Will the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, coming off two straight buzzer beaters, make the Elite Eight? Or will it be the Nevada Wolf Pack after back-to-back miraculous comebacks in the first weekend of March Madness?
Sister Jean and Nevada coach Eric Musselman's daughter, Mariah, emerged as first-weekend faces of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, but behind that are two exciting teams. Nevada ranks 16th in the NCAA in scoring and Loyola ranks sixth in the nation in scoring defense. Tempo will be everything.
MORE SWEET 16 GAME PREVIEWS:
Texas A&M-Michigan | Kansas St-Kentucky | FSU-Gonzaga
Let's take a closer look at this Sweet 16 matchup.
March Madness matchup:
Nevada vs. Loyola-Chicago
How to watch
The Loyola-Chicago vs. Nevada Sweet 16 game begins at 7:07 p.m. ET. It will air on CBS and can be live-streamed on fuboTV (7-day free trial).
No. 11 Loyola-Chicago
| Coach: Porter Moser |
| Overall record: 30-5 |
| Scoring leader: Clayton Custer (13.3 ppg.) |
| Rebounding leader: Donte Ingram (6.4 rpg.) |
| Assists leader: Clayton Custer (4.2 apg.) |
| Famous non-athlete alum: Bob Newhart |
NCAA TOURNAMENT: Re-ranking the Sweet 16
No. 7 Nevada
| Coach: Eric Musselman |
| Overall record: 29-7 |
| Scoring leader: Caleb Martin (18.8 ppg.) |
| Rebounding leader: Jordan Caroline (8.7 rpg.) |
| Assists leader: Cody Martin (4.7 apg.) |
| Famous non-athlete alum: Jennifer Harman |
Best individual matchup: Cody Martin vs. Clayton Custer
So often it's the guards that lead a Cinderella run, and this is no exception. Martin led Nevada back against Cincinnati with 25 points and seven assists, and Custer hit the game-winner against Tennessee. Watch the distribution. The Wolfpack are 7-1 when Martin dishes out seven or more assists. Custer had just seven assists in the wins against Miami and Tennessee, but the Ramblers haven't lost a game when he has five or more assists.
MORE SWEET 16 GAME PREVIEWS:
Clemson-Kansas | W. Virginia-Villanova
Syracuse-Duke | Texas Tech-Purdue
Most eye-popping stat
Watch the 80-point mark. Nevada is 20-1 when it scores 80 points, the only loss coming in a 104-103 thriller against Wyoming on Jan. 24. Loyola, meanwhile, allowed 80 points or more in just two games this season and spilt those two games. Pace is everything here.
Get to know …
You remember Jordan Caroline's father Simeon Rice, a star pass rusher in the NFL. Caroline has emerged as Nevada's leading rebounder who had 13 double-doubles this season. Loyola's Donte Ingram must counter that presence on the glass. Watch that matchup closely, too.
Sweet 16 pick: Nevada
The Wolf Pack can't dig a hole again, but this team doesn't turn the ball over often and should be able to dictate tempo. Nevada averaged five turnovers on the first weekend, while Loyola averaged 9.5. Those turnovers matter a little more now. It won't be easy against a Loyola team with five scorers in double figures, especially when Loyola has stolen the spotlight as the nation's favorite sleeper. The Wolf Pack find a way to take it back, perhaps with one more comeback.
