{"id":61161,"date":"2018-03-22T08:56:37","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T08:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=61161"},"modified":"2018-03-22T08:56:37","modified_gmt":"2018-03-22T08:56:37","slug":"march-madness-thursdays-ncaa-tournament-sweet-16-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/march-madness-thursdays-ncaa-tournament-sweet-16-schedule.html","title":{"rendered":"March Madness: What is Thursday’s NCAA tournament Sweet 16 schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"

March Madness: What is Thursday’s NCAA tournament Sweet 16 schedule?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

It’s called March Madness for a reason.<\/span><\/p>\n

After an upset-filled opening weekend, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament rolls on Thursday, where the first four teams will look to advance to the Elite Eight.<\/span><\/p>\n

While we won’t be seeing a No. 1 seed play on the opening day of the Sweet 16, Thursday’s action will feature the underdogs: Sister Jean and No. 11 Loyola-Chicago, No. 9-seeds Florida State and Kansas State and No. 7-seeds Texas A&M and Nevada.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is everything you need to know regarding coverage, along with must-read stories as one of the wildest NCAA tournaments in recent memory continues.<\/span>
\nNo. 7 Nevada vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago<\/span>
\n7:07 p.m. ET, CBS<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Nevada will win: One of the best offensive teams in the country, the Wolf Pack\u2019s ability to score means a game is never over \u2014 even if you put them in a 22-point hole, as Cincinnati did in the Round of 32. Four starters average at least 13 points, and they\u2019re all 6-7, which can create matchup issues. Kendall Stephens set the Mountain West record for three-pointers in a season (126) and has made five or more in a game 13 times.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Loyola-Chicago will win: The power of Sister Jean is strong, but the real story of the Ramblers\u2019 Sweet 16 run is that they\u2019ve won 19 of their last 20 games. They rank third nationally in field goal percentage (50.6%) and have beaten three Power Five teams this season in Florida, Miami (Fla.) and Tennessee. They\u2019re for real. Guard Clayton Custer, who hit the winner against the Vols, is shooting 46% for the season from three-point range.<\/span><\/p>\n

\nNo. 3 Michigan vs. No. 7 Texas A&M<\/span>
\n7:37 p.m. ET, TBS<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Michigan will win: The Wolverines, a popular Final Four sleeper pick, know how to play defense. They haven\u2019t shot the ball great in the tournament but held their first two opponents, Montana and Houston, to a combined 34.5% from the field. They also only allow opposing teams to score 63.1 points a game, which makes them the eighth best scoring defense in the country. The hero of the second round, freshman Jordan Poole, averages 6.2 points and 12.8 minutes per game \u2014 was Houston merely a breakout game for him? Regardless, Michigan will need Moritz Wagner (14.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg) to play well to advance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Texas A&M will win: They\u2019re huge. Three starters \u2014Tyler Davis, Robert Williams and D.J. Hogg \u2014 are taller than 6-9. Davis (6-9, 270 pounds) and Williams (6-10, 241 pounds) in particular take up a lot of space. It\u2019s tough for opposing teams to score just because of A&M\u2019s length. Not to mention five players average double figures, which means they have a balanced attack. The Aggies team everyone was predicting in the preseason to make a deep tourney run seems to have finally showed up; it helps that they\u2019re finally healthy and suspension-free.<\/span><\/p>\n

No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Kansas State<\/span>
\nApprox. 9:37 p.m. ET, CBS<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Kentucky will win: No matter what you think of the Wildcats\u2019 inconsistency or how this roster stacks up to previous teams John Calipari has had, they\u2019re the prohibitive favorite to get out of this region because they have lots of five-star talent who are starting to play their best basketball. Freshman point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 23 points and 6.5 assists in the NCAA tournament, lifting a team whose offensive production was in question at various points this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Kansas State will win: The size, physicality and age of Kansas State\u2019s team could make this a sneaky tough matchup, especially if big man Dean Wade (16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds) is healthy enough to play. He sat out last weekend with a stress fracture in his foot. The Wildcats aren\u2019t pretty on offense, but they were a top-20 defensive team this season and Bruce Weber will have a good scheme to contain penetration and force Kentucky to hit outside shots.<\/span><\/p>\n

No. 4 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Florida State<\/span>
\nApprox. 10:07 p.m. ET, TBS<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Gonzaga will win: The guy who is arguably their best pro prospect, 6-8 sophomore forward Rui Hachimura (11.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg), comes off the bench. This team might have lost a lot from the Final Four but they also returned some very good \u2014 and improved \u2014 players, led by 6-10 sophomore forward Killian Tillie (12.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg). They\u2019re balanced, they know how to score (84.2 ppg, 10th in the country) and won\u2019t be intimidated by the stage. Mobile 6-9 forward\/center Johnathan Williams (13.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg) provides matchup problems for pretty much everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why FSU will win: The Seminoles will hardly be intimidated by Gonzaga\u2019s seed; they got to this point in part by going on a 31-14 run against Xavier in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16. They\u2019re balanced, too, with seven players who average at least seven points, led by 6-8 senior forward Phil Cofer (12.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg); that means anyone could go off at any time. Against Missouri in the second round, it was 6-9 redshirt freshman Mfiondu Kabengele, who came off the bench to score 14. And while their 9-9 conference record is somewhat underwhelming, they are battle-tested after going through the ACC.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/ncaab\/2018\/03\/21\/march-madness-thursday-sweet-16-ncaa-tournament-times-tv-guide-info\/446571002\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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