SI College Basketball: The Sweetest 16

The matchups, the picks, a close call and a possible reunion.

The brackets have been settled. The stakes haven't. The first two rounds did not produce as many upsets as Cinderella made a cameo appearance. But the second weekend has produced powerful and intriguing matchups between legendary coaches and programs. Now, the focus shifts to a Sweet 16 packed with storylines, from men's Final Four picks to bold predictions in the men's tourney and the best matchups on the women's side. And off the court, a reunion could be brewing between NC State head coach Will Wade and LSU. Now on to the newsletter. 🏀 MEN'S TOURNAMENT Expert Predictions for the 2026 Men's Sweet 16 Denis Poroy/Imagn Images By SI Staff Ahead of the Sweet 16, Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, Kevin Sweeney and Bryan Fischer reset their brackets and make their picks through to the Final Four in Indianapolis. Many picks remain the same as before March Madness started, but each writer shares how the monster matchups shaped their predictions. READ FULL STORY ON SI.COM Men's Bracket Madness SEE BRACKET  Five Bold Predictions for  Sweet 16 READ STORY  Will Wade and LSU Seem Destined for a Reunion Four Years After Messy Firing READ STORY  How a March Madness Cinderella Story for the Ages Slipped Away From Siena READ STORY  Men's Schedule Key Sweet 16 Matchups Thursday's Games No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston, 10:05 p.m. ET, (TBS) Friday's Games No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 1 Duke, 7:10 p.m. (CBS) No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 2 UConn,  9:45 p.m.(CBS) 📺 TV Schedules MEN'S BROADCASTS WOMEN'S BROADCASTS Subscribe to SI's college sports show, Others Receiving Votes, for new episodes each week on Apple, Spotify and YouTube. Or watch weekly on SI TV. ⛹️‍♀️ WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT Ranking Every Women's March Madness Sweet 16 Game Lance King/Getty Images By Zach Koons We've made it to the final 16 teams in the women's NCAA tournament—and these matchups sure do look sweet.  While chalk dominated for most of the first two rounds, there were a few pleasant surprises, headlined by No. 10 Virginia powering from the First Four into the Sweet 16 for a date with No. 3 TCU. The Cavaliers don't exactly scream Cinderella, which may actually be good news for those hoping for a fourth straight thrilling game for the Hoos.  Elsewhere, No. 6 Notre Dame cruised into a matchup with No. 2 Vanderbilt, which features two of the premier scorers in all of women's basketball. Plus, all four No. 1 seeds are still alive—whether or not they get tested in this round or the next remains to be seen. With the women's schedule being spread out throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, Sports Illustrated recognizes you may not be able to dedicate yourself to 12 straight hours of basketball for the second weekend in a row. So if you're looking to prioritize the action, here are SI's rankings of the women's Sweet 16 games.  READ FULL STORY ON SI.COM Women's Bracket Madness Women's Schedule Key Sweet 16 Matchups Friday's Games No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m. ET,(ESPN) No. 3 Duke vs. No. 2 LSU, 10 p.m. ET, (ESPN) Saturday's Key Games No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 South Carolina, 5 p.m. ET, (ESPN) No. 10 Virginia vs. No. 3 TCU, 7:30 p.m., (ESPN) SEE BRACKET  Get the print edition of Sports Illustrated delivered to your door. CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE! We may receive compensation for some links to products and services included in this email. Sports Publishing Solutions Inc. 625 Broadway, 10th floor New York, NY. 10012 You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the SI College Basketball newsletter. You can unsubscribe here  . Privacy Policy – Terms & Conditions © 2026 Sports Publishing Solutions Inc. All rights reserved. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. All betting and gambling content included in the SI College Basketball newsletter is intended for individuals 21+ (18+ in DC, KY, NH, RI, and WY). Betting and gambling content, including picks and predictions, are based on individual commentators' opinions and we do not guarantee any success or profits. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER or texting 800GAM. Click this link to view the newsletter in your browser.