Clemson vs. Kansas - 7:07pm et/4:07pm pt.


OMAHA, Neb. -- The basketball coach at Clemson is making a name for himself, even though his name is not recognized in households quite like his three counterparts at the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

As the fifth-seeded Tigers (25-9) prepared for a Sweet 16 clash against Kansas (27-7) on Friday, Brad Brownell took note of the other coaches in the regional, which also includes a Duke-Syracuse matchup.

"Nobody is going to know who I am," Brownell said. "It's like coaching the ACC. I don't look down at the other end when we're coaching. That's not good for my mental health. I don't worry about looking at Coach K and Bill Self and Jim Boeheim."

Among those Hall of Fame coaches, Mike Krzyzewski has guided Duke to five NCAA titles and 12 Final Four appearances, Self has one national title and two Final Fours with Kansas, and Boeheim one title and five Final Fours with Syracuse. Brownell, meanwhile, has Clemson in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1997 after previously coaching Wright State and UNC-Wilmington to tournament appearances.

"Brad is a terrific coach and he's getting his due like he deserves," Self said. "Everybody's known it for a long time, the guy can coach. They don't make mistakes. You've got to beat them."

Clemson advanced by limiting Auburn to 25.8 percent shooting and points on just 22 of 70 possessions in an 84-53 second-round mismatch. Clemson ranks 18th nationally defending shots, allowing opponents to shoot just 40.4 percent on average.

Three 6-3 guards, junior Marcquise Reed, Gabe DeVoe and Shelton Mitchell, lead the Tigers in scoring with averages of 15.9, 13.7 and 12.3 points, respectively.

"We've competed in an incredible league," Brownell added. "All season long, it hardens you. You see all kinds of coaching styles, different styles of play. So, to come through that and to make an NCAA Tournament, you feel prepared."

Self, of course, can say the same thing, though some roll their eyes since the Jayhawks' Big 12 dominance is reflected in 14 consecutive league championships. However, the Big 12 advanced four teams to the Sweet 16.

Kansas outlasted Penn and Seton Hall in the first two rounds. Center Udoka Azubuike, a 7-foot sophomore who missed the Jayhawks' championship run in the Big 12 Tournament with an MCL strain, played 22 minutes against Seton Hall and contributed 10 points and seven rebounds. Azubuike leads the nation in field goal percentage, making 77.5 percent of his attempts.

"His attitude has been great and he's matured so much," Self said. "In my opinion he was the most valuable player (against Seton Hall), because if his mind wasn't so right to get healthy that fast, there's no way we would have won that game."

An array of Kansas bombers have combined to average 10 3-point makes per game while shooting 40.3 percent from that range.

The hottest outside threat during the Jayhawks' five-game winning streak has been sophomore guard Malik Newman, who is averaging 22 points during that postseason run on 59 percent shooting from behind the arc.

"With the way (the Kansas staff) coaches players with the four guards and with the big man," said Newman. "I think any one of our starting five always has a chance to go out and get 20-plus. We're always capable of it."


Villanova vs. West Virginia - 7:27pm et/4:27pm pt.


Villanova will be looking to advance to the Elite Eight with a victory over No. 5 West Virginia in the East region Friday in Boston.

The No. 1 seed Wildcats (32-4) had little trouble defeating No. 16 Radford 87-61 in the first round and No. 9 Alabama 81-58 in the second round in Pittsburgh. As a result, they're moving on to the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in coach Jay Wright's tenure on the Main Line and the second time in the last three years.

The No. 5 Mountaineers (26-10) advanced by routing in-state rival and No. 13 seed Marshall 94-71 Sunday night in San Diego.

This is officially Villanova's 11th appearance in the Sweet 16. The NCAA began officially keeping track of this when the field expanded to 32 teams in 1975. Two years ago in 2016, the Wildcats went on to win the national championship.

Villanova is fully aware of the challenge that West Virginia presents with its pressing defense and tenacious style.

"The pressure they bring with all the guys they play -- it's 40 minutes of pressure," Villanova guard Phil Booth said. "They're a very physical team, they're quick, athletic and play so fast paced. They have one of the most rare styles of play in all of college basketball. The preparation for that is going to be big for us."

The Wildcats have been red hot with their shooting, dropping in 17 shots from beyond the 3-point arc against Alabama and 14 against Radford. Their two-game total of 31 treys in the first two rounds is the highest total since Loyola Marymount had 32 in 1990.

To advance in this round, the Wildcats must break West Virginia's daunting press.

"West Virginia gets extra possessions and they average 80 points a game," said Wright, who owns a 5-8 career mark against the Mountaineers. "They score at a high rate and that's what gets them into their press, so your half-court defense has to be good because if they're scoring on you, they're in their press. I think we are going to have to get in there and take a hit every now and then and hope it doesn't affect us too much and that we can grind through it."

Villanova's experience was evident in the first two rounds. At this stage, it's just as much about execution.

"I think (experience) will help us a little but at the same time this is a new team with new leaders and everyone has different roles now," said Villanova guard Jalen Brunson, a candidate for National Player of the Year. "It's all new for us but we just go out and play together and not worry about what happens outside those lines. We just need to stick together and we can get the job done."

Guard Jevon Carter paced West Virginia with 28 points against Marshall. Lamont West scored 18 points off the bench and the Mountaineers defense forced 18 turnovers by Marshall, which seemed to be overwhelmed.

West Virginia advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year.

"We're just happy to keep playing," Carter told reporters. "This is March. This is what we came to do. We don't just want to go to the Sweet 16 -- we want to win it all, go back, prepare for Villanova, watch a lot of film, and get ready for the next game."

Carter is the biggest key for West Virginia and he became the first player since Georgetown's Allen Iverson to score 28 points to go along with at least five steals and five assists in an NCAA Tournament game.

"That's typical," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins told reporters of Carter. "That's why he was the National Defensive Player of the Year a year ago and probably will be this year. He shattered our steals (record) both in the season and career. He's had a phenomenal career. You have to understand how hard he works to appreciate Jevon Carter. He's the hardest-working guy I think I've ever had."

Huggins is 13-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament at West Virginia.