NCAA® Men's Sweet 16® Preview: What to Watch With Sling TV
After an exciting opening to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, here’s what to watch for in the Sweet 16® and beyond.
How does it feel to be one of the 16 teams left in NCAA Men’s March Madness ®? In a word: Sweet.
The field for College Basketball's Sweet 16 ® is set. Half the teams are No. 1 or No. 2 seeds, an indication of how “chalky” the tournament has been so far. In fact, the lowest seed still alive in the tournament is No. 11 NC State, and as ACC Tournament champions, they’re hardly a Cinderella. But what the first two rounds may have lacked in upsets, they made up for in quality. That should carry over into the Sweet 16, where some of the best teams and top players are on a collision course with win-or-go-home stakes. Here's a look at the four games available with Sling, followed by a preview of each.
2024 NCAA® Men's March Madness®: Sweet 16, plus NIT Games on ESPN
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How to Watch the 2024 NCAA Sweet 16 with Sling TV
With the Sweet 16 broadcasts split between TBS and CBS, Sling will carry four of the eight games (subscribe to Paramount+ to stream the games on CBS). Here’s a look at the 2024 Sweet 16 games available on Sling. To watch these games, plus the Final Four and National Championship – not to mention the NCAA Women’s and NIT tournaments on ESPN – use the link below to subscribe to Sling Orange.
https://main--sling--aemsites.aem.page/aemedge/fragments/try-sling-orange
NCAA Games on Thursday, March 28, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/embed/EQ3qQzmpEjE?si=5_GO9u2onPfpAjoq
#5 San Diego State vs. #1 UConn - 7:30pm ET, TBS
Befitting their status as the No. 1 overall seed, UConn stomped through the first two rounds of the tournament, blowing out Stetson by nearly 40, then easily handling Northwestern in a 75-58 win. They play hard, they’re well-coached, and having won it all a year ago, they know what it takes to go the distance. DraftKings currently lists them as +210 favorites to win their second-straight championship; the next closest team is Houston with +500 odds.
Their Sweet 16 game is a rematch of last year’s national championship, when UConn defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 76-59. That adds another layer of intrigue to this year’s matchup, where the stakes are personal for the Aztecs. SDSU certainly has to feel confident going into the matchup; although they survived a tough battle with UAB in the first round, they dominated a frisky Yale squad in the second round, setting up the showdown with UConn that they undoubtedly circled when the brackets were revealed last week.
#3 Illinois vs. #2 Iowa State - 10:00pm ET, TBS
Iowa State finished behind only Houston in the Big 12 regular season, and their stifling defense has been on display through the tournament’s first two rounds. In the opening frame against South Dakota State, the Cyclones allowed just 65 points, and they bested that in the second round, when they held a good Washington State team to only 56 points while nabbing 13 turnovers. Iowa State is also heating up from behind-the-arc: as ESPN points out, they’re ninth in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage over their last four games. Combined with their smothering defense, the Cyclones are a solid dark horse pick to make the Final Four ®.
Still, Iowa State’s defense will face a difficult test against No. 3 Illinois. Terrence Shannon Jr. has averaged over 30 points per game during his team’s current six-game winning streak, which dates back to their Big Ten Tournament victory. The Fighting Illini have scored over 85-points in both of their tournament games, and after advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005, they’re playing with a ton of confidence. This game should be a classic battle between a great offense and a great defense.
NCAA Games on Friday, March 29, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/embed/9kQULUo4Ho0?si=Kj2xLsaDk68mbbsI
#5 Gonzaga vs. #1 Purdue - 7:30pm ET, TBS
Two years in a row, Zach Edey has topped the Associated Press men's college basketball All-America team, unanimously. But last year, the 7-foot-4 star was sent home in a shocking first round upset. Looking for redemption in Edey’s senior season, Purdue has the largest margin of victory of all Sweet 16 teams, winning their first two games by an average 33.5 points. If they can continue to ride their big man for another 25 PPG, the Boilermakers should find themselves in the Final Four by the end of the weekend.
They’ll first need to get past a Gonzaga team that’s also looking to get rid of some tournament demons. Three years ago, they lost to Baylor in the national championship. Two years ago, the ‘Zags entered the NCAA Tournament undefeated, only to get bounced by Arkansas in the Sweet 16. Last year, they entered the season with a near-consensus No. 1 ranking, but were sent home in the Elite Eight ® by eventual champion UConn. Mark Few is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in the country, but he’s yet to win an NCAA championship. In terms of legacy, this Sweet 16 matchup will have ramifications for years to come, for both squads.
#3 Creighton vs. #2 Tennessee - 10:00pm ET, TBS
One year ago, no one outside of Northern Colorado had even heard of Dalton Knecht. Fast-forward 12 months and some think he could single-handedly lift the Volunteers to an NCAA championship. After averaging 21-points per game and shooting nearly 40% from the 3-point line in the regular season, the senior shooting guard was named SEC player of the year. While his numbers were down in Tennessee’s close win over Texas, he made over half his shots from the field in the first round, and is projected as a possible lottery pick in next year’s draft. Knecht is the type of difference-maker that could swing a game on his own.
He may need to, because Creighton, conversely, has a whole bunch of really good players. Although their second round game against Oregon went to double overtime, the Bluejays had four different players score at least 18 points, and their ball-movement wears opponents down and opens up bursts of scoring (they beat Oregon by 13-points by dominating the second frame of overtime). Team cohesion versus individual brilliance has always been one of the most exciting things about the sport of basketball, and this Sweet 16 matchup should be a prime example of this dynamic.
Key Dates
- Sweet 16®: March 28-29 (TBS, CBS)
- Elite Eight®: March 30-31 (TBS, CBS)
- Final Four®: April 6 (TBS)
- Championship: April 8 (TBS)
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