The Sweet 16 will be rounded out on Sunday as the NCAA Men’s Tournament concludes its round of 32 while the Women’s Tournament enters its second round.
Sunday’s schedule has again been uploaded, but offers a lot of intrigue during the day. The women’s tournament takes center stage early in the day, as juggernauts South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Maryland and Iowa all tip off before 5 p.m. ET. Next, the men’s tournament will come into focus with five games in a six-hour window, including No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson, which made history Friday night by delivering the second upset of a No. 1 seed in the first round of the NCAA men’s. tournament. Have the remote control ready.
Here’s your full viewing guide for Sunday’s action. All times Eastern.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
Men’s form
12:10 — No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 11 Pitt | CBS
2:40 p.m. — No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 6 Kentucky | CBS
5:15 p.m. — No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 7 Michigan State | CBS
Women’s timetable
1 p.m.—No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 8 South Florida | ABC
3 p.m.—No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 10 Georgia | ABC
15:30 — No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Mississippi State | ESPN
5 p.m.—No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 South Dakota State | ESPN2
5:30 p.m. — No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 7 Arizona | ESPN
Must see: Every time Caitlin Clark plays, it qualifies as must-see TV. Clark flirted with a triple-double Friday against Southeast Louisiana before finishing with 26 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in 29 minutes. She has four triple-doubles this season and 10 in her career.
Must skip: South Carolina was unable to cover the spread in its opening-round win over Norfolk State. Of course, that spread was a whopping 50.5 points. The Gamecocks didn’t have to overexert themselves, taking their foot off the pedal and playing 14 players in a 70-42 victory. They are favored by 25.5 points heading into the game against No. 8 South Florida, which won an OT thriller over Marquette. South Florida and South Carolina both excel on the boards, ranking in the top four in total rebounding. Expect a fresh South Carolina team to run the Bulls out of the gym and book the first ticket to the women’s Sweet 16.
Most Likely Potential Interference: Much has been made of Notre Dame’s injury woes and for good reason. The Irish lost key player Dara Mabrey to a season-ending knee injury in January, then announced Thursday that star guard Olivia Miles (14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists per game) would miss the duration of the tournament. Neither injury prevented the Irish from a first-round blowout win over tournament newcomer Southern Utah, but the competition ramps up considerably from here. Notre Dame is favored by 6 over a Mississippi State team that throttled No. 6 Creighton, 81-66, in the opening round after winning its First Four game against Illinois. The Bulldogs are just 39th in the NET rankings, but have played against elite competition in the SEC and Jessika Carter can take over a game when needed.
Players to watch: Oscar Tshiebwe has at times struggled to find a rhythm offensively this season, but he affects the game in many ways. He had a remarkable 25 rebounds on Friday — 11 on the offensive glass — in Kentucky’s 61-53 win over Providence. He has had seven games this season where he has recorded at least three steals. Against another small team in Kansas State on Sunday, the 2022 national player of the year should eat up the boards in what could be a crucial game for his coach.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
Men’s form
6:10 p.m. — No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 Saint Mary’s | TNT
7:10 p.m. — No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 6 Creighton | TBS
7:45 p.m. — No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 16 FDU | truTV
8:40 p.m. — No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Miami (Fla.) | TNT
9:40 p.m. — No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 6 TCU | TBS
Evening program for women
7 p.m. — No. 2 Utah vs. No. 10 Princeton | 19.00 | ESPN2
7:30 p.m. — No. 3 LSU vs. No. 6 Michigan | 19:30 | ESPN
9:30 p.m. — No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 8 Ole Miss | 21:30 | ESPN
Must see: Look, we’re not saying this game doesn’t have the potential to get ugly, but when a No. 16 seed knocks off a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Men’s Tournament for the second time in history, you should probably be watching along. After ousting top-seeded Purdue on Friday, Fairleigh Dickinson continues its march through madness against No. 9 Florida Atlantic. The Owls escaped a first-round tilt with No. 8 Memphis in controversial fashion, but the C-USA champions aren’t here by mistake. They are now 32-3 on the season and have a 13 NET rating. Fairleigh Dickinson is a 14.5 point underdog.
Must skip: The Hoosiers limped into the NCAA Tournament after losing four of their last eight and didn’t exactly blow the doors off in a first-round win over Kent State. The Hurricanes needed a late-minute rally to overcome an eight-point deficit in an unconvincing win over No. 12 Drake. One of those teams will be in the Sweet 16. But there are better ways to spend your Sunday night.
Most Likely Potential Interference: UConn has been a bit of an analytical darling this season, but the Huskies weren’t great against top competition (7-6 against Quad 1 teams). Granted, the Gaels have had their own struggles against teams like Houston and Gonzaga, but they also have a top-five scoring defense that could spoil this one. The Huskies are favored by 3.5 points.
Players to watch: Angel Reese is a living, breathing 20-20 threat every time she’s on the court. The Tigers will go as far as their 6-foot-3 star will take them, and that’s pretty far. The Wolverines are outside the top 50 in punt return rate and haven’t faced much approaching Reese’s talent this season, meaning she should have a nice day at the office on Sunday.
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