Super Sweet Saturday

The Men’s and Women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 action tips off today!

March 27, 2021

Tipoff

It’s the freakin’ weekend, dear readers, and the hottest thing to do is glue your eyes to the television. Let’s take a look at three of the biggest individual matchups on tap today:

Paige Bueckers vs. Caitlin Clark. The first game of the day features the most anticipated player-versus-player matchup in either tournament. A pair of freshman phenoms are going head-to-head. For those not in the know, Caitlin Clark led the nation in scoring for Iowa at a ridiculous 26.5 points per game. She has unlimited range on her jump shot but is much more than a scorer. Paige Bueckers is the National Player of the Year candidate for #1 UConn. She does it all, from scoring to dishing out assists like they are going out of style. While the game is much more than just these two players, it is hard not to recognize the moment and potential of these two stars that could face off for years in college and the WNBA.

Buddy Boeheim vs. Quentin Grimes. One of the stars of the first weekend of the men’s tournament has been the coach’s son, Buddy “Buckets” Boeheim. The Syracuse guard has been the second best shooter, after Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. Buckets has helped 11-seed Syracuse make another run from bubble team to the second weekend. He and the Orange will go against Quentin Grimes and the Houston Cougars late tonight.Grimes is the former Kansas guard that has resurrected his career under head coach Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars do it with defense, but Grimes can light it up, too. Grimes dropped 22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in a tough 63-60 win over Rutgers in the second round.

Sister Jean’s Miracle Touch vs. Pac-12 Magic. The Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago are a lot more than their 101-year old team chaplain, but who doesn’t love Sister Jean? After their stirring run to the Final Four in 2018, Loyola-Chicago finds themselves in a new situation today; they are the favored team. Oregon State and the Pac-12 as a whole has had magic of their own. The Beavers finished the regular season 6th and just 10-10 in conference play. After a run to the conference tournament title, head coach Wayne Tinkle’s team has had a relatively easy time dispatching of Tennessee and Oklahoma State. Will Oregon State be able to break through against Loyola-Chicago center Cameron Krutwig and the stifling Ramblers defense?

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Tournament Tracker

It’s The Big Dance! Let’s take a look at NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament action and what lies ahead.

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16

  • #8 Loyola-Chicago vs. #12 Oregon State (2:40 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #1 Baylor vs. #5 Villanova (5:15 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #3 Arkansas vs. #15 Oral Roberts (7:25 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #2 Houston vs. #11 Syracuse (9:55 p.m. EDT on TBS)

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16

  • #1 UConn vs. #5 Iowa (1:00 p.m. EDT on ABC)

  • #2 Baylor vs. #6 Michigan (3:00 p.m. EDT on ABC)

  • #1 NC State vs. #4 Indiana (6:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2)

  • #2 Texas A&M vs. #3 Arizona (8:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2)

The Mixtape

The Field of 68 team puts out lots of great content each week. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

  • Lisa Byington is the first woman to serve as play-by-play caller for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and has spent a career on the microphone covering all sorts of sports for the Big Ten Network. There just isn’t anyone better to talk hoops for this weekend, including the B1G teams in the women’s tournament Sweet 16. She joins Christy’s Court and Maryland Hall of Famer Christy Winters Scott to get you set for the action this weekend.

  • The men of the moment join Eric Devendorf of the Scorer’s Table podcast to talk to Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim and star guard Buddy Boeheim. They appear to be related, but the research team hasn’t figured out the connection yet. At any rate, the two discuss their somewhat unsurprising run to the Sweet 16 this season. After so many unexpected runs to the second weekend as a lower seed, it’s not surprising anymore, is it?

  • Let’s be honest, your bracket is busted and all you care about now is watching awesome basketball matchups. Who better to break down the matchups than Tim Miles? Inside the Mind of Miles goes to the film room to look at the Sweet 16 matchups in the men’s tournament. You’ll want to watch this to get ready for the plays that are going to determine the game outcomes for Loyola-Chicago, Oral Roberts, USC, and Syracuse.

  • Jeff Goodman is one of the most well-connected men in the sport. He brings in special guest Scott Van Pelt, noted Maryland alumnus and ESPN anchor, to break down the Sweet 16 and discuss the coaching carousel. If you can’t have Robbie Hummel, SVP is a decent replacement. The two discuss the retirement of Lon Kruger, the rumors of more coaching changes to come, and the exciting game action on tap this weekend.