After an exciting open to the men’s bracket of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, the second round begins Saturday with some tantalizing matchups. Old coaching rivals will reunite, a Cinderella will try to continue its run, No. 1 seeds will be in action and much more.
Here’s a rundown of all the action as teams try to clinch a spot in the Sweet 16.
No. 12 McNeese State vs. No. 4 Purdue (12:10 p.m. ET)
The upset of the tournament so far belongs to the McNeese State Cowboys, who held on for a 69-67 win over fifth-seeded Clemson in the first round. The Cowboys pulled off the shocker in large part due to their defense, which held the Tigers to only 13 points in the first half.
The Boilermakers, on the other hand, more or less cruised to a victory over High Point to begin the tournament. Purdue will have to make sure not to underestimate McNeese State the same way Clemson did.
No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 2 St John’s (2:40 p.m. ET)
If there were ever a matchup to watch simply for the coaches on the sideline, it’s this one. John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks will take on Rick Pitino’s St John’s Red Storm in a battle of not only former national champions, but former Kentucky coaches as well.
Pitino’s success at St. John’s is one of the more compelling stories of the season, as the storied (and there are lots of stories) coach is trying to make a Final Four with his fourth different team. Meanwhile, Calipari is doing one of his finest coaching jobs in years, and already led the Razorbacks to an upset over Kansas in the first round.
No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 4 Texas A&M (5:15 p.m. ET)
The Aggies are slightly favored in this matchup, as the Wolverines are coming off a near-upset in the first round. Michigan was pushed to the limit by UC San Diego, which made a furious second-half comeback and missed a game-tying 3-pointer in the waning seconds of a 68-65 loss. Texas A&M could have its hands full with Michigan center Danny Wolf, however, as the 7-footer is one of the more skilled players taking the floor Saturday.
No. 11 Drake vs. No. 3 Texas Tech (6:10 p.m. ET)
The Bulldogs pulled off a stunner on Thursday, knocking off No. 6 Missouri in a rebuke of the SEC’s regular season dominance. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, cruised to a 10-point victory over UNC Wilmington thanks to historical shooting from deep. Keep an eye on Drake guard Bennett Stirtz, who scored 21 points in upset over the Tigers. Stirtz has already led one upset, and has the scoring ability to lead another.
No. 9 Creighton vs. No. 1 Auburn (7:10 p.m. ET)
The Bluejays led nearly wire-to-wire in their win over Louisville in round one. The Tigers had an even easier time, dispatching Alabama State 83-63. This game should be more competitive for each squad. It will also feature a throwback big-man battle between Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, a March Madness veteran, and Auburn forward Johni Broome, a Naismith Trophy semifinalist.
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 3 Wisconsin (7:45 p.m. ET)
This could be the closest matchup of the day, as the Badgers are only very slight favorites against the Cougars. Could this be a big moment for Wisconsin guard John Tonje? The sixth-year player is in his first season with the Badgers and had a relatively quiet 15 points in the first round. Having his best season in college, Tonje (plus backcourt mate John Blackwell) will be who BYU has to slow down to advance.
No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 1 Houston (8:40 p.m. ET)
Both teams blew out their opening-round opponent, though the Bulldogs’ manhandling of Georgia was a little more surprising than the Cougars’ dismantling of SIU Edwardsville. (Fun fact, both teams played an opponent with the same team name in the Round of 64.)
The stylistic clash in the backcourt will be a fun subplot in this game. Houston’s L.J. Cryer is not afraid to let it fly from deep, connecting on 42.3% of his 7.0 3-pointers a night. Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard, meanwhile, is a true point guard, leading the nation in assists with 9.8 per game.
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 2 Tennessee (9:40 p.m. ET)
The nightcap on Saturday’s action should be a fun one. The Bruins and Volunteers each cruised in their first tournament game, but now the competition increases significantly. Can UCLA handle Tennessee’s one-two punch of Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler in the backcourt? Lanier is a score-first guard who is bombs away from deep, while Zeigler is one of the peskiest defenders in the country.
