Can Butler get back to the Elite-8 after being a buzzer beater shot away from a national championship? The No. 8-seeded Bulldogs may be on their way. After knocking off the top seeded Pittsburgh Panthers in the Southeast bracket, Butler is two games away from a back-to-back final four appearance. If the right cards play out, Butler could meet Duke in a championship rematch.
A No. 10 and 11 seed will meet to advance to the elite eight in the Southwest bracket. The new first round of the NCAA championship tournament could have been considered a play-in game, which would have been followed by elimination. Not only did Virgina Commonwealth win the game they were supposed to lose, but also knocked off Purdue to get to the sweet 16. If VCU can keep the streak for another few weeks, history will be made. VCU would be the first team to win seven games in the tournament. The No. 12-seeded Richmond will have to knock off the top seeded Kansas to keep its hopes alive as the lowest seed left.
San Diego State never won an NCAA tournament game before this year. The second seed in the West bracket will try and get by the Big East Champion UConn, before possibly playing Arizona or the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils.
George Mason could not match what the 2006 squad did and make the final four. It ran into a dominant Ohio State team that defeated its first two opponents by at least 29. Marquette is the “Cinderella” of this East bracket. The No. 11-seeded Golden Eagles will have to beat the UNC Tarheels before their hopes of a final four come true.
Here are the times and network of the sweet 16.
Thursday:
UConn vs San Diego St at 7:15 p.m. on CBS
BYU vs Florida at 7:27 p.m. on TBS
Arizona vs Duke at 9:45 p.m. on CBS
Butler vs Wisconsin at 9:57 on TBS
Friday:
Marquette vs North Carolina at 7:15 p.m. on CBS
Richmond vs Kansas at 7:27 p.m. on TBS
Ohio State vs Kentucky at 9:45 p.m. on CBS
VCU vs Floriday State at 9:57 p.m. on TBS
