Can Yale or Little Rock fulfill their destinies as 2016’s Cinderella story? Will Providence ride the emotion of a last-second, come-from-behind win over USC to an upset against top seed North Carolina? Does Wichita State ever get tired?
NCAA Tournament 2016: Schedule for March Madness second round games
Underdogs ruled on the first day of the NCAA Tournament. Is there room for a few Cinderellas in the Sweet Sixteen?
These questions will be answered when the NCAA Tournament’s second round begins on Saturday. There are eight games on tap for day three of the big dance, and there’s plenty to like about this schedule. Indiana and Kentucky will clash in a battle of college basketball royalty. The same goes for a 1-vs.-9 seed matchup between Kansas and Connecticut. On the other side of the spectrum, Yale and Little Rock will try to make history, while Gonzaga and Wichita State work to prove their Cinderella cred is still good.
The day kicks off with the Shockers’ attempt to become the third team in NCAA history to win three games in five days and advance from the First Four to the Sweet Sixteen. Wichita State’s lockdown defense put the clamps on Vanderbilt and Arizona in its first two games; those two power conference programs managed to shoot just 35.6 percent from the field in defeat. With tournament veterans Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet (9-3 in the NCAAT all-time) leading the way, they’ll push No. 3 seed Miami to the limit.
Nine hours later, Providence and North Carolina will cap off the day’s action in a rematch of a 2014 big dance thriller. That year, the Tar Heels held off an underdog Friar team in a 79-77 barnburner. Providence’s All-American point guard Kris Dunn was just a freshman then, and injuries prevented him from seeing the court. Now, he’ll have a chance for revenge after leading his team to a thrilling 70-69 victory over USC.
Seven underdogs advanced out of the first day of action. Will those teams survive another week and live to see the Sweet Sixteen? Here’s what the NCAA Tournament has in store for Saturday.
Saturday, March 19 (Second Round)
No. 11 Wichita State vs. No. 3 Miami, 12:10 p.m. (CBS)
No. 12 Yale vs. No. 4 Duke, 2:30 p.m. (CBS)
No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 4 Kentucky, 5:15 p.m. (CBS)
No. 12 Little Rock vs. No. 4 Iowa State, 6:10 p.m. (TNT)
No. 9 Butler vs. No. 1 Virginia, 7:10 p.m. (TBS)
No. 9 Connecticut vs. No. 1 Kansas, 7:35 p.m. (CBS)
No. 11 Gonzaga vs. No. 3 Utah, 8:30 p.m. (TNT)
No. 9 Providence vs. No. 1 North Carolina, 9:30 p.m. (TBS)
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Watch No. 11 Northern Iowa stun No. 6 Texas with this amazing buzzer beater from half court
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