Half of the field has been eliminated from the The 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket, so now eight spots in the Sweet 16 will be on the line as the second round starts on Saturday. It really is a loaded slate with some of the most significant brands in college sports on a massive stage, but the schedule also attributes two of the year’s huge upset darlings with 13-seed Furman and 15-seed Princeton seeking to establish themselves as correct Cinderellas by punching a ticket to the tournament’s second weekend. 

The No. 1 seeds from the West Area (Kansas), Midwest Area (Houston) and South Area (Alabama) all face difficult tests with their seasons on the line, and every has their personal issues about getting capable to carry out to peak prospective. Throw in the expansive attain that comes with applications like Duke, UCLA, Texas and Penn State, AND Saturday’s second round will demand the interest of sports fans everywhere regardless of how broken anyone’s bracket may perhaps be. 

Here’s some of the most significant storylines to retain in thoughts for Saturday’s second-round action.     

Princeton, Furman appear to retain magical seasons alive 

For the third season in a row, a 15 seed upset a two seed in very first round of the NCAA Tournament. The final two — Oral Roberts in 2021 and Saint Peter’s in 2022 — won the subsequent game and sophisticated to the Sweet 16. That is now the challenge at hand for 15-seed Princeton, which broke the bracket open with its upset win against two-seed Arizona on Thursday. Princeton has not reached the Sweet 16 because the tournament expanded, with its very best finish coming from a Final 4 look in 1965. The Tigers do have Round of 32 appearances in 1983, 1996 and 1998 but lost in every of these games. Head coach Mitch Henderson was a Princeton player for the 1996 and 1998 teams, and now he’s seeking to lead his alma mater to new tournament heights when the Tigers face 7-seed Missouri. 

Furman could possibly have delivered a single of the very best shots and most thrilling moments we’ll get all tournament with its game-winning steal and three-pointer in the final seconds against four-seed Virginia. The Paladins, the 13 seed in the South Area, had not won an NCAA Tournament game because 1974, and prior to Thursday, that was the only tournament win in plan history. Furman’s efforts to attain the Sweet 16 for the very first time because the tournament expanded will kick off Saturday’s action as the Paladins face five-seed San Diego State. 

Availability queries for Alabama, Houston and Kansas

All 3 1 seeds that are in action Saturday carry a substantial quantity of intrigue, at very best, and uneasiness, at worst, about their teams heading into their second-round games. Very first there is No. 1 general seed Alabama, which saw All-American freshman Brandon Miller go scoreless in the tournament opener in aspect for the reason that of a hamstring injury that kept Nate Oats from making use of him extensively in the Crimson Tide’s 96-75 win against Texas A&ampM-Corpus Christi. It was the very first time Miller had been held scoreless all season, even though he played just 18 minutes. Though he’s anticipated to play in Alabama’s second-round game against Maryland, he was once again restricted through the Crimson Tide’s practice on Friday. Houston began the tournament with injury issues about star guard Marcus Sasser, and these issues had been brought back to the forefront when he reaggravated his groin injury in the Cougars’ opening-round win against Northern Kentucky. Producing matters worse was a knee injury sustained by fellow guard Jamal Shead, even though each players indicated just after the game their strategy is to play on Saturday against Auburn. 

Then we have Kansas, which is not dealing with player availability concerns but rather queries surrounding whether or not two-time national championship-winning coach Bill Self will return to the sideline. Self, who underwent a heart process and missed the entirety of the Large 12 Tournament as properly as the Jayhawks’ very first-round win against Howard, has been thought of “day-to-day” in terms of returning as the team’s in-game coach. He has been with the group in practice and some meetings, but whether or not he will coach against Arkansas has however to be determined. 

Game of the day: (1) Kansas vs. (eight) Arkansas

What an definitely delightful second-round matchup amongst the reigning national champions and an Arkansas plan that has reached the Elite Eight in back-to-back years beneath Eric Musselman. This will test Kansas’ potential to mix and match lineups, which tends to make Self’s availability especially notable as Norm Roberts may perhaps be tasked with orchestrating the substitution patterns against a lengthy and athletic Arkansas rotation. Nick Smith, the Razorbacks’ freshman superstar, did not even have a especially robust game in the win against Illinois and the group nonetheless almost went wire-to-wire thanks to tenacious defense and robust showings from Ricky Council, Davonte Davis and Anthony Black. Kansas was exquisite in its tournament opener against Howard with freshman star Gradey Dick flying all more than the floor and totaling 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way. The 96 points scored are the most by Kansas in a tournament game because 2017 and the most scored by a reigning champion in subsequent tournament game because Florida in 2007 — the very first win of the Gators’ repeat title run. 

In the end, Kansas’ potential to advance to the Sweet 16 may perhaps not lie with Bill Self’s availability but the play of essential veterans: point guard Dajuan Harris and Large 12 Player of the Year Jalen Wilson. The oddsmakers have produced this point spread a single of the tightest lines a 1-seed has faced in the second round in years, and if these expectations play out, it will come down to stops and shots in the final minutes. 

Verify out the complete Television and streaming schedule for Saturday’s second-round NCAA Tournament action beneath. 

Second round

Saturday, March 18

12:ten p.m.(13) Furman vs. (five) San Diego State
Amway Center — Orlando
CBS (watch reside)
two:40 p.m.(five) Duke vs. (four) Tennessee
Amway Center — Orlando
CBS (watch reside)
five:15 p.m.(eight) Arkansas vs. (1) Kansas
Wells Fargo Arena — Des Moines
CBS (watch reside)
six:ten p.m.(15) Princeton vs. (7) Missouri
Golden 1 Center — Sacramento
TNT (watch reside)
7:ten p.m.(9) Auburn vs. (1) Houston
Legacy Arena — Birmingham
TBS (watch reside)
7:45 p.m.(ten) Penn State vs. (two) Texas
Wells Fargo Arena — Des Moines
CBS (watch reside)
eight:40 p.m. (7) Northwestern vs. (two) UCLA
Golden 1 Center — Sacramento
TNT (watch reside)
9:40 p.m.(eight) Maryland vs. (1) Alabama
Legacy Arena — Birmingham
TBS (watch reside)