The 2023 NCAA tournament is underway, with the Sweet 16 now in sight. Selection Sunday discussions about easy or difficult paths are often a waste of time, as the actual paths of teams are often different from what was predicted. For example, FAU was thought to have a tough road ahead, but after beating Memphis they are now facing a much easier opponent in Fairleigh Dickinson. The Sweet 16 could be filled with coaches who have previously trained on college basketball’s biggest stage. The first game on Sunday features Xavier and Pitt. The top five keywords related to the tournament and relevant to SEO are: tournament, NCAA, Sweet 16, bracket, and March Madness.
As the 2023 NCAA tournament continues, eight new teams will be joining the Sweet 16 field on Sunday. It is a reminder that the predictions made on Selection Sunday about easy or hard paths until the second weekend can often be a waste of time since the actual path is unknown until the bracket is released.
For instance, FAU was projected to beat a No. 8 seed Memphis and a No. 1 seed Purdue to enter the Sweet 16. But, after beating Memphis on Friday, all FAU has to do is beat a No. 16 seed, FDU, on Sunday in a game that will begin at 7:45 p.m. ET. This seems like a much easier route, and the Owls are listed as 15-point favorites over Tobin Anderson’s Knights.
On Sunday, the first game will be between Xavier and Pitt, starting at 12:10 p.m. ET. This Round of 32 match-up is filled with storylines, notably Xavier’s Sean Miller coaching against his alma mater. If Xavier wins, Miller will make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since leading Arizona to the second weekend of the 2017 NCAA tournament.
Out of the 16 coaches training on Sunday, six have made at least one Final Four appearance. Specifically, Kentucky’s John Calipari, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Marquette’s Shaka Smart, Baylor’s Scott Drew, Jim Larranaga of Miami, and Mark Few of Gonzaga have all made it to the Final Four at least once. Four of these six coaches, Calipari, Smart, Drew, and Few, are practicing as favorites on Sunday. This means that the Sweet 16 could potentially be filled with coaches who have trained on college basketball’s biggest stage and have the experience to understand what it takes to get there.
NCAA Tournament Schedule
Second Round
Sunday March 19th
Sweet 16
Thursday, March 23 — 6:30 p.m. Start (CBS, TBS)
Madison Square Garden – New York | T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas
Friday, March 24 — 6:30 p.m. Start (CBS, TBS)
T-Mobile Center – Kansas City | KFC Yum! Center—Louisville
Elite Eight
Saturday, March 25 — 6:09 p.m. Start (CBS, TBS)
Madison Square Garden – New York | T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas
Tuesday, March 26 — 2:20 p.m. Start (CBS, TBS)
T-Mobile Center – Kansas City | KFC Yum! Center—Louisville
Final Four
Saturday, April 1 — 6:09 p.m. Start (CBS)
NRG Stadium – Houston
National Championship
The NCAA tournament is a highly anticipated event for college basketball fans worldwide. It’s no surprise that every game in the tournament is closely watched and analyzed. Here’s a summary of the tournament results so far, including the First Four and the First Round.
First Four
The First Four games were played on Tuesday, March 14th, and Wednesday, March 15th, at the UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The four games played were:
-
(16) Texas A&M-CC 75, (16) SE Missouri St. 71
-
(11) Pitt 60, (11) State of Mississippi 59
-
(16) Fairleigh Dickinson 84, (16) Texas Southern 61
-
(11) Arizona State 98, (11) Nevada 73
First Round
The first round was played on Thursday, March 16th, and Friday, March 17th, at different venues across the country. Below are the games and a brief summary of each:
Thursday, March 16th
-
(9) Maryland 67, (8) West Virginia 65: This game was played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, and was broadcast on CBS.
-
(13) Furman 68, (4) Virginia 67: This game was played at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, and was broadcast on truTV.
-
(7) Missouri 76, (10) Utah State 65: This game was played at Golden Center 1 in Sacramento, California, and was broadcast on TNT.
-
(1) Kansas 96, (16) Howard 68: This game was played at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, and was broadcast on TBS.
-
(1) Alabama 96, (16) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 75: This game was played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, and was broadcast on CBS.
-
(5) San Diego State 63, (12) Charleston 57: This game was played at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, and was broadcast on CBS.
-
(15) Princeton 59, (2) Arizona 55: This game was played at Golden Center 1 in Sacramento, California, and was broadcast on TNT.
-
(8) Arkansas 73, (9) Illinois 63: This game was played at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, and was broadcast on TBS.
-
(9) Auburn 83, (8) Iowa 75: This game was played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, and was broadcast on TNT.
-
(5) Duke 74, (12) Oral Roberts 51: This game was played at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, and was broadcast on CBS.
-
(2) Texas 81, (15) Colgate 61: This game was played at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, and was broadcast on TBS.
-
(7) Northwestern 75, (10) Boise State 67: This game was played at Golden Center 1 in Sacramento, California, and was broadcast on truTV.
-
(1) Houston 63, (16) Northern Kentucky 52: This game was played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, and was broadcast on TNT.
-
(4) Tennessee 58, (13) Louisiana 55: This game was played at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, and was broadcast on CBS.
-
(10) Penn State 76, (7) Texas A&M 59: This game was played at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, and was broadcast on TBS.
-
(2) UCLA 86, (15) UNC
The second round of the 2023 NCAA tournament kicked off with a bang on Friday, March 17th. In one of the most shocking upsets of the tournament so far, 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson made history by defeating top-seeded Purdue 63-58. The Knights’ victory over the Boilermakers marked the first time in NCAA tournament history that a 16-seed has defeated a 1-seed.
Other notable results from the second round included Marquette’s 78-61 win over Vermont, Pittsburgh’s 59-41 victory over State of Iowa, and Gonzaga’s 82-70 win over Grand Canyon. In addition, Kentucky advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 61-53 win over Providence, while TCU narrowly defeated Arizona State 72-70.
Overall, the second round of the 2023 NCAA tournament featured a number of exciting games and unexpected outcomes. With the Sweet 16 now set, fans can look forward to more thrilling matchups in the days to come.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
