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Mar. 28—The final four Sweet 16 games play out tonight in Atlanta and Indianapolis. Before our college basketball writer Scott Richey sets up in front of his TV for roughly six hours of hoops, he has the game-by-game breakdown:
No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Mississippi 6:09 p.m., CBS
* Why to watch: The Big Ten is nearing 21/2 decades without a national title. A mark the conference will hit if it doesn't produce a champion in two weeks. This might not be Tom Izzo
* 's most talented Michigan State team — far from it — but the Spartans have proven repeatedly this season they're tough to beat.
* Who to watch: Ole Miss' Sean Pedulla
* has eight games of 20-plus points this season. Five of those eight have come in his last nine games, with the Virginia Tech transfer choosing the right time of year for a heater. That included 20-point games in each of the Rebels' first two NCAA tournament wins.
* Who wins: Jase Richardson
* has averaged 16.2 points and shot 41 percent from three since Izzo inserted him into the starting lineup in February. Look for the freshman guard to lead the Spartans into the Elite Eight.
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Kentucky 6:39 p.m., TBS/truTV
* Why to watch:
* Tennessee finished fourth in the loaded SEC (the most competitive conference of all time) and still managed to lose twice to Kentucky in the regular season. So either the Wildcats will maintain the upper hand, or the Vols will prove the old adage of it being tough to beat a team three times.
* Who to watch: The Chaz Lanier vs. Koby Brea
* matchup could be a master class in modern offense. The Tennessee guard is averaging 18 points as a 41 percent three-point shooter this season, while his Kentucky counterpart led the SEC and ranks eighth nationally shooting 43.8 percent from the perimeter.
* Who wins: The two offenses are basically a toss-up, with Kentucky rated slightly higher. It's defense where Tennessee has a far starker advantage and can turn to Zakai Zeigler
* and Co. to bottle up the Wildcats and move on to the Elite Eight.
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 5 Michigan 8:39 p.m., CBS
* Why to watch:
* No team racked up more quality wins than Auburn heading into the NCAA tournament. Any concerns the Tigers peaked too soon, as two consecutive losses to end the regular season and a third in the SEC tournament quarterfinals might have indicated, were answered last week.
* Who to watch: Michigan can send a pair of 7-footers at Auburn's Johni Broome, but it still might not matter. If not for Duke's Cooper Flagg
* , Broome would be the runaway winner for national player of the year given his averages of 18.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, three assists and 2.2 blocks.
* Who wins:
* The Wolverines looked in trouble at the end of the regular season. Barely competitive. They've since won five straight postseason games. A streak that will end facing the tournament's No. 1 overall seed.
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 4 Purdue 9:09 p.m., TBS/truTV
* Why to watch:
* Old school college basketball fans that hate the transfer portal era might all have to rally around Purdue. The Boilermakers' is 100 percent homegrown talent — nary a transfer — that goes even deeper when you realize five of the top eight players call the state of Indiana home.
* Who to watch: Count on one of Houston's top three guards to put the team on his back at some point against Purdue. LJ Cryer dropped 30 points on Gonzaga in the second round, Milos Uzan had 25 in the Big 12 tournament title game and Emanuel Sharp
* put up 26 in the semifinals against BYU.
* Who wins: Houston has the stingiest defense in the country, a top 10 offense as complement and a coach that's flipped a mediocre program into a dominant force in not one, but now two different conferences. That's tough to beat.
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No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Mississippi 6:09 p.m., CBS
* Why to watch: The Big Ten is nearing 21/2 decades without a national title. A mark the conference will hit if it doesn't produce a champion in two weeks. This might not be Tom Izzo
* 's most talented Michigan State team — far from it — but the Spartans have proven repeatedly this season they're tough to beat.
* Who to watch: Ole Miss' Sean Pedulla
* has eight games of 20-plus points this season. Five of those eight have come in his last nine games, with the Virginia Tech transfer choosing the right time of year for a heater. That included 20-point games in each of the Rebels' first two NCAA tournament wins.
* Who wins: Jase Richardson
* has averaged 16.2 points and shot 41 percent from three since Izzo inserted him into the starting lineup in February. Look for the freshman guard to lead the Spartans into the Elite Eight.
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Kentucky 6:39 p.m., TBS/truTV
* Why to watch:
* Tennessee finished fourth in the loaded SEC (the most competitive conference of all time) and still managed to lose twice to Kentucky in the regular season. So either the Wildcats will maintain the upper hand, or the Vols will prove the old adage of it being tough to beat a team three times.
* Who to watch: The Chaz Lanier vs. Koby Brea
* matchup could be a master class in modern offense. The Tennessee guard is averaging 18 points as a 41 percent three-point shooter this season, while his Kentucky counterpart led the SEC and ranks eighth nationally shooting 43.8 percent from the perimeter.
* Who wins: The two offenses are basically a toss-up, with Kentucky rated slightly higher. It's defense where Tennessee has a far starker advantage and can turn to Zakai Zeigler
* and Co. to bottle up the Wildcats and move on to the Elite Eight.
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 5 Michigan 8:39 p.m., CBS
* Why to watch:
* No team racked up more quality wins than Auburn heading into the NCAA tournament. Any concerns the Tigers peaked too soon, as two consecutive losses to end the regular season and a third in the SEC tournament quarterfinals might have indicated, were answered last week.
* Who to watch: Michigan can send a pair of 7-footers at Auburn's Johni Broome, but it still might not matter. If not for Duke's Cooper Flagg
* , Broome would be the runaway winner for national player of the year given his averages of 18.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, three assists and 2.2 blocks.
* Who wins:
* The Wolverines looked in trouble at the end of the regular season. Barely competitive. They've since won five straight postseason games. A streak that will end facing the tournament's No. 1 overall seed.
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 4 Purdue 9:09 p.m., TBS/truTV
* Why to watch:
* Old school college basketball fans that hate the transfer portal era might all have to rally around Purdue. The Boilermakers' is 100 percent homegrown talent — nary a transfer — that goes even deeper when you realize five of the top eight players call the state of Indiana home.
* Who to watch: Count on one of Houston's top three guards to put the team on his back at some point against Purdue. LJ Cryer dropped 30 points on Gonzaga in the second round, Milos Uzan had 25 in the Big 12 tournament title game and Emanuel Sharp
* put up 26 in the semifinals against BYU.
* Who wins: Houston has the stingiest defense in the country, a top 10 offense as complement and a coach that's flipped a mediocre program into a dominant force in not one, but now two different conferences. That's tough to beat.
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