College basketball fans will shift focus to the right side of the NCAA Tournament bracket for the Sweet 16 action in the South and Midwest Regions on Friday. By the end of Friday evening, the bracket that started with 68 teams will dwindle to eight.
No. 1 seeds Auburn and Houston will face Big Ten foes Michigan and Purdue, respectively. Houston will play No. 4 seed Purdue in Indianapolis, not far from its West Lafayette, Indiana, campus. Auburn will play No. 5 seed Michigan in SEC country. The Tigers are looking for their third Elite Eight appearance in program history.
In SEC action, Kentucky and Tennessee will meet for the third time this season, with this matchup carrying higher stakes than ever. This week marks only the second time teams from the SEC have played each other in the Sweet 16, the first since Alabama faced Kentucky in 1986.
Let’s dive into the biggest storylines of Day 2 of the Sweet 16, starting with a battle of elite centers in Atlanta.
Battle of bigs in Auburn vs. Michigan
Guards win games in March, but the matchup between Auburn’s Johni Broome and Michigan’s Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin could decide a spot in the Elite Eight. Broome is one of the frontrunners for National Player of the Year, while Michigan is the only team in Division I basketball to start two 7-footers in its lineup. Wolf and Goldin finished the season with 15 double-doubles, tied for the most in the Big Ten.
Despite losing three of its final four games before the NCAA Tournament, Auburn cruised through the regular season to earn the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday. Meanwhile, Michigan’s strength has been winning games in crunch time. The Wolverines have won 12 games by four points or fewer this season, tied for the second-most ever for an NCAA Tournament participant.
Kentucky, Tennessee meet for third time
The SEC set a record with seven teams in the Sweet 16, so it’s no surprise one of the matchups features conference foes. Kentucky went 2-0 against Tennessee in the regular season, including a 75-64 win at Rupp Arena last month. The Wildcats played the final nine minutes of that game without standout defender Lamont Butler, who re-aggravated a shoulder injury. Butler has worn a heavy shoulder wrap throughout the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee is aiming for back-to-back Elite Eight appearances after just one appearance prior in program history. First-year coach Mark Pope has his alma mater in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
The Midwest Region features No. 1 seed Houston, No. 2 seed Tennessee, No. 3 seed Kentucky, and No. 4 seed Purdue, making it just the second region in the last five NCAA Tournaments with all top-four seeds in the Sweet 16.
Purdue’s ‘home game’ against Houston
No. 1 seed Houston is playing a de facto road game against No. 5 seed Purdue. Indianapolis is 65 miles from Purdue’s campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, while Houston’s campus is roughly 1,000 miles away.
This won’t be the first time Houston coach Kelvin Sampson faces this scenario. In 2023, Houston defeated No. 9 seed Auburn in Birmingham, Alabama. When Sampson coached at Oklahoma in 2003, his team lost to No. 3 seed Syracuse in Albany in the Elite Eight.
Houston’s season ended against No. 2 seed Duke in this round last year when Cougars guard Jamal Shead was injured in the second half and did not return. They are aiming for their second Final Four appearance this century. Purdue seeks a return to the final weekend of the NCAA Tournament after losing to No. 4 seed UConn in last year’s national title game.
Check out the full TV and streaming schedule for Thursday’s Sweet 16 games below.
Friday’s NCAA Tournament streaming schedule
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 7:09 p.m. | (6) Ole Miss vs. (2) Michigan State | CBS (watch live) |
| 7:39 p.m. | (3) Kentucky vs. (2) Tennessee | TBS (watch live) |
| 9:39 p.m. | (5) Michigan vs. (1) Auburn | CBS (watch live) |
| 10:09 p.m. | (4) Purdue vs. (1) Houston | TBS (watch live) |
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