March Madness 2014: Sweet 16 TV Schedule, Matchups, Updated Point Spreads and Players To Watch

Dayton college basketball — No.11 Dayton is the lowest seed in the Sweet Sixteen. Reuters

A week ago, 68 teams were given a spot in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Now, less than a quarter of the original field has a chance to win the national championship.

The Sweet Sixteen is set to begin on Thursday, March 27. Ten of the top 16 seeds survived the first weekend. Including three of the No. 1 seeds. Three double-digit seeds will have their March Madness runs continue this week.

Wichita State is the only No.1 seed that didn’t make its way past the Round of 32. They were defeated by No.8 Kentucky, who was the top college basketball team in the preseason. The Wildcats handed the Shockers their first loss of the season, after they had become the first team to go 35-0 in a season. Now, Kentucky will face Louisville, who was already considered the favorite to advance from the Midwest Region.

The tournament has seen a number of upsets, but most of the higher seeds are expected to advance to the Elite Eight. No.4 Michigan State is the only lower seed that is favored in their Sweet Sixteen matchup. They are giving No.1 Virginia a point in East Regional semifinal. The Cavaliers are underdogs, despite being dominant in their first two tournament games. They defeated Coastal Carolina and Memphis by an average of 14.5 points.

No.1 Arizona has been named the biggest favorites in the Sweet Sixteen. Following their 23-point victory over No.8 Gonzaga, the Wildcats are giving No.4 San Diego State six points. The game is a rematch from Nov. 14, when Arizona went to San Diego State and left with a 69-60 victory. Nick Johnson led the way with 23 points.

The first game on Friday features No.3 Iowa State vs. No.7 UConn. It’s expected to be the highest-scoring affair on the entire schedule, with an over/under of 146.5. The Cyclones are averaging 89 points per game in their two tournament games, even after losing Georges Niang to a broken foot.

Below is the complete schedule of Sweet Sixteen games, including the TV channels, start times, and betting odds. The listed betting lines are the consensus odds from multiple sportsbooks in Las Vegas.

Thursday, March 27

7:15 p.m. ET, CBS: (11) Dayton+2.5 vs. (10) Stanford, 133

Player To Watch: Chasson Randle, Stanford

Prediction: Stanford

7:47 p.m. ET, TBS: (6) Baylor+3 vs. (2) Wisconsin, 136.5

Player To Watch: Brady Heslip, Baylor

Prediction: Baylor

9:45 p.m. ET, CBS: (4) UCLA+5 vs. (1) Florida, 137

Player To Watch: Kyle Anderson, UCLA

Prediction: Florida

10:17 p.m. ET, TBS: (4) San Diego State+6 vs. (1) Arizona, 122.5

Player To Watch: Nick Johnson, Arizona