March Madness continues Sunday with the men completing the NCAA tournament’s second round and the women starting it.
Will we at last start to see more upsets or will the heavyweights continue to dominate? Below is a look at the schedule of games and which are must-see and which can be skipped.
12:10 p.m. — No. 1 Florida vs. No. 8 UConn (CBS)
2:40 p.m. — No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 Baylor (CBS)
5:15 p.m. — No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Illinois (CBS)
6:10 p.m. — No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 7 Saint Mary’s (TNT)
7:10 p.m. — No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 12 Colorado State (TBS)
7:45 p.m. — No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (TruTV)
8:40 p.m. — No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 10 New Mexico (TNT)
9:40 p.m. — No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 5 Oregon (TBS)
NCAA men’s tournament schedule for Sunday, March 23 (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports)
Must-see matchup: Two-time reigning national champion UConn doesn’t seem to be a serious threat to three-peat, but the Huskies summoned enough pride to stave off Oklahoma in the first round on Friday night. Now they find themselves in the unfamiliar role of March underdog against a juggernaut Florida team peaking at the ideal time. This will be Florida’s first real test of the NCAA tournament. The Huskies are well-coached and loaded with perimeter shooting.
Game to skip: There’s a reason Iowa State-Ole Miss was Sunday’s lone game relegated to TruTV. The matchup between the Cyclones and Rebels lacks All-American candidates, top-tier NBA prospects or big-brand appeal. This isn’t the game to watch from start to finish. It’s a good one to check in on if it’s close with 10 minutes to go.
Most likely potential upset: The biggest criticism when Kentucky hired Mark Pope was that he’d never won an NCAA tournament game. One year later, Pope has the Wildcats on the precipice of the Sweet 16. Standing in Kentucky’s way is an Illinois team that’s talented but volatile. The range of possibilities is wide whenever the Illini take the floor, which means this could be anything from a Kentucky rout to a high-scoring, free-flowing Illinois upset.
Player to watch: VJ Edgecombe came on strong in the second half Friday against Mississippi State, attacking the rim, drawing fouls down the stretch and coming up with key defensive stops. He also had the NCAA tournament’s most audacious missed dunk. Now the celebrated Baylor freshman will play on an even bigger stage as the ninth-seeded Bears get their crack at Cooper Flagg and Duke. This is Edgecombe’s best chance to solidify himself as a top-five pick and perhaps even climb higher.
12 p.m. — No. 2 Duke vs. No. 10 Oregon (ESPN)
1 p.m. — No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Michigan (ABC)
2 p.m. — No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 5 Kansas State (ESPN)
3 p.m. — No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 9 Indiana (ABC)
4 p.m. — No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 5 Ole Miss (ESPN)
6 p.m. — No. 2 TCU vs. No. 7 Louisville (ESPN)
8 p.m. — No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Tennessee (ESPN)
10 p.m. — No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 8 Richmond (ESPN)
NCAA women’s tournament schedule for Sunday, March 23 (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports)
Must-see: Make time to watch TCU star Hailey Van Lith face the school she led to the Final Four two years ago. It should be compelling, even if both Van Lith and Louisville players and coaches downplayed it beforehand. Said Van Lith on Saturday, “I’m in a really good spot. I’m excited to play. You know, this game is much bigger than me and what I got going on. TCU is looking to go to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever. That’s a lot bigger than whatever else the narrative is.”
Game to skip: Richmond won its very first NCAA tournament game in program history against Georgia Tech on Friday. That sounds more like a team that’s achieved its goal than one ready to take down the NCAA tournament’s No. 1 overall seed on its home floor.
Most likely potential upset: Only two months ago, Kansas State cracked the top 10 in the AP poll after starting the season 19-1. Then the Wildcats collapsed during the second half of Big 12 play and cost themselves a top-four seed. The return of center Ayoka Lee from foot injuries seemed to snap Kansas State back to early season form. Behind 17 and 10 from Lee, the Wildcats dismantled dangerous No. 12 seed Fairfield on Friday. Now they get a shot at a fourth-seeded Kentucky team that barely survived its first-round matchup.
Player to watch: For Notre Dame, the joy of a dominant first-round victory evaporated early in Friday’s fourth quarter. That’s when star guard Olivia Miles crumbled to the floor after turning her left ankle. Heading into Notre Dame’s second-round matchup against sixth-seeded Michigan, it’s unclear whether Miles will play and if so how healthy she’ll be. Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey only told reporters on Friday that Miles “did a lot of treatment” the previous night and “says she feels pretty good.”