Day 16 without sports 😭: We’ll celebrate the Sweet 16, take in Serena marathon to cope!

2020-03-27

How painfully ironic is it that our 16th day without sports falls on a day when the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 would usually be sliced down to an Elite Eight?

The second Friday of March Madness doesn't have the same bracket-busting adrenaline as the first, but it's given us some of the most epic tournament memories as the Cinderellas are eliminated and the real contenders emerge.

So to survive another day without sports we'll commemorate the Sweet 16 with a look back at some of the best Sweet 16 memories.

► Virginia Commonwealth 72, Florida State 71 (OT), 2011. Coach Shaka Smart's Rams proved they were destined for more than just first-weekend success. Bradford Burgess nailed a contested lay-up with 7.1 seconds remaining to lift VCU.

► Davidson 73, Wisconsin 56, 2008. Before Steph Curry was a two-time NBA MVP, he was the face of a Cinderella team that stunned the No. 3-seeded Badgers. In this game, Curry had six 3-pointers to finish with 33 points.

► Kansas State 101, Xavier 96 (2 OT), 2010. Xavier came back from a 15-point deficit and was fouled on a 3-pointer in the game's final seconds to set up the first overtime. Then Xavier's Jordan Crawford drained a game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds left to force the second OT. KSU's Jacob Pullen nailed two threes in the second OT to propel the victory.

► Michigan 87, Kansas 85 (OT), 2013. The Wolverines' Trey Burke spearheaded a huge upset over the No. 1-seeded Jayhawks, who trailed by 14 with seven minutes remaining. Burke's contested 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left sent the game to overtime. He scored all 23 of his points after halftime.

► UCLA 73, Gonzaga 71, 2006. The image of Adam Morrison crying in his shirt lives on in March Madness lore. What transpired beforehand was a fantastic game. The 'Zags coughed up a huge lead and the Bruins scored the game's final 11 points to secure the win.

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What could have been

USA TODAY Sports simulated the 2020 NCAA tournament bracket. Here's how the Sweet 16 shook out based on those projections:

East Regional: No. 1 seed Dayton takes down No. 4 seed Maryland; No. 3 Duke slays Cinderella East Tennessee State.
Midwest Regional: No. 1 Kansas routs Cinderella Belmont; No. 2 Creighton survives No. 3 Kentucky
West Regional: No. 4 seed Oregon upsets No. 1 Gonzaga; No. 3 Michigan State escapes No. 1 San Diego State.
South Regional: No. 1 seed Baylor dispatches No. 4 Wisconsin; No. 2 Florida State survives No. 3 Seton Hall

What to watch today

CBS Sports Network has you covered with some memorable Sweet 16 showings (all times ET).

10 a.m.: 2006 Sweet 16: UCLA vs. Gonzaga
6 p.m.: 2010 Sweet 16: Kansas State vs. Xavier
8 p.m.: 2013 Sweet 16: Michigan vs. Kansas
10 p.m.: 2017 Sweet 16: Florida vs. Wisconsin

Serena x 12: ESPN2 will present a 12-hour marathon starting Friday night highlighting some of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams’ best matches over the past two decades. The marathon slate will showcase six championship matchups – including four against her sister Venus.

The schedule goes as follows (all times ET):

6 p.m.: 2017 Australian Open title match vs. Venus Williams
8 p.m.: 2003 Australian Open title match vs. Venus Williams
10 p.m.: 2002 Wimbledon title match vs. Venus Williams
12 a.m.: 2012 Wimbledon title match vs. Agnieszka Radwanska
2 a.m.: 2012 U.S. Open title match vs. Victoria Azarenka
4 a.m.: 2003 Wimbledon title match vs. Venus Williams

Sports video of the day

Speaking of Serena, here's a montage video of Williams' 50 best points.

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Sports we're missing

NCAA men's basketball tournament

Regional semifinals, Los Angeles region

Regional semifinals, New York region

MLB

Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays
Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins
Anaheim Angels at Houston Astros
Atlanta Braves at Arizona D-backs
Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics
San Francisco Giants at LA Dodgers
Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres
Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners

NBA

Los Angeles Clippers at Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets at Indiana Pacers
Brooklyn Nets at Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns at Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trailblazers at Boston Celtics
New York Knicks at New Orleans Pelicans
Washington Wizards at Milwaukee Bucks
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets

NHL

Columbus at Tampa Bay
Los Angeles at St. Louis
Colorado at Winnipeg
Dallas at Chicago
San Jose at Edmonton
Calgary at Vancouver

Follow reporter Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.

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