A No. 16 seed trying to be the first to reach the Sweet 16 and several traditional powers — Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan State — headline Sunday’s schedule as the men’s NCAA tournament wraps up its second round. Here’s what you need to know:
Complete weekly NCAA Tournament schedule
(All times ET)
- no. 3 Xavier vs. no. 11 Pittsburgh | 12:10 pm | CBS
- no. 3 Kansas State vs. no. 6 Kentucky | 14:40 | CBS
- no. 2 Marquette vs. no. 7 Michigan State | 17:15 | CBS
- no. 4 Connecticut vs. no. 5 Saint Mary’s | 18:10 | TNT
- no. 3 Baylor v. no. 6 Creighton | 19:10 | TBS
- no. 9 Florida Atlantic v. no. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson | 19:45 | TruTV
- no. 4 Indiana vs. no. 5 Miami (Fla.) | 20:40 | TNT
- no. 3 Gonzaga vs. no. 6 TCU | 21:40 | TBS
Follow The Athletic‘s live coverage of the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Games to watch
no. 3 Kansas State vs. no. 6 Kentucky — odds (via BetMGM): Kentucky -2.5 | ML -150 | O/U 144.5
These are the No. 23 and No. 24 teams in the country, according to KenPom’s rankings, so on paper it’s a close matchup. Kansas State’s 5-foot-8 guard Markquis Nowell filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 14 assists, six rebounds and three steals in the Wildcats’ first-round win over Montana State. Kentucky star Oscar Tshiebwe had 25 rebounds against Providence, the most by any player in an NCAA Tournament game since 1977. K-State was the Big 12’s worst defensive rebounding team.
no. 2 Marquette vs. no. 7 Michigan State — Odds (via BetMGM): Marquette -2.5 | ML -145 | O/U 140.5
The Athletic‘s Bracket Breakers model gives Michigan State the best chance of any team to pull off an upset Sunday. The Spartans are the most accurate 3-point shooting team remaining in the tournament, shooting 39.4 percent from long range. Marquette’s 78-61 win over Vermont snapped a drought for both the program and the coach: It was the Golden Eagles’ first tournament since 2013, and also for Shaka Smart, who hasn’t had March success since his time at VCU.
no. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. no. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson — odds (via BetMGM): FAU -15.5 | ML -1200 | O/U 149.5
A great story will make it to the Sweet 16 either way. With a win Sunday, Fairleigh Dickinson would go from the last team in the field — the 68th seed — to a Sweet 16 game at Madison Square Garden, about 15 miles from the team’s arena in Hackensack, N.J. Fla. Atlantic, meanwhile, beat its first game of the NCAA Tournament against Memphis on Friday to improve to 32-3 and continue the best season in program history.
GO DEEPER
Fairleigh shocker: How Knights of FDU became second 16 seed to defeat No. 1
NBA draft prospects to watch
- Cason Wallace, Kentucky guard (vs. Kansas State, 2:40 p.m. ET on CBS)
- Jordan Hawkins, UConn wing (vs. Saint Mary’s, 6:10 p.m. ET on TNT)
- Keyonte George, Baylor quarterback (vs. Creighton, 7:10 p.m. ET on TBS)
- Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana wing (vs. Miami, 8:40 p.m. ET on TNT)
- Colby Jones, Xavier guard/wing (vs. Pittsburgh, 12:10 p.m. ET on CBS)
Required reading
(Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
