While the NCAA tournament has been crazy so far, the best is yet to come, as Thursday kicks off the first set of Sweet 16 matchups.
A pair of number one seeds will try and avoid the upset bug, and several other big name programs try and punch their ticket to the Elite Eight.
Here are the games to look out for on Thursday, March 22. Be sure to check out our in-depth Associated Press previews.
7:15 p.m. — Wisconsin vs. Syracuse (-3 1/2)
BOSTON — One plays zone all the time. The other goes man-to-man from start to finish.
Defense will be the key when top-seeded Syracuse faces fourth-seeded Wisconsin in the East Regional semifinals on Thursday night. It's just going to be which style will prevail. Read the complete preview here
7:47 p.m. — Louisville vs. Michigan State (-5)
PHOENIX — Watching his team commit the same mistake for the third time in less than a minute, Louisville coach Rick Pitino screams, "Stop!," shakes his head in disgust and moves the players into the position he expected them to be in.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo marches around players much taller than he is, clapping and barking out orders, imploring them to run faster, work harder as they race around the court. Read the complete preview here
9:45 p.m. — Cincinnati vs. Ohio State (- 7 1/2)
BOSTON — There are 347 schools playing Division I men's basketball. Thirteen are from Ohio. Four of those are among the 16 teams still playing in the NCAA tournament.
Only one calls itself The Ohio State University. Read the complete preview here
10:17 p.m. — Florida vs. Marquette (-2)
PHOENIX — They hand out the biggest trophy – the NCAA championship trophy – on the first Monday in April, not the first Monday in March.
No two teams could be happier about this than Marquette and Florida. Read the complete preview here
Keep track of the all the action with our completely updated NCAA tournament bracket. NESN.com's college basketball coverage is presented by Bodava.net
