Predictions for Saturday’s NCAA Tournament men’s basketball Sweet 16 games

The Sweet 16 round in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is usually when March Madness becomes less mad and the true title contenders move on to the Final Four. But will that be the case this year?

In a season and a tournament setup like none we have seen previously, it seems logical that we should continue to expect the unexpected. But if things actually do go according to seed from this point forward, would that be just as unexpected? Sorry, didn’t mean to get into mental gymnastics. This is a basketball tournament.

One of the benefits of this year’s amended schedule is that all eight games in the round of 16 have their own time window, so no channel flipping will be necessary. Here’s a look at each game, in order of appearance.

No. 8 Loyola Chicago vs. No. 12 Oregon State

Midwest Regional

Time/TV: 2:40, CBS

Oregon State is the classic case of a team heating up at the right time. The Beavers’ two wins in the Big Dance, thanks in large part to top scorer and facilitator Ethan Thompson, proved their run through the Pac-12 tournament was not a fluke. The Beavers are also one of the nation’s best free-throw shooting teams, but that advantage might be neutralized. The Ramblers commit fewer fouls, just 14.5 a game, than any team remaining in the field while still playing rock-solid defense. Part of Loyola’s success in keeping its opponents’ score down is also attributable to its ability to establish its deliberate tempo on offense. It’ll be close, but in the end the Ramblers will make more shots.

Prediction: Loyola, 65-58.

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