Sports
2021 NCAA Men’s Tournament Viewing Guide: Sweet Sixteen Saturday – Blogging the Bracket
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In another first, each regional semifinal game will be broadcast in its own telecast window. Note that the first two games of the schedule for both today and Sunday will be on CBS, with TBS picking up the night contests.
Historical matchup information is courtesy of College Basketball Reference’s Matchup Finder.
2:40 p.m. on CBS (March Madness Live game link) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner with Dana Jacobson reporting)
The Beavers and Ramblers meet for the first time with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line. With a win, Oregon State will earn its recognized regional final berth since 1966 and their first period since the Ralph Miller-led 1982 team (which was subsequently vacated due to NCAA violations). As for Loyola, this is the very rare matchup where the mid-major is not only the higher seed in the Sweet Sixteen matchup but also has a more storied March history. After all, the Ramblers have a national title on their record and they’re aiming to make Final Fours in consecutive NCAA trips.
5:15 p.m. on CBS (March Madness Live game link) at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Brian Anderson and Jim Jackson with Allie LaForce reporting)
The Wildcats and Bears meet for only the second time ever, as Baylor stunned Villanova 87-78 in the 2019 Myrtle Beach Invitational final. The pair could have met again in November 2020, but Scott Drew’s team ended up withdrawing from the 2K Classic due to CoVID issues. Unlike the games that lead into and follow this one, both participants have rich recent March histories. Nova has won two national titles in the last four NCAAs, while Baylor is in its second Sweet Sixteen since 2017. However, the Bears last reached a regional final in 2012 and Final Four in 1950—when only eight teams reached the field.
7:25 p.m. on TBS (March Madness Live game link) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner with Dana Jacobson reporting)
With Tulsa a relatively short trip from Fayetteville, these teams have met regularly, including this season, when the Razorbacks won 87-76 on December 12th. That was Arkansas’ fifth win in a row over the Golden Eagles, who last defeated the Hogs in November 2002 at the Mabee Center. Today’s winner will end a long regional final drought, as Arkansas last reached the last eight in 1995, part of its ill-fated attempt to defend its 1994 national crown, while ORU played a home Elite Eight game in 1974.
9:55 p.m. on TBS (March Madness Live game link) at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Brian Anderson and Jim Jackson with Allie LaForce reporting)
The Orange won their lone prior meeting with the Cougars, defeating the eventual national runners-up by a 92-87 score on December 11, 1982. Jim Boeheim roamed the coaching box for Syracuse then, as he will tonight. With a win, he will extend his record as coach of an Orange team bearing a double-digit seed to a staggering 10-2, while earning a first Elite Eight berth since 2016. As for Kelvin Sampson’s Houston program, it last reached a regional final in 1984, the final year of a three-year streak, and the second of two second-place finishes in succession.
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