The first Sweet 16 berths will be booked on Saturday because the NCAA males’s tournament begins the second spherical while the women’s event enters Day 2 of the primary round.
Saturday’s schedule is considerably backloaded. Just 9 of the 24 games between the men’s and women’s tournaments tip off before 5 p.m. ET. But then things actually get going with 12 games all beginning inside five hours of one another Saturday evening. Have your remote ready to alter channels.
Here’s your full viewing information for Saturday’s action. All occasions Eastern.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Men’s schedule
12:10 p.m — No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 13 Furman (CBS)
2:40 p.m. — No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 5 Duke (CBS)
5:15 p.m. — No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 Arkansas (CBS)
Women’s schedule
11:30 a.m. — No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech (ESPN2)
1 p.m. — No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 13 St. Louis (ABC)
1:30 p.m. — No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 James Madison (ESPN2)
2 p.m. — No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Miami (ESPN)
2:30 p.m. — No. 5 Washington State vs. No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast (ESPNU)
3 p.m. — No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Vermont (ABC)
4 p.m. — No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 St. John’s (ESPN)
5 p.m. — No. 4 Villanova vs. No. 13 Cleveland State (ESPNU)
5:30 p.m. — No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 10 Alabama (ESPN2)
Must-see: Arkansas is just a 3.5-point underdog in opposition to the defending nationwide champions regardless of the seeding distinction between the two teams. CBS knew what it was doing placing this game in the late afternoon on the East Coast. Arkansas has made it to the Elite Eight in every of the past two seasons whereas Kansas is absolutely able to one other national title run. It’s nonetheless not publicly known if Kansas coach Bill Self might be on the bench after his heart process final week. Self traveled to Des Moines following his release from the hospital on Sunday.
Defending nationwide champions Kansas tackle Arkansas on Saturday. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Must-skip: UConn is a 34.5-point favorite over Vermont. With the greatest way the women’s match is staggered throughout the day on Saturday afternoon, you’ll have plenty of other viewing options. Feel free to verify in on the Huskies firstly of the game, however we’re guessing you’ll be capable of find a better sport on a special channel.
Story continues
Most doubtless potential upset: Keep a watch on Florida Gulf Coast. Washington State is just a 1.5-point favorite over the Eagles. FGCU completed the common season 32-3 and went 17-1 within the Atlantic Sun. The Eagles rating over 78 points per sport and outscored their opponents by a median of 23 points a contest. Senior guard Tishara Morehouse is simply 5-3 but shoots 40% from 3 and makes an attempt over five per recreation.
Player to observe: Indiana scored the first No.1 seed in women’s program history with a 27-3 record. The Hoosiers are large favorites, so this game probably won’t be close, but it’s price watching MacKenzie Holmes for a couple of minutes should you haven’t seen her play this yr. Holmes is averaging over 22 factors per sport and shoots 69% from the sector. She’s practically unstoppable in the submit and should be in line for an enormous sport.
SATURDAY EVENING
Men’s schedule
6:10 p.m. — No. 7 Missouri vs. No. 15 Princeton (TNT)
7:10 p.m. — No. 1 Houston vs. No. 9 Auburn (TBS)
7:45 p.m. — No. 2 Texas vs. No. 10 Penn State (CBS)
8:40 p.m. — No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 7 Northwestern (TNT)
9:40 p.m. — No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 8 Maryland (TBS)
Women’s schedule
7 p.m. — No. 6 Colorado vs. No. 11 Middle Tennessee (ESPNEWS)
7:30 p.m. — No. 5 Louisville vs. No. 12 Drake (ESPN2)
9 p.m. — No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Portland (ESPNU)
9:30 p.m. — No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Iona (ESPN2)
10 p.m. — No. 4 Texas vs. No. 13 East Carolina (ESPN)
11:30 p.m. — No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 13 Sacramento State (ESPN2)
Must-see: Will there be a No. 15 seed within the Sweet 16 for the second straight season? Princeton is a 6.5-point favorite towards Missouri and will need to shoot much better from behind the 3-point line than it did against Arizona to knock off the Tigers from the SEC. Princeton hasn’t gained multiple games in the NCAA event since 1965. A very close second on this category is Penn State’s sport against Texas. The Longhorns were sizzling from behind the arc against Colgate and Penn State also shoots well from deep. Texas is only a 5.5-point favorite in that one.
Must-skip: Duke is a 23.5-point favourite over Iona and Texas is a 20.5-point favorite over East Carolina. With so many different games to select from due to the best way CBS and Turner scheduled the men’s match, Saturday night is no time to be watching a blowout if you can keep away from it. At least the Texas men and Texas women aren’t playing on the similar time.
Most probably potential upset: Auburn and Houston should be within the must-see class however their matchup matches even better on this category. Houston star Marcus Sasser aggravated the groin harm he’s been dealing with in opposition to Northern Kentucky and missed the second half. If he’s not obtainable towards the Tigers, Houston could be in bother. This game is in Birmingham, which means there shall be plenty of Auburn followers in attendance. We’ll see if the Alabama followers ready for the Tide’s recreation against Maryland will help counter a few of that crowd noise.
Player to observe: Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson has been one of the best 3-point shooters in school basketball all through her whole profession. Robertson ranks fifth within the country at 43% from behind the arc in 2022-23 and is a lifetime 44% shooter from deep. She averages nearly three made 3s a recreation and has attempted 10 or extra 3s in 5 video games this season.