Thursday Quickies: Sweet 16 Edition

There is still one more day until the Kentucky Wildcats hit the floor in Kansas City to take on the Houston Cougars, but four of the Sweet 16 matchups will take place tonight as NCAA Tournament action resumes.

The action gets started in the West Region as (1) Gonzaga takes on (4) Florida State followed by a matchup between (2) Tennessee and (3) Purdue at the Yum Center in Louisville. The nightcap games include (3) Texas Tech versus (2) Michigan in the West and (1) Virginia taking on (12) Oregon in the South.

It’s a pretty solid slate of matchups which will see the two non-traditional power one-seeds in action. Florida State knocked Gonzaga out of the tournament last year, so that will be a key storyline coming into the game. Virginia should be able to take care of business against Oregon, but the Ducks have been riding a wave of momentum as of late.

Tennessee versus Purdue should be an interesting matchup as the Vols will try to slow down Carsen Edwards. Michigan versus Texas Tech also looks to be an interesting matchup in the West Region as well.

I think these Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games have the potential to be some of the best we’ve seen in recent years, and I’m just excited to have more tournament action back on the television after a three-day hiatus.

Let us know your picks for tonight’s games in the comments section below.

Tweets of the Day

Tyrese Maxey showed out last night.

I’m all for a good omen.

Quickies

How does Kentucky match up with Houston? - Herald Leader

The Cougars provide some matchup difficulties with their athleticism and quickness.

John Calipari not looking forward to playing Houston - Cats Pause

Cal knows that this Houston team is a legitimate Final Four contender.

PJ’s foot and other storylines for Kentucky in Kansas City - Courier Journal

PJ is the top story heading into the weekend.

Kentucky has three first round picks in new mock draft - Yahoo

P.J., Keldon, and Tyler Herro are all in the top 20, but all between picks 15-20.

Mel Kiper has positive remarks about trio of Wildcats in the NFL Draft - Cats Pause

Kiper spoke highly of Josh Allen, Mike Edwards, and Lonnie Johnson.

Kentucky not planning to take a step back in 2019 - KSR

With significant losses on both sides, the Wildcats have big shoes to fill.

Michael Avenatti tweets out documents alleging payments to DeAndre Ayton’s mother - Bleacher Report

Avenatti may be facing jail time for extortion, but it seems he may have documents to back up at least some of the allegations.

Alabama hires Buffalo’s Nate Oats - ESPN

The decision comes after Oats signed an extension with Buffalo just two weeks ago.

Multiple Alabama players have entered the transfer portal - KSR

Kira Lewis, Dazon Ingram, John Petty, and Daniel Giddens all entered their names.

DeMarcus Cousins says he knew Anthony Davis would request trade - Bleacher Report

Cousins said he knew Davis would ask for a trade after Cousins was let go by the Pelicans.

AAF in jeopardy of folding - ESPN

As quickly as the AAF begins, it could be nearing the end.

Ten things to know before MLB Opening Day - Yahoo

Are the Mets the most interesting team in the league?

Building a college football team with tournament players - SB Nation

PJ as a safety? Ashton Hagans as a linebacker?