7:15PM, CBS - (7) Wichita St. vs. (3) Notre Dame - On paper, this is probably the most evenly matched game of the Sweet 16. Notre Dame has been playing great basketball by winning the ACC Tournament and then winning their first two games in the NCAA Tournament over Northeastern and Butler. The Irish are playing defense better than they have all year, and it's paying off for them. Wichita St. is coming off one of the biggest wins in their program's history - a Round of 32 victory over in-state rival Kansas. The Shockers are being fueled by Junior guard Fred VanVleet who has been lights out since the start of the NCAA Tournament. He will need another big game if Wichita St. is going to advance to another Elite 8.
7:47PM, TBS - (4) North Carolina vs. (1) Wisconsin - Not that long ago, the Tar Heels seemed to be in a free fall. They lost 5 of 7 games and had fallen out of the ACC race. That is ancient history now. Since that time they have wins over Louisville and Virginia and, of course, two wins in the NCAA Tournament. A hard-fought win over Harvard and a solid win over Arkansas in the Round of 32. Wisconsin is a different animal, though. The Badgers are one of the best teams in the nation and unlike any team Carolina has seen so far this season. If Carolina is going to win it will be because they dominated the boards and were able to get out in transition. If it's a half-court game, Wisconsin will win running away. The Badgers have lost just 3 times all season - and just twice when Frank Kaminsky plays. They've struggled somewhat in the tournament so far, though. They beat Coastal Carolina by 14 and were never seriously threatened, but they were pushed by Oregon. The Ducks stayed with them all the way to the end before Wisconsin could put them away. Survive and advance is the name of the game, though, and Wisconsin has done that. We'll see if they can do it again.
9:45PM, CBS - (5) West Virginia vs. (1) Kentucky - In each of these previews we have talked about WVU's pressing defense. Can Buffalo handle it? Can Maryland handle it? So far the answer has always been no. Can Kentucky handle it? That remains to be seen. The Wildcats have not faced a defense like West Virginia's all season long and, although they have big men who can handle the ball, Kentucky doesn't really have a plethora of guards accustomed to breaking a press. The Harrison twins and Tyler Ulis will have that responsibility. If they rack up the turnovers, the Mountaineers will be able to stay close. West Virginia, of course, has not seen a team like Kentucky before either. Will the Mountaineers be able to score enough to hang in the game? The keys for WVU are to limit the number of offensive rebounds Kentucky can get, to not turn the ball over, and to play physically with the Wildcats. Don't be intimidated by their size and skill. Take them head on. It would be one of the biggest upsets in tournament history if WVU were to win, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.
10:17PM, TBS - (6) Xavier vs. (2) Arizona - Xavier is maybe the most surprising of the Sweet 16 teams. The Musketeers were just 9-9 in the Big East this season. They lost 13 games overall. Still, the bracket laid out well in front of them, and they won the games they needed to win. The handled Ole Miss fairly easily in the first round, and then beat Georgia St. by 8 in the Round of 32. So here they are. It would be a monster upset if they beat Arizona, though. The Wildcats haven't lost since February 7 and are playing great basketball. They won the Pac-12 tournament, and then beat Texas Southern and Ohio St. easily in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. They lost to Wisconsin in the Elite 8 last season, and a win over Xavier would set them up for a possible rematch in the Elite 8 this year. Revenge is quite the motivator.
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