NCAA tournament Sweet 16: What you need to know for Friday’s men’s matchups

The biggest college basketball tournament is here, bringing plenty of excitement and storylines. Will we see Cinderellas pull upsets, or will the bluebloods keep their grip on the tournament? With the power of a reliable connection always important during a successful tournament run, we’re keeping you connected to the can’t-miss headlines and standout moments from every round.

The Sweet 16 continues Friday night with four more games.

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The Elite Eight in the East and Midwest regions will be finalized after the final teams in the South and West were decided Thursday night. Here’s what you need to know for Friday as the third round of the men’s NCAA tournament continues.

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John’s

Why not begin the evening with what could be the marquee game of the round? Duke looked much more like itself in the second half of its win over TCU, while St. John’s got a buzzer beater from Dylan Darling to take down Kansas.

The Red Storm are one of the best defensive teams in the country … but Duke might be better. The Blue Devils rank No. 1 in KenPom’s defensive metrics and got forward Patrick Ngongba II back against TCU. He came off the bench and played 13 minutes in his first action since March 2. He should see more time than that on Friday night.

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Ngongba’s minutes could be incredibly significant. He and Maliq Brown can be tasked with guarding Big East player of the year Zuby Ejiofor to ease the defensive burden on consensus national player of the year Cameron Boozer. The 6-foot-9 Ejiofor is averaging 16 points and seven rebounds a game and scored 18 points with nine rebounds against the Jayhawks.

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Cayden Boozer has seamlessly slotted into the starting lineup at point guard in Caleb Foster’s absence and is playing the best basketball of his career. Cayden Boozer had 19 points against Siena and scored nine points with five assists against the Horned Frogs.

Duke is still…

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Author : Nick Bromberg

Publish date : 2026-03-27 14:23:00

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