SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Lindsay Schnell, Dan Wolken and Scott Gleeson look ahead to Friday's four Sweet 16 matchups in the NCAA tournament. USA TODAY Sports
It's called March Madness for a reason.
After an upset-filled opening week, the NCAA men's basketball tournament's Sweet 16 rolls on Friday, where the next four teams will look to advance to the Elite Eight.
Thursday night's games featured the underdogs, while Friday features mostly the favorites. Outside of No. 11 Syracuse, who's looking to continue its run from the play-in round, No. 1-seeds Kansas and Villanova take the court, as do No. 2-seeds Duke and Purdue.
Here is everything you need to know regarding coverage, along with must-read stories as one of the wildest NCAA tournaments in recent memory continues.
MUST-READ STORIES
- Expert picks: Who wins and advances to the Elite 8?
- Rhode Island's Dan Hurley takes UConn job.
- Big bonus bucks are on the line coaches who win in the Sweet 16.
- CBS defends showing crying children in NCAA tournament broadcasts
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No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 5 Clemson
7:07 p.m. ET, CBS
Why Kansas will win: A balanced offense (all five starters average at least 12 points) could be fully functional. After missing the Big 12 tournament and playing limited minutes in the first two rounds while nursing a sprained knee, sophomore center Udoka Azubuike is expected to return to the starting lineup. When Azubuike is healthy, he complements a four-guard lineup that is a very difficult matchup for defenses.
Why Clemson will win: The Tigers blew out Auburn in the second round with a superlative defensive performance to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1997. Clemson’s interior defense has been very good all season, and led by junior Marcquise Reed, its trio of athletic guards will be a handful on both ends for Kansas’ perimeter players.
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 5 West Virginia
7:27 p.m., TBS
Why Villanova will win: Much is made of Villanova’s offense, and rightly so. Its 86.9 points is almost a point more — .8, to be exact — than anyone else averaged this year, and it has made 12 or more three-pointers in 21 of its 36 games, including 17 in the second-round win vs. Alabama. But the Wildcats have become a much better defensive team throughout the season, limiting their last five opponents to 70 points or fewer. Radford and Alabama, its first two opponents in the NCAA tournament, were held to 37% shooting and 59 points.
Why West Virginia will win: Sagaba Konate. Second in the country with 113 blocks, he changes the game around the basket. Avoid the rim, and your shooting percentage is going to suffer. Go at him, and you risk drawing an offensive foul. Making him all the more difficult is that Villanova hasn’t faced a player like him yet this season. The Wildcats will be figuring out how to deal with him on the fly.
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 11 Syracuse
Approx. 9:37 p.m. ET, CBS
Why Duke will win: Despite its youth — four freshman starters — Duke might be the most talented team in the Sweet 16. That starts with freshman big man Marvin Bagley III, who led the ACC in scoring (21.2) and rebounding (11.3). After struggling defensively during the first half of the season, the Blue Devils went almost exclusively to zone — a la Syracuse — and have won nine of 11. It plays into Syracuse’s weakness (32% three-point shooting). In the teams’ regular-season meeting, Duke allowed 44 points and won by 16.
Why Syracuse will win: The Orange barely made it into the NCAA tournament but won a play-in game, then two more with Jim Boeheim’s trademark zone — which held Michigan State to 25.8% shooting. When it’s operating well, it doesn’t just cause opponents trouble, it frustrates them, which leads to more bad shots and further frustration. Although Syracuse lost the earlier meeting, it held Duke to 60 points, its lowest offensive output. Sophomore guard Tyus Battle (19.3-point average) hasn’t really gotten going in the tournament, but has potential for a big game.
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 3 Texas Tech
9:57 p.m., TBS
Why Purdue will win: Isaac Haas hopes a brace made for him by Purdue’s mechanical engineering students will allow him to play a week after breaking his right elbow, but coach Matt Painter made it sound unlikely. That’s a blow, no question. But the Boilermakers figured out how to make do without their second-leading scorer in the second-round win against Butler, and the confidence and reassurance that gives them — freshman Matt Haarms in particular — is no small thing.
Why Texas Tech will win: The Red Raiders are crafty defensively. Jarrett Culver, Keenan Evans and Zhaire Smith each average more than a steal per game, giving them a chance to disrupt a Purdue offense that’s still adjusting to the loss of Haas. Also, the Red Raiders have come back from deficits in each of their first two games, so they aren’t out until the final buzzer sounds.
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