There are a few surprises among these final Sweet 16 matchups, but for the most part, this side of the bracket has teams many expected to be here: Kansas, Villanova, Duke and Purdue are all No. 1 or 2 seeds. Will they survive into the Elite Eight?
(All times ET)
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 5 Clemson
7:07 p.m. CBS, Midwest Region
Player to watch: Kansas guard Devonte' Graham. A finalist for the Wooden Award as the top player in college basketball, Graham was his usual self in a win over Penn, scoring 29 points and playing 39 minutes. But a hit to the head in the second round against Seton Hall limited his effectiveness. Graham passed the in-game concussion protocol and stayed in, but the Jayhawks are going to need more than just a few points from him against a more difficult opponent in Clemson.
Key stat: 31. It's worth revisiting just how badly Clemson beat Auburn in the second round to make its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1997. The 31-point win was the largest for Clemson in any NCAA tournament game, and the largest for the Tigers against a top-25 team. As Kansas coach Bill Self said, "Watching them was like watching a clinic."
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 5 West Virginia
7:27 p.m, TBS, East Region
Player to watch: Villanova forward Mikal Bridges. Jalen Brunson is the Wooden Award candidate, but Bridges has had an impressive March. In six games, he has averaged 21.3 points and five rebounds and was the catalyst in the second half of the Wildcats' big win over Alabama to get them back into the Sweet 16. In that half alone, he scored 22 points.
Key stat: 18. West Virginia forced 18 turnovers in its win over Marshall in the second round, a byproduct of its aggressive defense. It is probably safe to say that Villanova hasn't been challenged with the type of defense that Bob Huggins prefers his teams play. Only once this season has Villanova had more than 18 turnovers in a game -- 19 in a loss to Providence in February.
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 11 Syracuse
9:37 p.m., CBS, Midwest Region
Player to watch: Duke forward Marvin Bagley III. Bagley is the top remaining future NBA lottery pick in the NCAA tournament, so watch him in college while you still can. He leads Duke in scoring (21.2 points per game) and rebounding (11.3) and is a threat both inside and outside, and his defense has improved since Duke switched to the zone. He's a walking matchup advantage for the Blue Devils, and his presence gives them an excellent shot at making it back to the Final Four.
Key stat: 44. Duke held Syracuse to a season-low 44 points in the teams' only ACC matchup this season. That could be a sign of things to come in their rematch: Both teams play zone defense almost exclusively now, and that tends to keep the scoring down, at least when these two are involved. Duke scored 60 in the first meeting; Syracuse has held three straight opponents under 60.
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 3 Texas Tech
9:57 p.m., TBS, East Region
Player to watch: Purdue forward Matt Haarms. The spotlight is on the redshirt freshman, starting in place of injured center Isaac Haas (elbow). His biggest strength is as a shot-blocker. In fact, he ranks fifth nationally in blocks among freshmen. For the Red Raiders, it's Keenan Evans, who has averaged 22.5 points in the tournament.
Key stat: 64.6. While Purdue boasts one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, Texas Tech has one of the best scoring defenses. The Red Raiders are limiting teams to 64.6 points per game, No. 15 in the nation. Purdue has scored 66 points or fewer five times this season; it has losses in four of those games. So the objective seems pretty clear from the Red Raiders' perspective: Holding the Boilermakers under 70 points increases their chance to win.