The field continues to dwindle as the NCAA Tournament marches on, and tickets to the Sweet 16 await the winners of Sunday’s games.
On Saturday, Jack Gohlke and No. 14 Oakland had their Cinderella hopes dashed when they fell in overtime to NC State. Gonzaga reached its ninth straight Sweet 16 with a win over Kansas. Jayhawks coach Bill Self caused some uproar following the loss after admitting he’s been thinking about next season ‘for the last month.’
Three of the four No. 1 seeds will be in action Sunday, as Purdue, Houston and defending champion UConn all try to advance beyond the second round after UNC, the top seed in the West Region, took care of business with a win over ninth-seeded Michigan State on Saturday.
Sunday schedule (tip-off times, network, location)
12:10 p.m.: No. 2 Marquette versus No. 10 Colorado (CBS, Indianapolis)
2:40 p.m.: No. 1 Purdue versus No. 8 Utah State (CBS, Indianapolis)
5:15 p.m.: No. 4 Duke versus No. 12 James Madison (CBS, Brooklyn)
6:10 p.m.: No. 3 Baylor versus No. 6 Clemson (TNT, Memphis)
7:10 p.m.: No. 4 Alabama versus No. 12 Grand Canyon (TBS, Spokane)
7:45 p.m.: No. 1 UConn versus No. 9 Northwestern (truTV, Brooklyn)
8:40 p.m.: No. 1 Houston versus No. 9 Texas A&M (TNT, Memphis)
9:40 p.m.: No. 5 San Diego State versus No. 13 Yale (TBS, Spokane)
Players to watch
Besides the stars on the biggest teams, here are a few worth keeping your eye on in Sunday’s action:
- Tyon Grant-Foster, Grand Canyon: Grant-Foster led all scorers with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds in the Antelopes’ 75-66 upset over No. 5 Saint Mary’s on Friday, and his stats this season prove that performance was no fluke. He has scored at least 20 points in six of Grand Canyon’s last eight games.
- KJ Simpson, Colorado: The first-team All-Pac-12 point guard was Colorado’s leading scorer with 23 points Saturday, but it was his final bucket in the last second of the game that cemented him as the hero of the 102-100 win over No. 7 seed Florida. Simpson buried a jumper from the baseline that clanged around the rim to send the Buffaloes further into the bracket. Can Colorado keep the momentum rolling to take out a second-seeded Marquette that struggled against 15th-seeded Western Kentucky?
- John Poulakidas, Yale: The junior guard said the Bulldogs’ scrappy victory over SEC champion Auburn “wasn’t a one-man show,” but he was definitely a main character in the thrilling victory. Poulakidas finished with a career-high 28 points and hit a clutch 3-pointer to give Yale a 73-72 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
- James Madison’s defense: OK, this isn’t technically a player to watch, but JMU’s defense is worth your attention. The 12th-seeded Dukes forced 19 turnovers that led directly to 27 points in their 72-61 win over No. 5 Wisconsin. JMU jumped all over the Badgers from the opening tip and never trailed in the game, forcing turnovers, pushing the ball in transition and setting the pace and physicality against a Big Ten foe. Now the Dukes will face a bigger test in a different kind of Duke — the No. 4 Blue Devils.
Required reading
For ticket information on all tournament games, click here.
(Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
