‘Can’t-miss’ games on TV to watch this weekend: March Madness Sweet 16 edition

The Athletic

The Gamecocks got pushed by No. 9 Indiana, which led by a point at halftime. IU was effective at keeping the Gamecocks off the offensive glass as South Carolina had just five second-chance points, down from 14.4 on the season. If Maryland can replicate that approach, it should keep the game competitive. — Ben Pickman

If either team can negate the other’s huge strength — either by the Rebels battling on the boards or Michigan State taking care of the rock — it will gain an important edge against the opponent’s typical area of control. One other key matchup tug-of-war: Ole Miss’ constant switching on defense forces isolation possessions at one of the highest rates in the country. Chris Beard’s defense is tough to beat via ball and man movement. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, those are the staples of Michigan State’s offense. — Jim Root

Can 6-foot-6 NC State freshman Tilda Trygger’s growth alongside 6-foot Madison Hayes slow LSU’s Aneesah Morrow enough on the glass to give NC State’s guards some breathing room to operate? That feels like the biggest question in this game. — Chantel Jennings

Kentucky’s Mark Pope is a smart coach, and he knows his team is the better group from long range. Thus, he would be happy to tempt Tennessee into another shooting contest. Should the Vols oblige, Kentucky has a great chance to win. If Tennessee pounds it inside via drives, cuts and the offensive glass, then the advantage shifts hard toward Rick Barnes’ squad. — Jim Root

When Purdue has the ball, the chess match could be particularly intriguing. Houston famously plays ball screens as aggressively as any team in the country, trapping the ballhandler with two defenders and recovering aggressively behind them. That would take the ball out of Big Ten player of the year Braden Smith’s hands, forcing him to beat those traps with tough passes and prove he is fully past the turnover demons that have haunted him at times. — Jim Root

The Horned Frogs have led at halftime in 26 consecutive games. If Notre Dame’s three-headed backcourt of Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron effectively attacks TCU’s defense, it should have a good chance to lead after half and at the game’s conclusion. The Horned Frogs’ lack of depth — and thus foul trouble and fatigue — is another factor to watch. —

While there is a difference in seed between Texas and Tennessee, it’s hard to imagine the Lady Vols won’t feel like they can build off their close defeat earlier this season. Star Tennessee guards Talaysia Cooper and Jewel Spear scored only 13 combined points in the loss, and the Lady Vols held Texas lead guard Rori Harmon to just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell also missed that game after giving birth to her son days earlier. —

The Huskies’ big advantage comes in the form of Postseason Paige, and expect her to be the player who tilts the scales. Fifth-year guard Paige Bueckers has been on a mission to get UConn to Tampa and to hoist her first national championship trophy. She’s having one of the most efficient seasons in basketball history — shooting 54 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3 and 90 percent from the free-throw line — all while leading the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. —

There is no template for what USC looks like without its two-time first-team All-American, JuJu Watkins, short of the three adrenaline-filled quarters the Trojans played in Los Angeles on Monday night. The element of surprise might be their best shot against the veteran Wildcats. The turnover battle will be critical in this matchup. —

West: TK vs. TK

Time TBD on CBS

East: TK vs. TK

Time TBD on CBS

NCAA Tournament regional finals are self-recommending, the rare championship in sports where you cut down a net, get a trophy, hang a banner and burnish your resume simply for making it to the national semifinals. History remembers teams that made the Final Four, not ones that fell short. (Unless you’re Kentucky in 1992, in which case you’re part of the greatest ending in the sport’s history.) — Dan Shanoff

Through two weeks, only five teams have yet to suffer defeat. One expected early front-runner, defending champion Orlando Pride, welcomes another unblemished side, the San Diego Wave, who have started well after seeing Alex Morgan retire and star defender Naomi Girma move to Chelsea for a record-setting fee. Kickoff is delightfully (if unusually) early. — Jeff Rueter

Minnesota United has been among MLS’s most entertaining teams since Eric Ramsay took over as coach last year, falling to eventual champion LA Galaxy in the playoff quarterfinals. They’ll host budding USMNT star Diego Luna and Real Salt Lake in a rematch of last year’s postseason first round. — Jeff Rueter

The Kentucky Derby is going to arrive before you know it (May 3) and this week offers two great prep races for Derby scouting. Sovereignty, a promising colt who opened at 8-5, is the one to beat in the Florida Derby. Per Bloodhorse: The first 73 years of the Florida Derby have produced 60 winners of Triple Crown events. — Richard Deitsch

Juan Soto’s first weekend in a Mets uniform will be the highlight, but the new-look Astros might be even more intriguing. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker are gone, Jose Altuve is in left field and a new crop of position players led by Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith begin their tenures in Houston. Plus, ’s Ken Rosenthal will be part of the broadcast for FOX. — Chris Strauss

NASCAR’s brand of full-contact racing will be on display at Martinsville Speedway — a tiny half-mile track in rural Virginia — where drivers often use the “chrome horn” (their fenders) to move each other out of the way. — Jeff Gluck

Three words: Ovi. Almost. There. — Dan Shanoff

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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