:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49161287/usa-today-9202702.0.jpg)
The 2016 NCAA Tournament has been among the best editions of March Madness we've ever seen. We've seen buzzer-beaters and amazing comebacks, including one of each for and against Northern Iowa. We've seen an unfathomable No. 15 over No. 2 upset and the first day of No. 13, No. 14, and No. 15 seeds all winning in tournament history. We've seen some absolute barn-burners between David and Goliath.
Now it all gets a little more predictable.
While the first four days of the NCAA Tournament were all about uncertainty and chaos, chalk is the watchword for the Sweet Sixteen, where just six of 16 teams weren't projected to be here by seed line. It's even worse on Thursday, where just one team, No. 5 seed Maryland, didn't simply march to this point as a top-four seed.
Apart from hoping for some big upsets of No. 1 seeds on Thursday and Friday night, I think what we're left to root for are good basketball games. And, hey, I like college basketball, maybe more than most, but I know that most sports fans who watch the NCAA Tournament aren't watching purely for the aesthetic value of college hoops.
Here's hoping that chalk provides entertainment like chaos did.
And here's the TV schedule for the Sweet Sixteen.
NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 Schedule
Thursday, March 24th
| Tip (ET) | Network | Site | Region | Game | Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:10p | CBS | Louisville | South | (2) Villanova Wildcats vs. (3) Miami-Florida Hurricanes | Jim Nantz/Grant Hill/Bill Raftery//Tracy Wolfson |
| 7:37p | TBS | Anaheim | West | (3) Texas A&M Aggies vs. (2) Oklahoma Sooners | Verne Lundquist/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce |
| TBD | CBS | Louisville | South | (1) Kansas Jayhawks vs. (5) Maryland Terrapins | Nantz/Hill/Raftery//Wolfson |
| TBD | TBS | Anaheim | West | (4) Duke Blue Devils vs. (1) Oregon Ducks | Lundquist/Spanarkel//LaForce |
Friday, March 25th
| Tip (ET) | Network | Site | Region | Game | Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:10p | CBS | Chicago | Midwest | (1) Virginia Cavaliers vs. (4) Iowa State Cyclones | Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Dan Bonner//Lewis Johnson |
| 7:27p | TBS | Philadelphia | East | (6) Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. (7) Wisconsin Badgers | Brian Anderson/Steve Smith//Dana Jacobson |
| TBD | TBS | Philadelphia | East | (1) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. (5) Indiana Hoosiers | Anderson/Smith//Jacobson |
| TBD | CBS | Chicago | Midwest | (11) Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. (10) Syracuse Orange | Harlan/Miller/Bonner//Johnson |