Syracuse plays Indiana in the NCAAs for the second time ever Welcome to another session of Bracket Briefing, our attempt to provide you with essential information on the Big Dance — highlighting the Florida Gulf Coasts of basketball world, and forecasting the Ali Farokhmanesh moments before they happen.
Teams in the field: 16
NCAA TOURNAMENT: Updated bracket
WATCH: The 10 best buzzer-beaters of all-time
The first word: Finally, after a three-day vacation, the NCAA tournament returns with back-to-back nights of Sweet 16 showdowns that will surely give sports fans enough highlights to call in sick to work tomorrow, while we'll see the sweetest of teams get separated from the elite ones. With four games on tap tonight, a trip to the Elite Eight is only hours away. We've got you covered with a complete guide through the madness.
RELATED: Wichita State 'Final Four' good
VIDEO PREVIEW: OHIO STATE VS. ARIZONA Back to the madness: An index to help guide you through the madness Thursday night. For clarity: Games are ranked based on madness potential. Games are rated based on watchability. So, a three-star game means nothing else in your life matters, including the expense report your boss is demanding at work. Two stars means you should put your cellphone on vibrate and you can watch while folding your laundry. One star means your heart will go on if you miss this. (All times Eastern.) ** No. 2 Miami vs. No. 3 Marquette | Thursday, 7:15 p.m., CBS: Miami will be without rugged forward Reggie Johnson, who will miss this weekend with a knee injury (and possible return for the Final Four, should the Hurricanes advance). That's not a huge loss for Miami's scoring, but it will miss Johnson's toughness against a physical Marquette team. Will Marquette remained focused while rumors swirl around coach Buzz Williams? Which team wins? Miami. IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL: Miami coach back where it all began
* No. 6 Arizona vs. No. 2 Ohio State | Thursday, 7:47 p.m., TBS: Ohio State coach Thad Matta and Arizona coach Sean Miller will put their friendship on hold as each team looks to advance to the West Regional final. The Buckeyes reached the round of 16 thanks to Aaron Craft's buzzer-beater to edge past Iowa State. Meanwhile, Arizona barely broke a sweat in rolling past Belmont and Harvard by a combined 40 points. Which team wins? Ohio State. GAME CHANGER: A Final Four would be huge for Sean Miller
** No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 4 Syracuse | Friday, 9:45 p.m., CBS: The clear game of the day – befitting the pair's standing as two of the elite programs in college basketball. Syracuse is hot at the right time after a late-season swoon in Big East play. Indiana stands just a notch below Louisville as the tournament's leading contender for the national championship. This is only the second time the Orange and Hoosiers have met in the NCAA tournament. Remember Keith Smart in 1987?
Which team wins? Indiana *** No. 9 Wichita State vs. No. 13 La Salle | Thursday, 10:17 p.m., CBS: One of these two underdogs will meet the winner of Arizona-Ohio State with the chance to reach the Final Four. This game also presents one of the more intriguing matchups of the entire tournament, with La Salle's speed and quickness meeting Wichita State's size and strength. Will the Explorers' three-guard lineup run circles around the Shockers? Or will Wichita State just beat up on La Salle inside? Which team wins? Wichita State CINDERELLA WATCH: Why not to sleep on La Salle
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Tweet that speaks volume: Florida Gulf Coast coach Andy Enfield is a winner. He's a winner who took his ex-model, future-wife Amanda Marcum Enfield to Taco Bell on their first date. Now Taco Bell wants to party with him. ***
50 Most Valuable Players in the Sweet 16: There's no right way to break down the best players who are still playing in the NCAA tournament. Do we go off NBA potential or points per game? That's boring and no fun. When we pick 50 of the most valuable, well, then we're opening debatable topic. Is Kansas' Jeff Withey playing like the best player in the tournament? Sure. Will Russ Smith win Most Outstanding Player of the tourney if Louisville goes all the way as expected? Sure. But best and valuable are two different adjectives. So without further ado, the Sweet 16's most valuable players. Yes, there's 50.
Brett Comer, Florida Gulf Coast: He's not even the best player on his team, but yes, he's the most valuable on this list. Then throw in the fact that he has a riveting back story and threw the alley-oop of the tournament. Brett who? Yeah, that guy you never heard of last week at this time is on top. Only in March. Victor Oladipo, Indiana: The best defensive player and main offensive catalyst on the Hoosiers' roster. Russ Smith, Louisville: If you think this pick is "Russdiculous," watch the Cardinals play. They're nothing without his take-over ability. Ramon Galloway, La Salle: The best guard on a dangerous backcourt averages 17.4 points a night after transferring from South Carolina. Aaron Craft, Ohio State: Possibly the best defensive guard in the country, floor general for Buckeyes. Remember this buzzer-beater? Vander Blue, Marquette: Speaking of buzzer-beaters...Golden Eagles' best player had 29 points in win over Butler. Jeff Withey, Kansas: Nation's top shot blocker had 16 points, 16 boards in win over UNC. Trey Burke, Michigan: He's the player of the year, the best point guard in the country, the reason the Wolverines are in the Sweet 16. Sherwood Brown, FGCU: Offensive juggernaut for the hottest team in basketball. (Not the Miami Heat anymore). Cleanthony Early, Wichita State: Shockers' top scorer and the leader of a balanced, defensive-minded team of scrappers. Kenny Boynton, Florida: Without him, the Gators' potent offense and stingy defense would weaken. Ryan Kelly, Duke: We learned his importance to a dazzling Duke roster when he missed a chunk of the season with injury. Ben McLemore, Kansas: He's the best freshman in the country and perhaps the best draft prospect. Top scorer for KU. Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse: Nation's best assist man directs traffic and gives the Orange life when needed. Cody Zeller, Indiana: Leading scorer and rebounder for Hoosiers. Keith Appling, Michigan State: Electric guard, dynamic scorer for the Spartans. Shane Larkin, Miami: Point guard and spark plug for Jim Larranaga's veteran-laden squad. Mark Lyons, Arizona: Leading scorer for Wildcats, Sean Miller's top weapon. Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State: Go-to scorer and offensive menace for Buckeyes. Peyton Siva, Louisville: His offense and ball-hawking is needed for the Cardinals' well-oiled machine to run well. Damyean Dotson, Oregon: His 23 points helped catapult the Ducks over Saint Louis. Seth Curry, Duke: He's no Steph Curry, but Duke's fate is contingent upon his jumper's accuracy. Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan: High-flying guard who can light it up from outside, Michigan's second-best threat. Solomon Hill, Arizona: Longtime Wildcats offensive centerpiece, still the focal point of team's success. Tyreek Duren, La Salle: His penetrating style has helped the Explorers on their Cinderella run.
Read the rest of the top 50 here in this morning's Bracket Briefing.
UNDER-THE RADAR PLAYERS LEFT DANCING Junior forward Cleanthony Early leads Wichita State with 13.8 ppg and is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.2 rpg. During the Shockers' win over Pittsburgh in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Early scored 21 points and added 16 points in the squad's win over Gonzaga.
Peter G. Aiken, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Marquette guard Junior Cadougan led the Golden Eagles in assists this year with 3.9 per game. He had five dimes and no turnovers in a 59-58 win over Davidson and scored nine points in a 74-72 win against Butler that sent Marquette into the Sweet 16.
Jamie Rhodes, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Ohio State forward LaQuinton Ross more than tripled his scoring average from last season (2.0 ppg to 7.7 ppg) and shot 47 percent from the field this year. Ross, a sophomore, scored 17 points in a 78-75 win over Iowa State on only 10 shots.
Al Behrman, AP Related story Fullscreen Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon averaged 11.7 points per game for the Blue Devils as a freshman. He played well in the team's loss to Maryland in the ACC tournament and then tallied 21 points in Duke's 66-50 win over Creighton to secure the Blue Devils' spot in the Sweet 16.
Howard Smith, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Michigan State guard Brandon Dawson led the Spartans with 1.6 steals per game this season and was second on the team with 0.9 bpg. He had six rebounds, four assists, two steals and played stout defense in a 70-48 win over Memphis.
Paul Sancya, AP Related story Fullscreen Louisville Cardinals forward Chane Behanan averaged 6.3 rebounds per game, second behind Gorgui Dieng's 9.5 rpg. Behanan, whom coach Rick Pitino says reminds him of Charles Barkley, had five points and three rebounds for the Cardinals in the team's 82-56 win over Colorado State.
Mark Zerof, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen While Kansas forward Perry Ellis has been overshadowed by freshman phenom Ben McLemore, Ellis contributed 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a freshman. Ellis, who won four Class 6A State Titles in high school, had nine points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes in a 64-57 win against Western Kentucky.
Peter G. Aiken, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Oregon forward Carlos Emory scored 20 points off the bench to beat UCLA in the Pac-12 championship game. Emory, a senior, came off the bench and scored 12 points against Oklahoma State and poured in 14 points in a 74-57 win over Saint Louis.
Kelley L Cox, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Arizona Wildcats guard/forward Kevin Parrom had 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a win over Belmont. The senior fouled out in the team's win against Harvard and will be counted on when the Wildcats face Ohio State in the Sweet 16.
Steve Dykes, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen After seeing only eight minutes of action in a second round rout of Montana, Syracuse Orange center Baye Moussa Keita played 24 minutes in a 66-60 win against California. The Senegal native scored 11 points and grabbed seven boards in the win.
Cary Edmondson, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Florida Gulf Coast guard Sherwood Brown had 24 points, nine rebounds in the team's 78-68 win over Georgetown. Brown, a senior, followed that up with a 17-point performance in an Eagles win over San Diego State.
Howard Smith, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Indiana Hoosiers guard Yogi Ferrell was named to the All-Big Ten All-Freshman team and his stellar play continued in the tournament. Ferrell recorded 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a second round win over James Madison.
Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Gators guard Scottie Wilbekin led Florida in assists with five per game. The junior had 11 points and four assists in a rout of Northwestern State and 12 points and six assists in a win over Minnesota that sent Florida to its third straight Sweet 16.
Jim Cowsert, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Miami senior guard Trey McKinney Jones scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Hurricane's win over Pacific. McKinney Jones played 26 minutes in a win over Illinois that led Miami to only its second Sweet 16 appearance in school history.
Jim Cowsert, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen Michigan Wolverines forward Mitch McGary was a surprise starter for the Wolverines in a 15-point win over South Dakota State. The freshman then notched a double-double (21 points, 14 rebounds) in a 78-53 win over VCU in the third round of the tournament.
Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports
