Madness returns with Sweet 16
Here are key games, players and coaches to watch starting tonight.
The NCAA Tournament’s first weekend closed with a flourish, a Sunday full of scintillating games after three days of good-not-alwaysgreat basketball.
That put the madness back in March and should carry over into a regional round filled with great matchups and big-name programs.
Here’s a rundown of the top games, players, coaches and interesting storylines for the Sweet 16: TOP GAMES UCLA vs. Kentucky, South
Region; today, Memphis. Blue bloods in Bluff City. NBA draft picks everywhere. Rematch game. Coach Cal headed back to Memphis. Yeah, don’t miss this. Gonzaga vs. West Virginia, West Region; today, San Jose. A great contrast in styles between the smothering defense of the Mountaineers and the offensive firepower of the Zags.
Kansas vs. Purdue, Midwest
Region; today, Kansas City. The Jayhawks have all those athletes. The Boilermakers have Mr. Double-Double Caleb Swanigan. The game will be just down the road from Lawrence, so expect the Sprint Center to be rocking. Xavier vs. Arizona, West Region; today, San Jose. Wildcats coach Sean Miller against protégé Chris Mack in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years. We’ll take it. Wisconsin vs. Florida, East
Region; Friday, New York. The Duke-Villanova matchup everyone wanted didn’t materialize, but the Badgers and Gators will play some highlevel basketball in the Garden. TOP PLAYERS Frank Mason III, Kansas. National player of the year front-runner still playing like it in March. Lonzo Ball, UCLA. Can dominate without scoring, hits big shots when his team needs them, too. Caleb Swanigan, Purdue. Practically carried the Boilermakers past Iowa State and into the Sweet 16.
Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga. He makes the Zags go.
Dillon Brooks, Oregon. Clutch, does what it takes to win even if not hitting shots. Sindarius Thornwell,
South Carolina. SEC coaches voted him the player of the year over those future NBA players at Kentucky. ANIMATED COACHES Frank Martin, South Carolina. The Gamecocks’ unexpected run into the Sweet 16 means we get to see more screaming from the big man in the big suit. Sean Miller, Arizona. Coaches with the intensity he played with at Pittsburgh, has yet to sweat through a shirt in this year’s tournament. Bob Huggins, West Virginia. Huggy taught Martin a thing or two about sideline vitriol. John Calipari, Kentucky. Coach Cal can recruit, and he can shout, too. Roy Williams, North Carolina. Don’t let that Southern charm fool you. Coach Roy is a dadgum competitor. KEY PLAYERS Josh Jackson, Kansas. Dynamic freshman makes the highlight reels multiple times a game, makes a great tandem with Mason. Malik Monk, Kentucky. Can heat up in a hurry. Just ask North Carolina. Allonzo Trier, Arizona. The Wildcats’ go-to player at crunch time. Justin Jackson, North Carolina. Scores inside and out, carrying a big load with Joel Berry II fighting ankle injury.