Preview Roundups
March 23, 2018
Clemson at Kansas 7:07 PM ET
Clemson was picked to finish 13th out of 15 teams in the preseason ACC poll and lost its second-leading scorer Donte Grantham to a season-ending knee injury in January, but the fifth-seeded Tigers find themselves two wins from the Final Four. Clemson, making its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1997, takes on top-seeded Kansas on Friday night in a Midwest Region semifinal at Omaha, Neb.
West Virginia at Villanova 7:27 PM ET
Few NCAA Tournament teams, if any, looked better than Villanova during the opening weekend. The top-seeded Wildcats aim for a third straight blowout Friday when they take on East Region fifth seed West Virginia in a Sweet 16 matchup in Boston.
Syracuse at Duke 9:37 PM ET
Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone has flustered opponents during this NCAA Tournament just like it seems to whenever Syracuse makes the Big Dance, but it has been Mike Krzyzewski's use of the same defense that has made Duke equally stingy. The two winningest coaches in Division I college basketball history will attempt to outwit one another yet again Friday in Omaha, Neb., as the No. 2 seed Duke meets the 11th-seeded Orange in a Sweet 16 matchup.
Texas Tech at Purdue 9:57 PM ET
Purdue and Texas Tech last met on a basketball court in 1988 at Municipal Coliseum in Lubbock. But the Boilermakers, seeded No. 2 in the East Regional, have a much more recent history with the coach of Friday night's Sweet 16 opponent at TD Garden Arena in Boston, Chris Beard of the third-seeded Red Raiders.