NCAA Tournament Day 8 Features North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas as Teams Compete for Spot in Elite Eight

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Mar 23, 2012

NCAA Tournament Day 8 Features North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas as Teams Compete for Spot in Elite EightHalf of the Elite Eight has been filled, and after Friday night, four other teams will move on as the NCAA Tournament continues.

Three double-digit seeded teams will try and continue their Cinderella runs in these Sweet 16 matchups, but the competition won't be easy. Two number one seeds will also be in action tonight, to try and avoid the fate that fell upon Michigan State on Thursday night.

Here are the games to look out for on Friday, March 23. Be sure to check out our in-depth Associated Press previews.

7:15 p.m. — Xavier vs. Baylor (-6 1/2)

ATLANTA — Baylor vs. Xavier is more than an undercard to the highly anticipated Kentucky-Indiana rematch.

The Bears and Musketeers are building their own impressive resumes heading into their round of 16 matchup Friday night for a spot in Sunday's South Regional final. Read the complete preview here

7:47 p.m. — Ohio vs. North Carolina (-11)

ST. LOUIS — Ohio is happy to make room for anyone who wants to jump on the bandwagon.

Just don't expect the Bobcats (29-7) to buy into that whole lovable underdog thing. Read the complete preview here

9:45 p.m. — Indiana vs. Kentucky (-9 1/2)

ATLANTA — At Kentucky, the bar is set a lot higher than most places.

National championship or bust.

"It's Kentucky," coach John Calipari said. "Do you expect anything else?" Read the complete preview here

10:17 p.m. — North Carolina State vs. Kansas (-8)

ST. LOUIS — Tyshawn Taylor and the rest of the Kansas Jayhawks know better than to focus on seeds this time of year. Especially when it comes to those nasty No. 11s.

It was exactly one year ago that their bracket seemed to be opening up nicely for another Final Four run. The fourth and fifth seeds in their region went down in the second round, and the second and third quickly followed them out. That left VCU standing in the top-seeded Jayhawks' way. 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 Bovada.net

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