Sweet 16 predictions, NCAA schedule

Men’s March Madness Sweet 16 preview

With the Sweet 16 upon us, USA Today Sports’ Mackenzie Salmon previews a few of the top matchups we’re most looking forward to.

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Men’s March Madness continues Thursday night with the first slate of Sweet 16 games. Two top seeds in action highlight tonight’s NCAA tournament schedule. No. 1 UConn and No. 5 San Diego State face off in a rematch of last year’s national championship game while No. 1 North Carolina takes on No. 4 Alabama.

Men’s NCAA Tournament games are airing and streaming across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.

USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest news, scores, analysis and more all day. Follow along.

Here is the complete scoreboard for today’s Sweet 16 games.

The first game, between No. 2 Arizona and No. 6 Clemson, tips off just after 7 pm EDT.

Here is Thursday’s full schedule Sweet 16 schedule:

CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV will air first- and second-round games. CBS and TBS will air Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. CBS will air the men’s Final Four and championship game.

You can catch every second by streaming every game through a few different options. All games will be broadcast across CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV, but here are additional streaming options to watch all the action on your devices.

Here is the men’s NCAA Tournament schedule:

• First round: March 21-22
• Second round: March 23-24
• Sweet 16: March 28-29
• Elite Eight: March 30-31
• Final Four: Saturday, April 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
• NCAA championship game: Monday, April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The madness continues, and so does USA TODAY Sports’ expert picks and predictions. Click here to see the selections for Thursday night’s matchups.

The experts have dissected the men’s NCAA Tournament bracket, providing sleepers, Final Four matchups and upset predictions. Your chances of filling out a perfect bracket are miniscule, but maybe you need a few tips to win your office pool. We’ve got you covered with a look at how to pick an upset and a look historically at how the seeds have performed in the NCAA Tournament. Three of our five USA TODAY experts have UConn as their picks to win the national title on April 8. Here are our expert picks.

Here is the full schedule for today and where games are being played.

• No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 6 Clemson, 7:09 pm ET, Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
• No. 1 UConn vs. No. 5 San Diego State, 7:39 pm ET, TD Garden, Boston
• No. 1 UNC vs. No. 4 Alabama, 9:39 pm ET, Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
• No. 2Iowa State vs. No. 3 Illinois, 10:09 pm ET, TD Garden, Boston

Here are all the venues hosting tournament games over the next couple weeks:

• Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — Boston (TD Garden), March 28-30
• Sweet 16 and Elite Eight —Dallas (American Airlines Center), March 29-31
• Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — Detroit (Little Caesars Arena), March 29-31
• Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — Los Angeles (Crypto.com Arena), March 28-30
• Final Four — Glendale, Arizona (State Farm Stadium), April 6
• National championship —Glendale, Ariz. (State Farm Stadium), April 8

Thursday’s Sweet 16 action features a rematch of last year’s title game between then-No.4 UConn and then-No. 5 San Diego State. The Huskies dominated the matchup, 76-59, to win their fifth national championship.

Tristen Newton led UConn with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Adama Sanogo, who was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Newton is back on the Huskies and is averaging 15.2 points per game. Sanogo now has a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls and the G-League Windy City Bulls.

Keshad Johnson, who will be playing for Arizona in a Sweet 16 game earlier on Thursday, had 14 points and four rebounds in the Aztecs’ first national championship appearance. — Victoria Hernandez

Bruce Pearl is taking in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament from a different seat this year.

The Auburn basketball coach will join Seth Davis, Jay Wright, Candace Parker and Adam Lefkoe at the reporters table from TNT Sports’ studios in Atlanta for Sweet 16 in-studio coverage, as announced by the networks on Thursday.

Pearl is available this year as Auburn was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round by 13 seed Yale last Friday. — John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK

As the men’s NCAA Tournament begins, fans may be wondering where Jim Nantz, voice synonymous with one of the most popular events in college sports is.

Nantz decided the 2023 NCAA Tournament would be his last so he could focus on his family and other broadcasting commitments. Nantz didn’t retire from broadcasting; He’s still calling The Masters and serves as the lead play-by-play person for CBS’ NFL coverage alongside Tony Romo. The duo were in the booth for Super Bowl 58 in February. — Jordan Mendoza

The long wait is over for the Wildcats. They’ll win the West Region and head to the Final Four for the first time since 2001.

Sure, the skeptics are howling: But Arizona loses two of its past three games! Including a 78-65 setback against lowly Southern California! Nevertheless, these Wildcats are built for an extended run thanks to a versatile eight-man rotation. Scoring? Got it. Arizona ranks third in scoring offense with 87.7 points per game. Caleb Love, the senior guard, leads the team in scoring at 18.1, and each of the team’s four other starters are averaging at least 9.8.

Size? Ample. Oumar Ballo, the 7-footer from Mali, is averaging 13.1 points, a team-best 10.1 rebounds and leads the team in blocks with 40. Arizona also can bring in 7-2 freshman Motiejus Krivas and cause shooters to think twice in the paint . The bench? Good enough to keep the starters fresh. Yes, Arizona loses to Oregon in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament semifinals. But don’t forget the Wildcats also beat Duke in Durham, North Carolina, when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 2. — Josh Peter

Men’s March Madness schedule

Here is the men’s NCAA Tournament schedule:

• First round: March 21-22
• Second round: March 23-24
• Sweet 16: March 28-29
• Elite Eight: March 30-31
• Final Four: Saturday, April 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
• NCAA championship game: Monday, April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

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