March Madness Sweet 16 Upset Alerts Worth Watching on Friday

The drama of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is over. Now it’s time for business.

Spots in the Final Four will be on the line this weekend, but before teams can start thinking about Indianapolis, they must handle things in the Sweet 16.

Only one Top-2 seed has been eliminated after Iowa’s stunning upset of No. 1 seed Florida on Sunday, but several elite teams will have their hands full beginning on Thursday.

Cinderella Volunteers

The action could really start to pick up on Friday when No. 6 seed Tennessee battles No. 2 seed Iowa State in the Midwest Region. The Cyclones were delivered a brutal blow when their leading scorer, Joshua Jefferson, was injured in the opening minutes of their Round of 64 victory over Tennessee State.

Jefferson’s absence didn’t hurt Iowa State’s chances of advancing to the Round of 32, winning by 34 points, but many thought it could be a problem against the size and athleticism of Kentucky.

The Wildcats built a lead as big as 12 points but quickly squandered it away. They trailed by one, 31-30, going into halftime and were run off the floor in the second half, losing by 18 points.

It proved that the Cyclones, led by Tamin Lipsey and Milan Momcilovic, are still capable of making a run to the Final Four but a completely new challenge will be in its path with Tennessee.

The Volunteers ran Miami (OH) out of the gym in the Round of 64 and have already delivered an upset with their win over No. 3 seed Virginia in the Round of 32. Led by Ja’Kobi Gillespie and star freshman Nate Ament, Tennessee could be poised for another upset if Joshua Jefferson is unable to play.

Jefferson was on crutches last weekend, but there is some optimism for his availability in the Sweet 16, although it’s unclear how effective he will be if he gets on the floor.

Tipoff between Iowa State and Tennessee is 10:10 p.m. ET (TBS).

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Duke on Upset Alert?

Another top seed that could be on upset alert is the top overall seed, Duke.

The Blue Devils looked extremely mortal for most of the opening weekend, squeaking by No. 16 seed Siena and using a massive run late to separate against No. 9 TCU. The good news for Duke was that its starting center, Patrick Ngongba, returned from a three-week absence in the Round of 32 and the expectation is that he will be available for the remainder of the tournament.

Jon Scheyer also expressed some belief that starting guard Caleb Foster could return this weekend after undergoing foot surgery two weeks ago, but that remains unlikely.

Now it’s the story of the tournament, Rick Pitino and St. John’s, that will get its crack at the Blue Devils on Friday night in Washington D.C., marking the program’s first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 1999.

The Red Storm beat Kansas on a buzzer-beating layup by Dylan Darling after squandering a double-digit lead with under eight minutes to play. They possess the tools necessary to give Duke a test.

Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, and Dillon Mitchell comprise one of the best frontcourts in the country, but have not seen a player like Cameron Boozer yet this season. St. John’s will need a strong performance from its guards, Oziyah Sellers, Ian Jackson, and Darling, to hit enough 3-pointers to make the Blue Devils uncomfortable.

Tipoff is 7:10 p.m. ET (CBS).

The upsets were limited during the first weekend but the Sweet 16 could bring the chaos back to March Madness.