Top Sweet 16 matchups to watch out for in March Madness 2024 ft. Duke vs. Houston
The March Madness tournament is officially in full swing as both the men's and women's tournaments shift to the Sweet 16 this week. As the top teams advance into the next stage of the tournament, there are many matchups that will have college basketball's top talent on display.
With just 16 teams remaining from the 68 programs that began the tournament, a champion is a few steps closer to being crowned. All matchups in this round will surely be action-packed, but here are the top matchups to watch out for in the Sweet 16 of 2024 March Madness.
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Top Sweet 16 matchups to watch out for in March Madness 2024
#1 UConn vs. San Diego State
One of the Sweet 16 matchups in the East region is a rematch of the March Madness title game from last year. The No. 1 seed UConn Huskies will meet the No. 5 seed San Diego State Aztecs on Thursday night, with tip-off scheduled for 7:39 p.m. EST on TBS.
The UConn Huskies are the top overall seed in the tournament and have shown why through their first two games. Their first matchup against Stetson was a 91-52 rout, with all five starters finishing in double-figure scoring. Their second round matchup was a 75-58 victory over Northwestern, with guard Tristen Newton and center Donovan Clingan both finishing with a double-double.
San Diego State got an early scare in the first round from UAB but ultimately came out on top 69-65. They advanced to play No. 13 seed Yale and would hit their stride handily, beating the Bulldogs 85-57.
Jaedon Ledee has been one of the most outstanding players in all of March Madness this year. He finished with 32 points and 8 rebounds in the first game, followed by 26 points and 9 boards in round two.
#2 Illinois vs. Iowa State
This clash of respective conference champions closes out the first night of matchups in the Sweet 16 beginning at 10:09 p.m. EST on Thursday night. No. 3 seed Illinois will take on No. 2 seed Iowa State to face the winner of UConn and San Diego State in the Elite Eight for the East Region.
Iowa State has continued to dominate on the defensive side of the ball the same way they did in the regular season. They beat South Dakota State in round one 82-65 and Washington State 67-56 in the second round. The Cyclones have been stifling their opponents on defense, forcing more than 10 turnovers in both games of the tournament.
Illinois has been very steady through the first two games of the tournament, winning both matchups by 16 points. Senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. continues to score at a high clip, just as he did during the regular season, averaging 28 points through the first two rounds.
Senior forward Marcus Domask made history in the first round when he recorded the 10th triple-double in March Madness history. He finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Illini's 85-69 victory over Morehead State.
#3 UCLA vs. LSU
The No. 3 seed LSU Tigers will matchup against the No. 2 seed UCLA Bruins from Albany, NY, at 1:00 p.m. EST on Saturday. This Sweet 16 matchup will pit the reigning champions against a UCLA team that has taken down California Baptist and Creighton through the first two rounds of the women's tournament.
LSU has defeated their first two March Madness opponents by double digits to begin their quest for back-to-back titles. They took down Rice in round one, 70-60, with four starters finishing in double-figure scoring and Angel Reese finishing with a double-double. Reese and Aneesah Morrow both finished with double-doubles in LSU's second-round 83-56 victory over Middle Tennessee State.
UCLA Bruins easily got past California Baptist in the first round, 84-55, followed by a tight 67-63 win over Creighton. The Bruins were missing their leading scorer, Lauren Betts, in their March Madness opener. But she didn't miss a beat in her return to the floor in round two, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists.
#4 Duke vs. Houston
The No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils will take on the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars on Friday night at 9:39 p.m. EST in the Sweet 16 of the South Region. Both teams are poised to continue their March Madness run to face either NC State or Marquette in the Elite Eight.
Duke has been dominant in both of their wins, beating Vermont 64-47 in the first round, followed by a 93-55 victory over James Madison in the second round. Freshman Jared McCain shot lights in the Blue Devils victory over James Madison. He shot 10-15 from the field and made eight total threes, finishing with 30 points.
The Houston Cougars dismantled Longwood in the first round, winning 86-46 behind 17 points from LJ Cryer and 11 points and 9 rebounds from Jamal Shead. They did get a scare from Texas A&M having to play an overtime period before defeating the Aggies 100-95. Jamal Shead finished with a 21-point, 10-assist double-double, and Emanuel Sharp poured in 30 points on seven threes.
#5 Notre Dame vs. Oregon State
The No. 2 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish will matchup with the No. 3 seed Oregon State Beavers in this Sweet 16 March Madness matchup on Friday at 2:30 p.m. EST. The winner of this game will await either South Carolina or Indiana in the Elite Eight.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have won both games of the tournament by double digits. They defeated Kent State 81-67 in round one, followed by a 71-56 victory over Ole Miss in round two. In the last game, the junior guard Sonia Citron finished with a double-double in round 2, tallying 17 points and 10 rebounds, along with 6 assists.
Freshman Hannah Hidalgo has also been extremely impressive in the first two March Madness games of her career. She finished with 14 points, 11 assists, and 6 steals in Notre Dame's first-round win over Kent State. Then, she returned with a 19-point, 4-rebound, 4-assist, and 4-steal performance against Ole Miss in round two.
The Oregon State Beavers defeated Eastern Washington 73-51 in the first round of March Madness, followed by a 61-51 victory over Nebraska in round two. The Beavers got two 19-point outings from two different players in each of their first two games of the tournament.
Raegan Beers finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds against Eastern Washington. Talia Von Oelhoffen recorded 19 points with 8 assists in their victory over Nebraska.
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