South Region: No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 2 Gonzaga (-8.5); 7:15 p.m. ET, CBS
Does UCLA have a chance here? The Bruins will need another monster performance from Tony Parker and an inspired defensive effort to slow a Gonzaga team that is shooting better than 50 percent from the field for the tournament, including a lights-out 61.5 percent effort against Iowa. UCLA is definitely a better team now, with Parker on a roll and fewer depth concerns, than earlier in the season when it lost to Gonzaga by 13, but neither SMU nor UAB (even with the Blazers’ ridiculous 3-point shooting) have presented a challenge like the Bulldogs.East Region: No. 8 NC State vs. No. 4 Louisville (-3); 7:37 p.m. ET, TBS
Louisville’s offense was borderline unwatchable at times this season, so if we are to take this improved performance against Northern Iowa — 1.20 points per possession with much better spacing and ball movement, led by Terry Rozier — and extrapolate it forward against NC State, this should be a very different game from the earlier meeting between these two teams. The key for both teams seems to be how Cat Barber and NC State’s offense handles the Cards’ defensive pressure. In the Pack’s earlier win, Barber pushed the ball, drew fouls and made Louisville pay at the line and only turned the ball over twice. Hard to imagine NC State committing just eight team turnovers again given the way Louisville played against Northern Iowa, but at the same time it’s hard to bet against a team with as much belief as Mark Gottfried’s bunch after knocking off Villanova.South Region: No. 5 Utah vs. No. 1 Duke (-5); 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS
Mike Krzyzewski said Duke got better last weekend, which is a little scary because the Blue Devils already looked like title contenders before the tournament started. Larry Krystkowiak, like Steve Fisher, will try and devise ways to bother Jahlil Okafor in the paint and force Duke out of its comfort zone. The key will not only be Okafor’s ability, or inability, to score down low but how the Blue Devils guard Delon Wright and Brandon Taylor on the perimeter. Utah has been a solid defensive team all year but its offensive production has varied greatly, normally depending on Wright’s ability to get into the lane and help create easy opportunities for others. Justise Winslow, playing in his hometown this weekend, has blown us away with blocks, steals, incredible rebounding efforts and a seemingly endless energy. He’ll be a part of that perimeter defensive effort from Duke and the X-factor in getting the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight.East Region: No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Oklahoma (+2); 10:07 p.m. ET, TBS
Make an extra pot of coffee Friday because the late games are likely to be the best of the night. Both of these teams are at their best when they get out and run; OU can get in transition off turnovers while Sparty likes to “blitz and break” off makes and misses. Travis Trice and Buddy Hield won’t go head-to-head, per se, but definitely could end up trading key buckets if this game is tight down the stretch.
Tom Izzo is on a roll with this group — admittedly less talented than your average Spartans squad — tweaking the team’s game plan as needed and relying on the senior leadership of Trice and Branden Dawson during the postseason run. Oklahoma has mostly flown under the radar during the tournament, save for Hield’s game-saving block against Dayton, but Lon Kruger will be back on the map if the Sooners can stop MSU’s streak and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since Blake Griffin was suiting up in Crimson in 2009.
