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The Sweet Sixteen is here, and while the Ole Miss Rebels aren't in it, there is a lot of great basketball to watch from tonight through Sunday that will set us up for a thrilling, unpredictable Final Four another Kentucky national championship. Today will determine half of the Elite Eight with a series of games that should keep you up late enough to ruin your workday tomorrow*. The networks and game times, in CDT, are as follows:
7:15 p.m. | CBS | Cleveland I | Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Wichita State Shockers | |
7:47 p.m. | TBS | Los Angeles I | North Carolina Tar Heels vs Wisconsin Badgers | |
After conc. I | CBS | Cleveland II | Kentucky Wildcats vs West Virginia Mountaineers | |
After conc. I | TBS | Los Angeles II | Arizona Wildcats vs Xavier Musketeers |
You can also watch all of them live online right here.
All of these games are potentially interesting, but I'm going to pay closer attention to the earlier two contests. Wichita State and Notre Dame both shoot very well and should play well enough for this to be a back-and-forth affair until the end. North Carolina will probably be frustrated as hell with Wisconsin's incredibly slow, deliberate style of play, but if they can get a comfortable lead and throw the Badgers off of their game, particularly in the second half, this one could go the Tarheels' way.
Kentucky's probably gonna beat WVU, and I don't think Xavier is complete enough of a team to beat a really, really good Arizona team but, hey, it's March. Weirder things have happened.
*I was going to say something about ruining your school day tomorrow as well but, c'mon, do people actually take Friday classes anymore? Do those even exist? Surely not before 11:00 AM, at least.