March Madness 2014: Schedule for NCAA Tournament 3rd round games
Eight tickets to the Sweet 16 will be punched on Saturday. Can teams like Florida and Villanova bounce back after so-so performances in the second round?
The first few days of the NCAA Tournament have lived up to the hype. There's been numerous overtime sessions, last-second game winners and heartbreak. On Saturday, eight teams will have their tickets to the Sweet 16 punched, while another eight will have their seasons end in the blink of an eye.
March Madness: Fill out your bracket Saturday’s schedule
Here is the full schedule for Saturday’s action. All times are eastern.
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 9 Pittsburgh, 12:15 p.m. CBS
If you removed the seeds from next to both names and watched Thursday's games, it would have seemed like Pittsburgh was the No. 1 overall seed and Florida just barely snuck into the field of 68. The Panthers absolutely demolished Colorado in the 8-9 game, while the Gators had zero energy against Albany. Will Florida turn it on after getting a wakeup call in the second round? Billy Donovan sure wasn't happy after the latest win.
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 5 St. Louis, approx. 2:45 p.m. CBS
Both teams lived on the edge in their opening round matchup. St. Louis overcame a double-digit deficit to stun North Carolina State, while Louisville somehow pulled it out against Manhattan. Both teams can really play defense; it’s going to come down to who can knock down shots from the perimeter.
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 7 Texas, 5:15 p.m. CBS
The Longhorns beat Arizona State on a last-second put back to keep the season alive. Now they face a red-hot Michigan team that had no trouble with Wofford in its opening game. If UT isn't able to guard Nik Stauskas, it's going to be a long day.
No. 4 San Diego State vs. No. 12 North Dakota State, 6:10 p.m. TNT
Could North Dakota State be this year's Cinderella? The 12-seeded Bison stunned Oklahoma in overtime to stay alive, and now they have a real chance to continue their run against a San Diego State team that struggles to score. The Aztecs really need Xavier Thames to step up in this one.
No. 3 Syracuse vs. No. 11 Dayton, 7:10 p.m. TBS
The Flyers edged Ohio State on Thursday behind Vee Sanford’s game-winning runner just outside of the lane. Can they mentally get ready for Syracuse’s vaunted zone defense in just 48 hours? The Orange looked like the team they were for the first three months of the season -- the team that was undefeated and firing on all cylinders -- against Western Michigan.
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 7 Oregon, approx. 7:45 p.m. CBS
These are two teams that can flat-out score the basketball, and neither had any issues putting away their opponent in the opening round. Get ready for a whole lot of points out of Milwaukee.
No. 4 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Harvard, approx. 8:40 p.m. TNT
For the second year in a row, Harvard pulled a big time upset in the second round, beating No. 5 Cincinnati after knocking off No. 3 New Mexico in 2013. The Spartans looked the part of a national title contender in their convincing win over Delaware on Thursday. Do the Crimson have enough firepower to stick with Tom Izzo’s boys?
No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 7 Connecticut, approx. 9:40 p.m. TBS
A couple of old Big East rivals will clash in this one. The Wildcats looked pretty average in their win over Milwaukee on Thursday, while Connecticut really hunkered down in overtime to defeat St. Joseph’s. It would not be a surprise at all if this game turns chippy.
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