It is the battle of Wildcats in this Sweet 16 matchup in the South region: No. 9-seed Kansas State vs. No. 5-seed Kentucky. In this year’s edition of the NCAA tournament, the South region has been upset central with No. 1 Virginia, No. 2 Cincinnati, No. 3 No. Tennessee, and No. 4 Arizona all losing in the first or second rounds.
Kansas State vs. Kentucky live stream: Time, TV channel, how to watch March Madness 2018 online
Which Wildcats will be going to the Elite Eight?
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Both Kansas State and Kentucky survived the first weekend and will play each other on Thursday at 9:37 p.m. ET at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta.
How did Kansas State reach the Sweet 16?
Kansas State started off the tournament with a solid 10-point win over No. 8 Creighton. The Wildcats shot the three-ball at an impressive rate in the first round, hitting 47.4 percent. On the defensive end, Kansas was able to hold Creighton to 26.5 percent shooting from distance.
In the second round, the Wildcats had the task of taking on the upset-minded No. 16 seed UMBC Retrievers. UMBC gave Kansas State all it could handle, but the Wildcats held on for a 50-43 win, thanks to big plays from Barry Brown Jr. and Xavier Sneed.
How did Kentucky reach the Sweet 16?
Kentucky’s tourney journey started against upstart No. 12 seed Davidson. Those Wildcats came into the tournament on a roll after defeating Rhode Island to win the A-10 tournament.
In this first battle of the Wildcats, Kentucky defeated Davidson, 78-73, despite not making a three-pointer in the game. It was the first time in nearly 30 years Kentucky did not make a single three-pointer in a game.
In their second-round game against the University of Buffalo, Kentucky shot 46.7 percent from distance on 15 attempts en route to a 95-75 blowout win. The backcourt of Hamidou Diallo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 49 points combined, while Wenyen Gabriel added 16 points off the bench.
How can I watch this game on TV or via livestream?
Date: Thursday, March 22
Time: 9:37 p.m.
TV Network: CBS
Streaming: March Madness Live
Who are the players to watch?
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: The Kentucky frosh out of Canada has been coming into his own lately and played well in both two tourney games, just missing out on consecutive triple-doubles.
- Barry Brown Jr.: For Kansas State to have a chance, they will need their junior to duplicate his two performances in this year’s NCAA tournament.
What will determine who reaches the Elite Eight?
The matchup that could decide this game is which team’s bench can make a difference. Kentucky needs Gabriel to continue to stretch the floor on offense, while Kansas State needs somebody to step up to help Brown and the rest of the starters.
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