March Madness viewer’s guide for Friday’s Sweet 16 action
USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg details what you need to know for Friday’s Sweet 16 action.
USA TODAY
Half of the remaining field in the men’s NCAA Tournament clinched berths in the Elite Eight, with Kansas State, Connecticut, Florida Atlantic and Gonzaga each winning their respective Sweet 16 games Thursday night.
That leaves four more Sweet 16 games Friday in the men’s field, with a pair of top seeds vying for trips to the Elite Eight: No. 1 Alabama versus No. 5 San Diego State, No. 1 Houston vs. No. 5 Miami (Florida), No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 15 Princeton and No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Xavier.
In particular, Friday will be notable for fans of the Hurricanes, as the women’s team is playing this afternoon in their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1992.
MEN’S TOURNAMENT: Complete scores and schedule
Follow the madness: Latest Men’s NCAA Tournament College Basketball Scores and Schedules
THURSDAY’S PLAY: Catch up on all the men’s action from the first leg of the Sweet 16
Follow along for live updates throughout the night.
The men’s Sweet 16 round resumes Friday night, with action in Louisville, Kentucky, and Kansas City, Missouri.
►No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 5 San Diego State
Time/TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, TBS
►No. 1 Houston vs. No. 5 Miami-Florida
Time/TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, CBS
►No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 15 Princeton
Time/TV: 9 p.m. ET, TBS
►No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Xavier
Time/TV: 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS
Alabama football coach Nick Saban says he wasn’t referencing the school’s basketball program when he remarked, “there’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
And Crimson Tide men’s basketball coach Nate Oats didn’t take it that way, either.
Saban had used that phrase on Monday to explain why he was suspending defensive back Tony Mitchell after his arrest on a drug charge.
Oats had used the phrase “wrong spot at the wrong time” when describing why he wasn’t suspending Alabama star Brandon Miller after police testified that he transported the gun that had been used in a shooting that killed Jamea Harris.
Miller has not been charged with a crime.
— Mike Brehm
As the second weekend of the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament begin, we enter one of the most recognizable rounds in sports – the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
But how did the the regional semifinals and finals get their names?
The men’s NCAA Tournament began in 1939, when it had just eight teams compared to the 68 teams now, but it hasn’t used the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight phrasing for the entirety of the tournament’s history, and it wasn’t until recently the NCAA began to market the third and fourth rounds as the phrases.
Here’s how the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight came about:
— Jordan Mendoza
