Men’s March Madness live updates: Today’s Sweet 16 scores, NCAA Tournament highlights

Men’s March Madness continues Thursday night with the first slate of Sweet 16 games. Two top seeds in action highlight tonight’s NCAA tournament schedule. No. 1 UConn and No. 5 San Diego State face off in a rematch of last year’s national championship game while No. 1 North Carolina takes on No. 4 Alabama.

Clemson’s Chase Hunter (1) shoots against Arizona’s Keshad Johnson.

Men’s NCAA Tournament games are airing and streaming across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.

USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest news, scores, analysis and more all day. Follow along.

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Men’s March Madness Sweet 16 games today

Here is Thursday’s full schedule Sweet 16 schedule:

Clemson capitalizing on Arizona’s slow start

LOS ANGELES — It’s been all Tigers so far in Los Angeles with Clemson’s offense finding rhythm while Arizona has yet to wake up.

After going inside early, Clemson has started to shoot the ball outside and it has worked with two 3-pointers. Meanwhile Arizona is an abysmal 2-for-13 to start the contest and its turned the ball over four times. Guard Caleb Love, who has had great tournament success, is 0-for-5. Clemson has controlled the pace and prevent the Wildcats from moving quickly. — Jordan Mendoza

UConn gets unreleased Kobe 6 sneakers ahead of Sweet 16 courtesy of Vanessa Bryant

The Connecticut Huskies will have sweet feet for their Sweet 16 matchup.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s widow, gifted the team with unreleased Nike Kobe 6 Protro sneakers. The shoes are in the “Italian Camo” colorway with a dark green base and red swoosh. They pay homage to the NBA icon’s heritage in Italy.

The Huskies posted photos of the sneakers on their social media and a video of the players receiving their surprise. Several gasped when they opened their shoe box.

This edition of the Kobe 6 sneakers, originally released in 2011, isn’t available to the public yet. According to SneakerFiles, they will drop on April 13 with a retail price of $190. — Victoria Hernandez

Clemson up with early lead

LOS ANGELES — Clemson isn’t afraid of the No. 2 seed with an early 6-3 lead after five minutes of play.

Arizona is off to a sloppy start to the game after it missed its first six shots and are currently 1-for-8 from the field with three turnovers. Meanwhile Clemson has gone inside early and often, attacking the Arizona bigs. All of the Tigers’ points so far have come near the basket. — Jordan Mendoza

Arizona-Clemson kicks off Sweet 16

LOS ANGELES — The second weekend of the men’s NCAA Tournament is underway with Arizona and Clemson facing off in the first Sweet 16 game.

Clemson is one of four ACC teams left in the tournament, the most of any conference. No. 2 seed Arizona is the only Pac-12 school remaining. Arizona certainly will enjoy a somewhat home-court advantage, as they are the only team in the region that didn’t have to fly over the Mississippi River to play in Los Angeles.

The winner of this game will play the winner of No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 4 seed Alabama. — Jordan Mendoza

NCAA Tournament games tonight

Here is the complete scoreboard for Thursday’s Sweet 16 games.

What time does Sweet 16 start? 

The first game, between No. 2 Arizona and No. 6 Clemson, tips off just after 7 p.m. EDT.

What channel is March Madness on?

CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV will air first- and second-round games. CBS and TBS will air Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. CBS will air the men’s Final Four and championship game.

How to stream March Madness on your phone 

You can catch every second by streaming every game through a few different options. All games will be broadcast across CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV, but here are additional streaming options to watch all the action on your devices.

Arizona’s Oumar Ballo on Wildcats’ Sweet 16 experience, his bond with other African players

Arizona is about to open Sweet 16 play against Clemson. The Wildcats will be led by senior center Oumar Ballo, who is averaging 12.9 points and 10 rebounds per game. In an interview posted to the team’s X page, Ballo spoke on what the Sweet 16 run means.

“It does feel special because not every team have the opportunity to make it this far,” he said. “We are aware of that and we’re grateful that we made it and then we know that we still have a long, long way to go.”

The Wildcats bring lots of experience to the regional semifinal. Senior Keshad Johnson played in last year’s national championship with San Diego State. He faced Jaden Bradley in the Sweet 16 when his teammate was on Alabama. Caleb Love has also gone to the national championship. He did so with North Carolina in 2022.

“It helps a lot,” Ballo said. “… It’s just gonna help us ‘cause we’ve been there, we’ve done it and we know what it takes to be at this situation. So, we’re gonna take full advantage of that.”

Ballo, who hails from Mali, said his family back in Africa stays up late at night to watch his games. He explained the bond he has with other players from West Africa. Connecticut’s Youssouf Singare is also from Mali and Houston’s Cedric Lath is from the Ivory Coast.

“Africa’s big but West Africa’s not that big,” he said. “Whenever there’s a high-measure program where there’s a good player on that team, we always try to get in touch and it’s nothing but respect and love because I’m one of them. It’s not easy to live from Africa to make it all the way this far. I’m nothing but proud for those guys and I’m grateful that I was able to play with them or play against them.” — Victoria Hernandez

Clemson bracing for Arizona’s ‘raucous crowd’

LOS ANGELES — North Carolina might be the No. 1 seed in the West Regional, but there’s no team feeling more at home than Arizona.

The No. 2 seed had the shortest travel distance of any West Regional Sweet 16 team, and the fanbase has been known to come in large numbers whenever the team is in Southern California. Now with the Wildcats two wins away from their first Final Four appearance since 2001, expect a mostly pro-Arizona crowd inside Crypto.com Arena.

“I know it will be a raucous crowd with a lot of Arizona fans,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said on Wednesday. “But we’re super excited to be here. Our guys have worked really hard, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity.” — Jordan Mendoza

Men’s March Madness schedule 

Here is the men’s NCAA Tournament schedule:

• First round: March 21-22 
• Second round: March 23-24  
• Sweet 16: March 28-29  
• Elite Eight: March 30-31  
• Final Four: Saturday, April 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. 
• NCAA championship game: Monday, April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. 

March Madness expert picks: Our bracket predictions for 2024 NCAA men’s tournament

The madness continues, and so does USA TODAY Sports’ expert picks and predictions. Click here to see the selections for Thursday night’s matchups.

March Madness expert brackets: Predictions for 2024 NCAA men’s tournament 

The experts have dissected the men’s NCAA Tournament bracket, providing sleepers, Final Four matchups and upset predictions. Your chances of filling out a perfect bracket are miniscule, but maybe you need a few tips to win your office pool. We’ve got you covered with a look at how to pick an upset and a look historically at how the seeds have performed in the NCAA Tournament. Three of our five USA TODAY experts have UConn as their picks to win the national title on April 8. Here are our expert picks.

Sweet 16 schedule and locations 

Here is the full schedule for today and where games are being played.

March Madness 2024 game locations 

Here are all the venues hosting tournament games over the next couple weeks:

• Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — Boston (TD Garden), March 28-30
• Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — Dallas (American Airlines Center), March 29-31
• Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — Detroit (Little Caesars Arena), March 29-31
• Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — Los Angeles (Crypto.com Arena), March 28-30
• Final Four — Glendale, Arizona (State Farm Stadium), April 6
• National championship — Glendale, Arizona. (State Farm Stadium), April 8

What to know about Caleb Love, the North Carolina transfer who is now leading Arizona 

The Arizona Wildcats are once again a high seed in the men’s NCAA Tournament, but leading the team is a newcomer with plenty of NCAA Tournament experience: Caleb Love. In his fourth college basketball season, Love has been a leader for a Wildcats team that will be a No. 2 seed in the West region of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Pac-12 Player of the Year’s teammates have called him their best player and head coach Tommy Lloyd said he is grateful to have on his team.

“This is a guy who’s had the highest of highs in college basketball and the lowest of the lows. His experience is invaluable to us,” Lloyd told USA TODAY Sports. “I love him, and I’m lucky to have him.” Here is what you need to know about Arizona star guard Caleb Love.

What to know about R.J. Davis, UNC’s senior star and ACC player of the year 

During his senior year, R.J. Davis averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 43.3% from the field and 41.1% on 3-pointers. Davis’ 21.1 points per game leads the ACC this year. Here’s everything to know about him.

Why Alabama is the sleeper pick in the West Region 

The Crimson Tide rank 346th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 81.1 points a game and are just five spots ahead of Houston Christian, the nation’s worst ranked scoring defense. More bad news: The Crimson Tide have lost four of their past six games, and in three of those defeats gave up more than 100 points.

Which are valid reasons to be snoozing on Alabama – at your own risk. The Crimson Tide can heat up in a hurry. They rank No. 1 in the country in scoring offense with 98 points per game and their 3-point shooters are among the best in the country. Three of their players are shooting better than 40 percent from behind the three-point stripe. Despite the defensive deficiencies, the SEC has helped prepare Alabama for the tournament. If the Crimson Tide play at their high-octane best, they could be in position for a Sweet 16 shocker against North Carolina. — Josh Peter

Who will win the East Region? UConn 

OK, so let’s get real: Anyone other than UConn winning the region and going to the Final Four would be a big surprise. (Anyone other than UConn winning the whole thing might be a big surprise, actually.) The Huskies are long, deep, explosive, dripping with athleticism and loaded with the sort of confidence you’d expect from the defending champs. The Huskies are built to handle the intensity of tournament play and will benefit from the depth developed while battling some injuries during the regular season. — Paul Myerberg

Looking back: UConn beat San Diego State for last year’s national championship

Thursday’s Sweet 16 action features a rematch of last year’s title game between then-No.4 UConn and then-No. 5 San Diego State. The Huskies dominated the matchup, 76-59, to win their fifth national championship.

Tristen Newton led UConn with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Adama Sanogo, who was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Newton is back on the Huskies and is averaging 15.2 points per game. Sanogo now has a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls and the G-League Windy City Bulls.

Keshad Johnson, who will be playing for Arizona in a Sweet 16 game earlier on Thursday, had 14 points and four rebounds in the Aztecs’ first national championship appearance. — Victoria Hernandez

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl to join Jay Wright, Candace Parker for Sweet 16 in-studio coverage

Bruce Pearl is taking in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament from a different seat this year.

The Auburn basketball coach will join Seth Davis, Jay Wright, Candace Parker and Adam Lefkoe at the reporters table from TNT Sports’ studios in Atlanta for Sweet 16 in-studio coverage, as announced by the networks on Thursday.

Pearl is available this year as Auburn was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round by 13 seed Yale last Friday. — John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK

Why Jim Nantz isn’t calling 2024 March Madness games 

As the men’s NCAA Tournament begins, fans may be wondering where Jim Nantz, voice synonymous with one of the most popular events in college sports is.

Nantz decided the 2023 NCAA Tournament would be his last so he could focus on his family and other broadcasting commitments. Nantz didn’t retire from broadcasting; He’s still calling The Masters and serves as the lead play-by-play person for CBS’ NFL coverage alongside Tony Romo. The duo were in the booth for Super Bowl 58 in February. — Jordan Mendoza

Who will win the West Region? Arizona 

The long wait is over for the Wildcats. They’ll win the West Region and head to the Final Four for the first time since 2001.

Sure, the skeptics are howling: But Arizona lost two of its past three games! Including a 78-65 setback against lowly Southern California! Nonetheless, these Wildcats are built for an extended run thanks to a versatile eight-man rotation. Scoring? Got it. Arizona ranks third in scoring offense with 87.7 points per game. Caleb Love, the senior guard, leads the team in scoring at 18.1, and each of the team’s four other starters are averaging at least 9.8.

Size? Ample. Oumar Ballo, the 7-footer from Mali, is averaging 13.1 points, a team-best 10.1 rebounds and leads the team in blocks with 40. Arizona also can bring in 7-2 freshman Motiejus Krivas and cause shooters to think twice in the paint. The bench? Good enough to keep the starters fresh. Yes, Arizona lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament semifinals. But don’t forget the Wildcats also beat Duke in Durham, North Carolina, when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 2. — Josh Peter

Men’s March Madness schedule 

Here is the men’s NCAA Tournament schedule:

• First round: March 21-22 
• Second round: March 23-24  
• Sweet 16: March 28-29  
• Elite Eight: March 30-31  
• Final Four: Saturday, April 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. 
• NCAA championship game: Monday, April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. 

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Men’s March Madness live updates: Today’s Sweet 16 scores, NCAA Tournament highlights