Eight games on Saturday’s NCAA Tournament second-round schedule will give us half of the picture for the second weekend. One of the most intriguing second-round matchups in recent memory will see No. 2 seed St. John’s face No. 10 seed Arkansas in the second game of the day at (2:40 p.m. ET, CBS). Arkansas coach John Calipari and St. John’s coach Rick Pitino will meet for the fifth time as head coaches in the NCAA Tournament, marking the first matchup in the postseason between the legendary coaches since 2014.
The intrigue doesn’t stop there. No. 12 seed McNeese and No. 11 seed Drake pulled off the biggest seeding upsets on the first day of the first round by eliminating No. 5 Clemson and No. 6 Missouri, respectively. McNeese is in action during the first game of the day (12:10 p.m. ET, CBS) against No. 4 seed Purdue. Drake is in action later in the day (6:10 ET, TNT) against No. 3 seed Texas Tech.
NCAA bracket 2025: Printable March Madness bracket, NCAA Tournament predictions, picks, scores, dates, upsets
Matt Norlander
And what about the No. 1 seeds in action? That would be Auburn and Houston, who both face substantial tests to make it out of the first weekend. The Tigers face No. 9 seed Creighton (7:10 ET, TBS), while the Cougars meet No. 8 seed Gonzaga (8:40 ET, TNT).
So from the top of the bracket all the way down to the No. 12 seeds, we’ve got a lot on the line as teams look to extend their tournament stay for another week. Let’s get into some of the big storylines to know for Saturday’s second-round action.
Pitino vs. Calipari is one of many elite coaching matchups
Pitino vs. Calipari. Mark Few vs. Kelvin Sampson. Mick Cronin vs. Rick Barnes. Bruce Pearl vs. Greg McDermott.
Those are just a few coaching matchups that college basketball fans are getting in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The headliner of the bunch is Pitino’s St. John’s team squaring off against Calipari’s Razorbacks because of the two coaches’ shared history. Pitino and Calipari will coach against each other in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time ever. The last time they faced off in the NCAA Tournament was in 2014, when Kentucky defeated Louisville 74-69 in the Sweet 16.
Arkansas is one win away from their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in the last five years, while St. John’s is seeking its first Sweet 16 berth since 1999. The Red Storm won their first Big East Tournament title since 2000 earlier this month and reached the 30-win mark for the first time since 1986 in Pitino’s second season with the program. The amount of coaching talent fans get in only the second round shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Will Drake, McNeese keep dancing to the Sweet 16?
While Day 1 of the first round wasn’t full of upsets, there were still teams that could become the next March Madness Cinderella in action. No. 11 seed Drake stunned No. 6 seed Missouri with a 67-57 win to claim the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since 1971. Hours before Drake advanced, No. 12 seed McNeese led by as many as 24 points en route to a 69-67 upset win over Clemson.
Standing in the way of a Sweet 16 appearance for Drake and McNeese are two tough opponents with experience in making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. Drake will face No. 3 seed Texas Tech, a team led by All-American big man and Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin. McNeese has a date with No. 4 seed Purdue, a team that went to the national title game just over 11 months ago. Drake coach Ben McCollum has become one of the hottest names in the upcoming coaching carousel because of what he did in his first year with the Bulldogs. McNeese coach Will Wade was also a popular name for teams looking for a new coach, but the 42-year-old is expected to be the next coach at NC State.
No. 1 seeds Auburn, Houston will be tested
Houston and Auburn cruised to first-round victories on Thursday, but this weekend offers both programs a major test to make it out of the first weekend. No. 1 overall seed Auburn faces No. 9 seed Creighton, while Houston faces No. 8 seed Gonzaga. Creighton recorded a blowout win over Louisville in the first round, while Gonzaga led by as many as 26 points against Georgia.
Houston is 7-0 in the second round under Sampson, while Gonzaga has been to the Sweet 16 for nine consecutive seasons with Few at the helm. Auburn hasn’t made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019 — the year the program reached the Final Four for the first time in program history. Creighton has reached the Sweet 16 in three of the last four years but is still vying for the program’s first Final Four appearance.
Check out the full TV and streaming schedule for Saturday’s second round games below.
Saturday’s NCAA Tournament streaming schedule
Read the full article here
