The first weekend of the men’s NCAA tournament is in the books, and there aren’t many underdogs left.
There is just one double-digit seed that’s made its way through to the Sweet 16, which came after No. 10 Arkansas and coach John Calipari knocked off Rick Pitino and St. John’s on Saturday. This is also the first time in history that the Sweet 16, which officially began in 1975, is made up of teams from only the Power Five conferences. Every other Sweet 16 has had teams from seven different conferences at a minimum. This year’s has just four leagues represented.
The SEC, which set a record with 14 bids in this year’s tournament, has seven teams into the Sweet 16 — including No. 1 seeds Florida and Auburn. That’s a tournament record. The other two top seeds in the tournament are into the next round, too. Houston snuck past Gonzaga in its second-round game, and Cooper Flagg and Duke cruised to blowout wins in their first two games. The Blue Devils are the lone ACC team moving on.
Teams will now turn their attention to the Sweet 16, which will start on Thursday with regional games in New Jersey and San Francisco. The round will wrap up on Friday with four games in Atlanta and Indianapolis. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the Sweet 16 next weekend.
All times ET | *Approx. tip time
Thursday, March 27
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 2 Alabama
When: 7:09 p.m. Where: Newark, New Jersey
TV: CBS
No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 1 Florida
When: 7:39 p.m. Where: San Francisco
TV: TBS/TruTV
No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 1 Duke
When: 9:39 p.m.*Where: Newark, New Jersey
TV: CBS
No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 3 Texas Tech
When: 10:09 p.m.*Where: San Francisco
TV: TBS/TruTV
Friday, March 28
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 2 Michigan State
When: 7:09 p.m. Where: Atlanta
TV: CBS
No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Tennessee
When: 7:39 p.m. Where: Indianapolis
TV: TBS/TruTV
No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 1 Auburn
When: 9:39 p.m.*Where: Atlanta
TV: CBS
No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 1 Houston
When: 10:09 p.m.*Where: Indianapolis
TV: TBS/TruTV