The Sweet 16 has arrived with a loaded slate of matchups. Sure, the first weekend of the men's NCAA Tournament was somewhat chalky, with few major upsets, but that leaves us with a bunch of exciting matchups as we delve deeper into the tournament.
The second wave of the tournament begins Thursday with the West and East regional tournaments, which will feature two No. 1 seeds, two No. 2 seeds and several basketball brand names, such as North Carolina, UConn and Arizona.
Get ready for another fun day of college hoops.
Sweet 16 schedule Thursday
Thursday 28 March (All Eastern times)
7:09 p.m. – No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 6 Clemson (CBS)
7:39 p.m. – No. 1 UConn vs. No. 5 San Diego State (TBS/truTV)
9:39 PM – No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Alabama (CBS)
10:09 p.m. – No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Illinois (TBS/truTV)
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SDSU's defense keeps it in this. UConn missed 13 of 15 shots. The Aztecs entered the game ranked 10th in the nation Adjusted KemPom defensive efficiency. UConn led, 33-28 late in the first half.
UConn is just showing off here. The defense makes a turnover, leading to a stunning alley-oop transition from freshman Tristen Newton to freshman Stefon Castle.
Three UConn players — Cam Spencer, Tristen Newton and Alex Karapan — have seven or more points. Jaedon LeDee is the only Aztec to have more than three points with 11 points. UConn leads, 29-21.
It's halftime in Los Angeles. Clemson leads Arizona 39-31 as the Wildcats get back into the game in the minutes before halftime.
Ian Shefflin has nine for the Tigers, while Omar Ballou leads Arizona with six.
UConn's Cam Spencer heats up with nine points in the first 9:30. The transfer guard from Rutgers did not play on last year's title team. He is a key player and big-time scorer for a Huskies team looking to repeat. UConn leads, 27-18.
UConn flexes its muscles with LeDee on the bench. A 7-0 run gives the Huskies a 22-14 lead. They control the paint
The Arizona race fizzled out shortly after it started.
Clemson leads the Wildcats 35-24 at the under-4 timeout after Caleb Love inadvertently went out of bounds on the sideline.
Five different Clemson players have at least five points. Arizona's leading scorer so far is Billy Larson. He has five B's
It's a strong start in a rematch for last year's title. UConn leads San Diego State, 10-9 at halftime. Each team shoots 50% or better from the field. SDSU's Jaedon LeDee leads the way with seven early points. The fifth-year senior forward leads SDSU with 21.5 points per game after playing off the bench during last year's run to the title game.
Signs of life from Arizona. Clemson calls timeout with 5:42 left in the first half after Arizona got a quick layup to cut the deficit to 29-20.
Wildcats star Caleb Love is just one of 7 photoshopped so far.
In the Eastern Conference, San Diego State scored its first goal to take a 2-0 lead, trailing UConn for the first time in the tournament. What stats for the reigning champions.
Clemson had 11 points off turnovers as Arizona's ability to capitalize on countless missed shots kept the deficit smaller than it could have been. The Wildcats have nine second chance points. Clemson leads 29-16 at under-8 timeout.
Arizona calls a timeout with 7:16 remaining as Clemson extends its lead to 27-14.
The Tigers are shooting 58% from the field and hitting 5 of 7 from the 3-point line. Chauncey Wiggins has eight points off the bench and made all three of his shots.
Arizona shootings haven't gotten any better…yet. The Wildcats are 2 of 13 from the field and trail 16-6 at the under-12 timeout. Clemson's defensive pressure frustrates the Wildcats.
Slow start for Arizona. Clemson leads 6-3 at the first TV timeout. Arizona is 1-of-8 from the field and 1-of-6 from behind the arc.
Annnnd we're running with Clemson-Arizona!
Which NBA Draft prospects have their stocks boosted heading into the Sweet 16?
Click on the image for the story. (Photo by Dylan Boyle/Getty Images)
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