- The Field of 68 Daily
- Posts
- Setting up the Sweet 16
Setting up the Sweet 16
Houston vs. Illinois could be the best game of the night, while Arizona and Arkansas seem headed for a track meet. What to watch for in the South and West Regions. Plus: two new notable portal entrants, the NIT Final Four is set, Bill Self says retirement rumors are "b.s." (for now, Will Wade reportedly considering move back to LSU and much more.
Mike Miller
March 26, 2026
Good morning! We’ve got NCAA Tournament basketball resuming tonight!
In partnership with D1.relocation
Relocating a coaching family is a massive financial undertaking, but it shouldn't be a guessing game. D1.relocation provides expert fiscal oversight, ensuring you maximize your relocation stipend without leaving money on the table.
In fact, 93% of D1.relocation clients spend less than their relocation stipend!
CLICK HERE to schedule a no-obligation, confidential relocation plan with D1.relocation today!
1. Big Ten teams invade Houston’s turf
Houston’s technically not the home team for the South Regional semifinals and finals. That’s Rice.
Regardless, Illinois coach Brad Underwood doesn’t care. He’s just focused on winning.
That’s a good attitude, because he’s right. The Illini (26-8) have enough to worry about when it comes to 2-seeded Houston.
The Cougars (30-6) feature one of the sport’s elite defenses. They force turnovers once every five possessions, hold opponents to just 45.3% inside the arc (9th-best in D-I), and have the size up front — 6-8, 6-11 and 6-11 — to compete with Illinois — 6-9, 7-1 and 7-2 — which negates one of Illinois’ biggest advantages against most teams.
Even more compelling is Illinois’ drop defense, which encourages teams to take mid-range jumpers. That’s Houston’s preferred offensive approach.
Still, if it sounds like Illinois doesn’t have a chance, that’s wrong. This should not only be a close, dramatic game and the best of the night.
The other South Regional game, 4-seed Nebraska vs. 9-seed Iowa, is the rubber match between two teams that split their regular-season series.
Iowa (23-12) won in Iowa City (let’s hope it’s not similar to that 57-52 pace), while the Cornhuskers (28-6) closed their regular-season with an 84-75 OT home win vs. Iowa.
That game saw the Hawkeyes commit a season-high 19 turnovers, and struggle to score in its half-court sets, something that wasn’t an issue in their Round of 32 win over Florida. Will we see them attempt more 3s to stretch the Nebraska defense? Or will they maintain their patience against the Huskers’ no-middle defense and rely on Bennett Stirtz to create all the offense? I’d lean the latter. (7:30 pm ET on TBS)
2. Arizona-Arkansas track meet headlines the West
I don’t know how much defense will be played in the late game for the late West Region game between top-seeded Arizona and 4-seed Arkansas.
And I’m not sure how much I care. I’m rooting for a game similar to what I watched as a kid in the 1994 Final Four. That game was awesome.
Will it be the defense-optional affair Arkansas had against High Point? Probably not that extreme. But it’ll certainly be a stark contrast to the other game in the late timeslot. And with nearly 80 projected possessions, it’ll feel like a Summer League game by comparison to Thursday’s other matchups.
And that’s what the Razorbacks (28-8) want. They’re 9-2 in their last 11 games, and they’ve won by outscoring teams through the dynamic play of point guard Darius Acuff. Because they’re not getting ANY stops. Opponents have scored an average of 45 points per game in the paint against Arkansas in that stretch.
And if you’re Arizona (34-2) with a team that gets 57% of its scoring from inside the arc, that’s playing with fire, as the After Dark crew noted.
The early West game also should feature plenty of points. Two-seed Purdue (29-8) boasts the sport’s most efficient offense and a decent defense (33rd). 11-seed Texas features a Top 15 offense and a so-so defense (81st). One of the few things the Longhorns (21-14) have going for them is they don’t mind playing slow and they’ve got size to contend down low in big man Matas Vokietaitis.
Can he hang with Trey Kaufman-Renn AND Oscar Cluff? Probably not. But he and forward Dailyn Swain just have to keep Purdue from gobbling up offensive rebounds. If they can do that, they’ll at least have a chance. (7:10 pm ET on CBS)
3. Self not retiring; Wade may bolt + more coaching news
Bill Self said after Sunday’s loss to St. John’s that he’d take time to evaluate a return to the sideline in 2026-27. But retirement rumors circulated on X.com/Twitter on Wednesday because of same fake accounts (thanks for the blue checkmark mess, Elon), so KC Star reporter Gary Bedore asked the Kansas coach if there was any truth to the rumors.
