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Thursday’s Matchups to Watch in the N.C.A.A. Tournament
The round of 16 tips off with men’s games featuring a 28-year coach pitted against a first-year coach and a rematch from the 2021 Final Four.

No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 7 Michigan State
6:30 p.m. (all times Eastern), TBS

About Kansas State: The Wildcats (25-9) are led by two transfer students, forward Keyontae Johnson and the 5-foot-8 point guard Markquis Nowell. Jerome Tang, the team’s first-year coach, spent 19 years as an assistant at Baylor before replacing Bruce Weber at Kansas State.

About Michigan State: Tom Izzo is back in the round of 16 for the 15th time in his 28 years as the Spartans’ head coach. The Spartans (21-12) are led by three double-digit scorers: Tyson Walker, Joey Hauser and A.J. Hoggard.

How they got here: Kansas State beat Montana State in the first round, 77-65, and Kentucky in the second, 75-69. Michigan State beat Southern California in the first round, 72-62, and Marquette in the second, 69-60.

Play our prediction game — it’s faster than filling out a bracket. Among the teams that reach the men’s Final Four, will there be more teams with red, orange or blue as a primary color?
Red.
38%
Orange.
10%
Blue.
37%
Two or more colors will tie.
15%
Finish the game and compare your answers ›
No. 4 Connecticut vs. No. 8 Arkansas
7:15 p.m., CBS

About UConn: The Huskies (27-8) had not won a game in the men’s N.C.A.A. tournament under Coach Dan Hurley until last week. UConn center Adama Sanogo is the first player since Blake Griffin in 2009 to average at least 25 points and 10 rebounds on better than 70 percent shooting in the first two rounds of the tournament.

About Arkansas: The 25 points from the junior guard Davonte Davis against Kansas on Saturday put him in ninth place among Razorbacks in N.C.A.A. tournament scoring. Davis was part of back-to-back runs to the round of 8 for Arkansas (22-13), which has beaten a No. 1 seed two years in a row.

How they got here: UConn beat Iona in the first round, 87-63, and St. Mary’s in the second, 70-55. Arkansas beat Illinois in the first round, 73-63, and No. 1-seeded Kansas in the second, 72-71.

No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic
9 p.m., TBS

About Tennessee: The Volunteers (25-10) have the nation’s No. 3 scoring defense, with opponents averaging only 57.8 points per game. The 7-foot-1 center Uros Plavsic is known as the enforcer of the team, and Josiah-Jordan James is capable of defending all five positions.

About F.A.U.: The Owls (33-3) are led by the sophomore guard Johnell Davis, who became the first player in the history of the men’s tournament to have at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in a single game, on Sunday against Fairleigh Dickinson.

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How they got here: Tennessee beat Louisiana in the first round, 58-55, and Duke in the second, 65-52. Florida Atlantic beat Memphis in the first round, 66-65, and Fairleigh Dickinson in the second, 78-70.

No. 2 U.C.L.A. vs. No. 3 Gonzaga
9:45 p.m., CBS

About U.C.L.A.: The Bruins were beaten by Gonzaga in the 2021 Final Four, and several of the players on that team are back to face the Zags again, including point guard Tyger Campbell, guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. and the fifth-year guard David Singleton. Coach Mick Cronin is in his fourth year at U.C.L.A., which is 31-5.

About Gonzaga: In Coach Mark Few’s 24th season, the Bulldogs (30-5) largely flew under the radar after a preseason No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press poll. Forward Drew Timme scored 28 points in Gonzaga’s win against Texas Christian in the second round, while Rasir Bolton added 17.

How they got here: U.C.L.A. beat North Carolina Asheville in the first round, 86-53, and Northwestern in the second, 68-63. Gonzaga beat Grand Canyon in the first round, 82-70, and Texas Christian in the second, 84-81.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/sports/ncaabasketball/march-madness-thursday.html