March Madness moves quickly. In the blink of an eye, the NCAA men's tournament field goes from 64 to 16 in the span of four days. Sunday marks the last day of that span with eight second-round matchups that will complete the Sweet 16 that will continue their seasons next week.
There's three No. 1 seeds − Houston, Purdue and defending champion Connecticut − that will look to get expected victory. There's some big brand names with Duke and Baylor hoping to advance. And there's some giant-killers lurking with James Madison, Grand Canyon and Yale all back in action after pulling of upsets in the first round.
It's a little bit of everything which portends the potential for the drama of buzzer-beaters and shocking results. And isn't that what we love about the tournament every year?
Looking set your viewing plans? Here's the March Madness schedule for Sunday (all times Eastern):
The Golden Eagles were in this spot last year as a No. 2 seed and fell to Michigan State. Now they'll have to get past the high-scoring Buffaloes, who put up 102 points against Florida in the first round and have won 10 of their last 11. Tyler Kolek returned from an abdominal injury and scored 18 points in the first round as Marquette overcame a slow start against Western Kentucky. A slow start will be more difficult to overcome Sunday.
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The Aggies are one of two Mountain West teams remaining out of the six that made the tournament. They haven't made the Sweet 16 in their previous 12 appearances since 1998. To get there, Utah State will have to find a way to contain the Boilermakers and 7-foot-4 big man Zach Edey. The responsibility to slow Edey could fall to the Aggies star Great Osobor. Should they battle to a draw, the pressure could fall on Purdue and maybe their history of early tournament exits could weigh heavily.
The Dukes are tied for first in the country in wins after their defeat of Wisconsin that saw them control the game throughout. The Blue Devils will provide a greater challenge with Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain, two of the top talents in tournament. Terrence Edwards Jr. does have the ability to carry James Madison and keep things close, however he'll need help from teammates.
A tricky matchup for the Bears, who have been knocked out in the second round in the past two seasons. The Tigers can defend, but can they defend well enough to slow down the multitude of scoring options that Baylor brings? Ja'Kobe Walter (14.4 ppg) is one of six double-figure scorers they'll have to contend with. Clemson can turn to PJ Hall and Joe Girard if it needs to respond.
A contrast of styles with Lopes hoping to slow the tempo and the Crimson Tide wanting put up shots at a frantic pace. Alabama's weakness is defense, which could provide openings for Grand Canyon star Tyon Grant-Foster. If the Tide sharpshooters Mark Sears and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. are making their 3-point efforts, then this could get out of hand.
Nobody has slowed the Huskies in the past two NCAA Tournaments. The unenviable task falls to the Wildcats, who will need a big game from star Boo Buie and another standout effort from Ryan Langborg, who had a game-high 27 points in their defeat of Florida Atlantic. Still, it might not be enough with Connecticut able to turn to numerous options on offense, led by Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer.
A clash of former Southwestern Conference foes could have the makings of a tight encounter. The Cougars will bring their No. 1 scoring defense to contend with Aggies backcourt of Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford. The battle of the backboards should also be critical with Texas A&M leading the country in offensive rebounds and ranking fifth in rebound margin. Houston will look to Jamal Shead to make the key plays down the stretch.
The Aztecs will look to continue riding Jason LeDee, who set a school record for scoring in a NCAA Tournament game with 32 points in their first-round defeat of Alabama-Birmingham. Their experience from last year's run to the championship game could be valuable against the Bulldogs, who took down SEC tournament champions Auburn to get the second tournament win in school history. John Poulakidas was outstanding with 28 points in the victory, but the San Diego State defense is difficult to solve.