The second weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will begin in several hours, with 16 teams still alive for a national championship. The Rounds of 64 & 32 provided plenty of memories for fans – from Georgia State’s Ron Hunter falling his chair to Villanova’s sobbing piccolo player. What will be the defining images of the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, as teams continue their quest to reach Indianapolis?
The Midwest regional will draw a lot of attention from one of its matchups in particular: Kentucky vs. West Virginia. On Wednesday, Mountaineers freshman Daxter Miles Jr. said that Kentucky was “gonna be 36-1” after the game. It’s one of those bold statements that can help inspire West Virginia to an upset, or fuel Kentucky’s fire to dominate as they have for almost every game this season. Notre Dame-Wichita State should also be a compelling game as well; if the Shockers win, they may have a chance to get revenge on Kentucky, who spoiled their undefeated season in 2014.
The West regional semifinals also occur on Thursday, with Wisconsin-North Carolina and Xavier-Arizona. It will a unique reunion for Wildcats head coach Sean Miller, who arrived in Tucson following several successful seasons in charge of the Musketeers. For the Badgers-Tar Heels game, expect Wisconsin’s desire to be a key factor. They made the Final Four a season ago, and were given the fourth number-one seed in 2015, so can they continue their run past this weekend?
Friday will see the semifinals for the East and South regions. North Carolina State upset the East’s #1, Villanova, and are now set on getting the better of new ACC rival Louisville. Michigan State continues to excel in March under Tom Izzo, making the Spartans a trendy pick to beat Oklahoma and reach another regional final. Over in the South, Duke meets Utah in a battle of teams that progressed to this stage without much trouble, while UCLA meets Gonzaga. In 2006, the Bruins and Bulldogs met each other in the Sweet 16, with UCLA overcoming a 17-point deficit to get the win en route to the national championship game. Fans will remember the iconic sight of a tearful Adam Morrison following the game, and Bulldogs head coach Mark Few is eager to not be in that situation again.
Has your pick to win the national championship changed?