Sure, there were a few surprises, but for the most part the remaining teams on the bracket are the familiar ones.
The Sweet 16 tips off Thursday with West Regional action in Los Angeles, with festivities in the East in Boston getting underway shortly thereafter. Of course these regional names don’t necessarily coincide with the locations of the schools assigned to them, but as we’ve learned long ago seeding an entire tournament field based strictly on geography is nigh impossible. In short, let’s just enjoy the games.
Here’s a quick rundown of the matchups.
The Wildcats have already exceeded their tournament performance of a year ago, but they represent a program with higher aspirations. The Tigers’ presence here is somewhat more unexpected. There’s no disputing they have talent, but their lack of consistency, the reason they’re seeded where they are, is also undeniable. It’s unlikely Clemson can survive another round without P.J. Hall contributing his usual number of minutes and points, but Arizona will almost certainly challenge him early attempting to draw fouls. Caleb Love is not Arizona’s only perimeter threat but he is the most prolific. Any help Pelle Larsson and Keyshad Johnson can provide from the arc would be a welcome bonus. Clemson is a sound defensive team, limiting opponents to 41.3% field-goal shooting, but generating turnovers is not a strength.
The festivities in the East tip off with this rare rematch of last year’s national championship game. The Aztecs are in the same position on the bracket, so stage fright will not be an issue. SDSU’s problem, however, is this year’s UConn squad might be even better. Tristen Newton is the linchpin of an offense that can make three-pointers but often doesn’t need to, and Donovan Clingan has worked his way up to contributing over 20 minutes a game, adding a strong interior presence to the Huskies’ already formidable defense. The Aztecs do have weapons, most notably Jaedon LeDee (21.5 ppg) and Lamont Butler, last season’s Final Four hero against Florida Atlantic. But the next game got away from San Diego State quickly, and UConn will do its best to make this an encore.
Back in the West, the Tar Heels look to continue their quest for a second Final Four appearance in three years, while the Crimson Tide seek the program’s first ever visit to the Final Four. Alabama’s contests are rarely dull, as they play the game in high gear from start to finish. But UNC doesn’t mind a fast pace either, and its advantage on the boards could result in extra opportunities. The Tar Heels’ first order of business on the defensive end will be finding Mark Sears, one of the best all-around shooters in the nation. Defense can sometimes appear to be an afterthought for Alabama, but some attention must be paid to R.J. Davis.
UConn coach Dan Hurley does have a point – the committee did assign the Huskies a loaded region. But should they make it to Saturday, they’ll only have to face one of these other major conference tourney champs. As it is, this clash of two of the field’s hottest teams probably should be happening in a later round, but that in no way makes it less intriguing. It’s something of a stylistic contrast, but it might be more accurate to describe it as a clash of strengths. Illinois puts up 84.4 points a game, while the Cyclones allow their opponents to shoot just over 41%. The difference, ergo, could be how each squad handles the other end of the floor. Iowa State can run an effective offense, usually with Tamin Lipsey initiating, but the Fighting Illini have a rebounding margin of around plus-9 and have been getting excellent minutes off the bench of late from big man Dain Dainja.