March Madness games today: Analyzing Thursday's Sweet 16 men's NCAA Tournament matchups
yahoo -

The men's NCAA Tournament resumes Thursday with the first half of the round of 16 in action.

The teams assigned to the West and South Regionals take the stage first. An accomplished quartet will be on display in San Jose, where three power conference tournament champions along with one of the last teams to squeeze into the at-large pool hope to continue their winning ways. In Houston, the home-town Cougars must outlast three more representatives of the Big Ten in their quest to make it back to the Final Four.

Here’s everything you need to know about the matchups, including TV channels and tip times.

No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas

Time/TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

The Boilermakers were expected to be here at the start of the campaign, though they hit a slump during the Big Ten schedule that had some observers wondering if their lofty preseason ranking was misplaced. The conference tournament seems to have flipped a switch for them, but the Longhorns have also unlocked something after a break-even SEC run. Purdue’s triumvirate of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn, who’ve been playing together for multiple years, gives the team something of an old-school vibe. Matt Painter has made use of the portal as well, of course, adding a post presence in the person of Oscar Cluff. He’ll be needed to keep Texas big man Matas Vokietaitis at bay. Longhorns guard Tramon Mark has hit his share of big shots in his collegiate career, but the alpha dog for this group is Dailyn Swain, the team leader in points, assists, rebounds and steals.

No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

This might not have been the encounter between conference opponents we expected in the Big Dance, but there’s no disputing the Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes won their way here. The rivals from neighboring states actually met twice during the regular season, each winning on its own home court in close fashion. Nebraska gets much of its production from versatile forwards Pryce Sandfort and Rienk Mast, who can score from any level. But much of their work is facilitated by point guard Sam Hoiberg, who also battles his way to 5.3 rebounds a game despite often being the smallest guy on the court. The good news for Iowa is the team managed to survive a rare bad shooting game from Bennett Stirtz. His slump likely won’t continue, but Taveon Banks and Alvaro Folgueiras can help.

BOLD PREDICTIONS: Forecasting how the Sweet 16 will shake out

FIRST-TIMERS: Ranking the 10 Sweet 16 teams that haven't won a national title

No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas

Time/TV: 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS

This heavyweight bout between the champions of the Big 12 and SEC should probably not be happening in the round of 16, but relitigating committee business is moot at this juncture. What is not pointless is noting the high magnitude of star power that will be on display in the San Jose nightcap. The brightest in the constellation is Razorbacks’ do-everything lead guard Darius Acuff Jr. Members of his supporting cast like Meleek Thomas and Trevon Brazile have done their share to contribute to Arkansas’s journey to this point, but expect the ball to be in Acuff’s hands when the game is on the line. The Wildcats are aware of that, of course, and they have no shortage of options themselves for offense and defense. Freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat are often the finishers, but the veteran presence of Jaden Bradley makes the entire operation run smoothly. But Arizona’s biggest advantage might be on the glass, where the Wildcats average a double-digit rebound margin and the Razorbacks can struggle at times.

No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois

Time/TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

The Fighting Illini have certainly played in their share of road environments, which this almost certainly will be even if it isn’t the Cougars’ actual arena. What is more concerning for Illinois faithful, however, is how the team handled late-game situations over the last month of the campaign – or rather didn’t handle them. The Illini have avoided that issue thus far in the Big Dance by winning comfortably, but that isn’t likely to be the case against the well-drilled Cougars. Houston has a solid mix of veterans from last year’s national runner-up squad like Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler, joined by high-impact recruits Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac. Illinois has its own standout freshman in Keaton Wagler. Perhaps even more important, the Illini’s big front line featuring David Mirkovic and the brothers Ivisic, Tomislav and Zvonimir, are capable of generating second chances, which will likely be needed against the Cougars’ pressure defense.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness games today: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 schedule



read more