After an exciting week of NCAA Tournament action, the field has been reduced from 68 teams down to 16. Only one team will be able to cut down the nets next month in Indianapolis, with Thursday serving as another step toward determining who will be playing in the 2026 Final Four.
The fun begins in San Jose when No. 11 seed Texas faces No. 2 seed Purdue (7:10 p.m. ET, CBS and March Madness Live). The Longhorns are the only double-digit seed remaining in the Big Dance and have gone from the First Four to the Sweet 16 after beating NC State, BYU and Gonzaga. After that game ends, No. 4 seed Arkansas, led by star freshman Darius Acuff Jr., will face No. 1 Arizona (9:39 p.m. CBS and March Madness Live) .
The winners of those games meet in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
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No. 9 Iowa is fresh off a win over reigning national champion Florida last weekend, and up next on the schedule is a matchup against Big Ten foe Nebraska (7:10 p.m., TBS and March Madness Live). The No. 4 seed entered the NCAA Tournament as the only high-major team without a win in the Big Dance. Since then, Nebraska has won two NCAA Tournament games in less than a week.
After that game ends, No. 3 seed Illinois faces No. 2 seed Houston (10:09 p.m. TBS and March Madness Live) in arguably the best Sweet 16 matchup on the entire schedule. The winner of that game will face Iowa or Nebraska in Houston, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Let’s get into some of the big storylines to know for Thursday’s Sweet 16 action.
Elite freshman duos meet in Arizona vs. Arkansas
Arkansas vs. Arizona will mark the first time in Sweet 16 history where the top two scorers in points per game on each team are both freshmen. For Arkansas, that would be Acuff and fellow guard Meleek Thomas. And for Arizona, its dynamic duo of guard Brayden Burries and Koa Peat has been one of the best in the sport, regardless of class.
Acuff is coming off a week to remember in the NCAA Tournament. Acuff scored 60 points in Arkansas’ wins over Hawaii and High Point. That’s the most of any freshman through the first two games in NCAA Tournament history, which surpassed the record (57 points) that was previously held by Kevin Durant, Zion Williamson and Cam Thomas. Burries and Peat combined to score 30 points in Arizona’s win over Utah State in the second round. College basketball fans haven’t seen a matchup with this kind of freshman star power on both sides in quite some time.
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Big Ten foes meet in the Big Dance
Raise your hand if you predicted that Nebraska would face Iowa in the Sweet 16 at the start of the season? If you did, buy yourself a lottery ticket because this is the most unlikely Sweet 16 matchup on the entire slate. Nebraska had never won an NCAA Tournament game before defeating Troy in the first round last week, while Iowa hadn’t advanced to the second weekend since 1999.
Nebraska beat Vanderbilt in a thrilling game to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Iowa, in Year 1 of the Ben McCollum era, defeated reigning national champion Florida after Alvaro Folgueiras drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds remaining to advance. This game marks the third meeting between the Big Ten foes, with each team winning once during the regular season.
Best game is saved for last
The last game of the night will be one of the best of the entire tournament when No. 2 seed Houston faces No. 3 seed Illinois . While the depth of Houston and Illinois stand out from a lot of teams still playing in the NCAA Tournament, both have elite freshmen on the roster. That would be Keaton Wagler for Illinois and Kingston Flemings for Houston. Wagler and Flemings are both projected top 10 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Houston lost last year in the national title game to Florida on literally the final possession of the game when it couldn’t get a shot off, down two points. The Cougars are seeking redemption with a return to the Final Four. Because Rice University is the official host of this regional, Houston has a chance to play for a Final Four berth in its hometown. Illinois hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2005.
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Thursday’s NCAA Tournament streaming schedule
Games played at Toyota Center (Houston) and SAP Center (San Jose)
Time (ET)GameTV / Stream7:10 p.m.(11) Texas vs. (2) Purdue || San JoseBrian Anderson / Jim Jackson // Allie LaForceCBS (watch live)7:30 p.m.(9) Iowa vs. (4) Nebraska || HoustonKevin Harlan / Robbie Hummel, Stan Van Gundy // Lauren ShehadiTBS (watch live)9:45 p.m.(4) Arkansas vs. (1) Arizona || San JoseBrian Anderson / Jim Jackson // Allie LaForceCBS (watch live)10:05 p.m.(3) Illinois vs. (2) Houston || HoustonKevin Harlan / Robbie Hummel, Stan Van Gundy // Lauren ShehadiTBS (watch live)
