The biggest college basketball tournament is here, bringing plenty of excitement and storylines. Will we see Cinderellas pull upsets, or will the bluebloods keep their grip on the tournament? With the power of a reliable connection always important during a successful tournament run, we’re keeping you connected to the can’t-miss headlines and standout moments from every round.
The Sweet 16 continues Friday night with four more games.
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The Elite Eight in the East and Midwest regions will be finalized after the final teams in the South and West were decided Thursday night. Here’s what you need to know for Friday as the third round of the men’s NCAA tournament continues.
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John’s
Why not begin the evening with what could be the marquee game of the round? Duke looked much more like itself in the second half of its win over TCU, while St. John’s got a buzzer beater from Dylan Darling to take down Kansas.
The Red Storm are one of the best defensive teams in the country … but Duke might be better. The Blue Devils rank No. 1 in KenPom’s defensive metrics and got forward Patrick Ngongba II back against TCU. He came off the bench and played 13 minutes in his first action since March 2. He should see more time than that on Friday night.
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Ngongba’s minutes could be incredibly significant. He and Maliq Brown can be tasked with guarding Big East player of the year Zuby Ejiofor to ease the defensive burden on consensus national player of the year Cameron Boozer. The 6-foot-9 Ejiofor is averaging 16 points and seven rebounds a game and scored 18 points with nine rebounds against the Jayhawks.
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Cayden Boozer has seamlessly slotted into the starting lineup at point guard in Caleb Foster’s absence and is playing the best basketball of his career. Cayden Boozer had 19 points against Siena and scored nine points with five assists against the Horned Frogs.
Duke is still stretched pretty thin, however. Even with Ngongba back in the fold, only seven players saw more than four minutes of playing time against TCU. And the Red Storm’s style of play can get teams into foul trouble. Red Storm opponents are averaging just over 20 fouls a game and have committed more than 100 fouls than St. John’s has all season.
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No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama
Is this where the absence of Alabama’s Aden Holloway really shows up? The Crimson Tide cruised through the first two rounds without their second-leading scorer, but run the risk of getting overpowered by Michigan’s dominant frontcourt.
Holloway, who was arrested the Monday before the tournament after police allegedly found over two pounds of marijuana at his residence, has averaged nearly 17 points and four assists a game this season. Alabama outscored No. 13 Hofstra and No. 5 Texas Tech by a combined 45 points and were blistering hot from behind the 3-point arc against the Red Raiders, going 19-of-40.
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But Michigan’s opponents shoot less than 31% from the 3-point line. Saint Louis, the third-best 3-point shooting team in the country, was 10-of-32 against the Wolverines in the second round.
If Alabama’s shots from behind the arc aren’t falling, it’s hard to see how it can contain Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara. The three score 40 points and grab 21 rebounds a game as Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney provide the supplemental scoring from the backcourt. Alabama will want to get out and run — few teams play faster than the Crimson Tide. But Michigan is also one of the faster teams in the country. The Wolverines shouldn’t have any problem in an up-and-down game.
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State
UConn is the smallest favorite of any of the higher-seeded teams playing on Friday night.
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The Huskies held No. 7 UCLA to just a 44% effective field goal percentage in their 73-57 second-round win. After a monster first game against Furman, Tarris Reed Jr. had another double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. However, the Bruins were playing without star forward Tyler Bilodeau. Michigan State will present a tougher matchup around the rim.
Coen Carr had 21 points and 10 rebounds in the second round against No. 6 Louisville, and Carson Cooper had 20 points and 10 rebounds against North Dakota State.
Both teams rank in the top 10 in assists per game and don’t play at the fastest of tempos. You can expect a lot of ball movement in the half-court to find the open shot as the shot clock ticks down. Can UConn’s Alex Karaban stay hot? He has plenty of postseason experience from UConn’s two national title runs and is 18-of-32 from the field and 8-of-17 from the 3-point line so far in the NCAA tournament.
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee
We could see Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson back on the floor late Friday night.
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The Cyclones’ all-Big 12 forward suffered a left ankle injury in the opening minutes of Iowa State’s first-round win over No. 15 Tennessee State. He missed the rest of the game and sat out ISU’s second-round win over No. 7 Kentucky. However, coach T.J. Otzelberger said this week that Jefferson has made “significant progress” in his recovery.
Jefferson’s return would be massive for an Iowa State team looking to get past the Sweet 16 for the first time in Otzelberger’s tenure. Tennessee, meanwhile, is looking for its third straight Elite Eight appearance as it tries to make the first Final Four in school history. Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 21 points and six assists in Tennessee’s second-round win over No. 3 Virginia, while freshman forward Nate Ament had 16 points and four rebounds.
Ament bounced back from scoring no points in 18 minutes in the Volunteers’ first-round win over Miami (Ohio). The potential NBA lottery pick’s play Friday night may go a long way in Tennessee’s hopes of a second straight upset, especially if Jefferson is unable to go or is severely limited.
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The Volunteers will also need to take care of the basketball. Tennessee averages nearly 12 turnovers a game and ranks outside the top 200. Iowa State is one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers; the Cyclones’ opponents turn the ball over 15 times a game and they forced 19 against Kentucky.
