Sweet Sixteen action begins on Saturday

March 25, 2021
The GIST: After seven straight days of college hoops madness, we’ll have two days to restock our snacks and fluff the couch cushions before Sweet Sixteen action begins on Saturday. Getcha popcorn ready.
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Sweet Sixteen action begins on Saturday
Source: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Women’s: There were some close calls, but all four No. 1 and No. 2 seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, including defending champs No. 2 Baylor. Notably, No. 1 UConn advanced to their 27th (!!!) consecutive Round of 16 and gave us all the reunion we’ve been waiting for.

  • Speaking of UConn, in the tourney’s must-see matchup thus far, freshman Paige Bueckers (pronounced BECKERS) and the Huskies are set to take on freshman (and the nation’s leading scorer) Caitlin Clark and No. 5 Iowa at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.
  • Then tune in on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET to watch No. 2 Louisville take on No. 6 Oregon. Louisville staved off No. 7 Northwestern in the second round while Oregon toppled No. 3 Georgia. Can the Ducks and TikTok star Sedona Prince pull off another upset?

Men’s: The men’s tourney has been historically wild, with 11 upsets through the first two rounds. If you’re looking for an underdog to cheer for and, like us, had your No. 15 seed Oral Roberts fandom cut short after reading their code of conduct policy, we recommend father-son led No. 11 Syracuse.

  • Yes, it feels a bit strange to call Syracuse an underdog, as the Orange are making their 24th Sweet Sixteen appearance, but we’ll be on upset alert when they take on No. 2 Houston Saturday at 9:55 p.m. ET.
  • Sunday’s slate also features an unexpected lower seed. No. 11 UCLA has a record 11 NCAA titles, but they’ll need to upset No. 2 Alabama at 7:15 p.m. ET to snag title number 12. Check out the full Sweet Sixteen schedule here.