Round three of the NCAA basketball tournament begins this Thursday, March, 28 and will feature four games. All four of these Sweet 16 games will be great games to watch, but I’m going to rank them counting down to the absolute best game to watch on Thursday. Here we go:

4.

#3 Purdue vs. #2 Tennessee

South Region

7:29 p.m.

TBS

Purdue has really flew under the radar this season, but they share the Big Ten regular season title with Michigan State. I don’t think a lot of people realize that. They are coming off a 26-point thrashing of last year’s champion Villanova. I mentioned last week that this team is very dangerous when guard Carsen Edwards gets hot, and that’s exactly what he did scoring 42 against the Wildcats. He went cold for part of the season and they still finished at #13 in the country. Tennessee looked like they were going to run away from Iowa last game, but gave up a 25-point lead and needed overtime to win. They have been a really good team all season long, but you have to wonder how confident Volunteer fans are after last game. They are an experienced team with great veteran leadership, so that will definitely help. But will it help enough? I think Carsen Edwards don’t make quite as many shots as last game and Tennessee will regroup after their shaky game to escape with a victory here.

3.

#3 Texas Tech vs. #2 Michigan

West Region

9:39 p.m.

CBS

We have another #3 vs #2 matchup with this game. Texas Tech hasn’t had a tough time yet in this tournament with a 15-point win in the first round and a 20-point win over Buffalo in the second. They are very dominant on the defensive end of the floor, throwing teams out of their rhythm, and are effective on the offensive end as well. They shared the Big 12 regular season title with Kansas State, with a 14-4 record. Michigan hasn’t had a difficult time in this tournament either with a 19-point win and 15-point win. This team was hotter than any team in the country for the first half of the season, but lost six games total, including three to rival Michigan State. The Wolverines are a pretty fun team to watch when they get on a roll. They also have the benefit of a veteran coach in John Beilein who knows what it takes to experience success in the tournament. In my bracket I took Texas Tech to the Final Four, so I’m sticking with that pick and hope to ride them to perhaps a tournament bracket victory.

2.

#12 Oregon vs. #1 Virginia

South Region

9:59 p.m.

TBS

Oregon is on fire right now and hasn’t lost since February 23. They rolled right through the Pac-12 tournament, winning the championship game by 20 over Washington and have won both of their tournament games by 18 and 19 points. They’re one of those teams that picked up its play at the right time and will certainly give Virginia all it can handle. Virginia had a stellar season, but the Cavaliers are always questionable this time of year. They rely heavily on defense, which sometimes doesn’t bode well for them in March when teams play with a win-or-go-home style. They will definitely present the biggest test of the year for Oregon, though. My biggest question is how will the tough strength of schedule Virginia faced all year factor against the Ducks’ hot streak? Even though I originally picked Virginia in this game in my bracket, I’m going with the hot hand with the Ducks in this one.

1.

#4 Florida State vs. #1 Gonzaga

West Region

7:09 p.m.

CBS

I expect this one to be a heck of a game. Gonzaga has a very dangerous team that is more than capable of winning it all, but will meet a very talented, athletic, and long Florida State team. The Seminoles made it to the Elite Eight a year ago and have veteran players hungry to get them back. They are simply one of those teams that is talented enough to give any team in the nation problems. I thought their last game against Murray State would’ve been a great game, but they handled them easily by 28 points. Gonzaga features a balanced, well-coached team and they finally proved they can advance far in the NCAA Tournament when they made it all the way to the championship game in 2017. They blew out Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round by 38 and bounced Baylor from the tournament in the second round with a 12-point victory. I just have a special feeling this one will come down to the wire, and may even need extra time to produce a winner. I have Gonzaga in my bracket, and while I’m tempted to go with the very talented Seminoles, I think I’ll stick with my pick and go Bulldogs by 1.

Garett

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