Eight berths in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Tournament will be clinched on Saturday. The remaining 8 come on Sunday, where 4 SEC teams are in action.
Early Saturday morning, the NCAA released its start times for Sunday’s games. Like they did on Friday, things get started in St. Louis, where No. 7 seed Miami (FL) faces No. 2 seed Purdue at 12:15 p.m. E.T. We see an SEC squad take the floor after that, when No. 7 Kentucky battles No. 2 Iowa State. The Cyclones may be without do-it-all forward Joshua Jefferson for the game, which would give the Wildcats a real shot at an upset victory.
The most captivating coaching matchup of the day, between Rick Pitino and Bill Self, comes at 5:15 p.m. E.T. St. John’s and Kansas were lined up to play one another in the second round last season, but John Calipari’s Arkansas team spoiled things. Throughout the night, 3 more SEC teams will try their hand at reaching the second weekend:
- No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Virginia – 6:10 p.m. E.T. (TNT)
- No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 1 Florida – 7:10 p.m. E.T. (TBS)
- No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 4 Alabama – appx. 9:45 p.m. E.T. (TBS)
If every SEC team playing this weekend were to win, the conference would send 8 schools to the Sweet Sixteen. Even getting 4 teams that far, in a “down” year — compared to the lofty heights of 2025 — would be quite an accomplishment.
Who’s making it to the Sweet 16? Make a prediction today at Kalshi!
