The Sweet 16 continues on Friday! We’ve seen upsets, blowouts and crazy endings and now we are down to just 12 teams left. We have 4 great games for the second half of our Sweet 16 play. They’ll go on to play in the second half of the Elite Eight. Let’s jump into all four games for Friday and make our Sweet 16 picks.
2026 NCAA Tournament: March Madness Picks for Friday, March 27th – Sweet 16
No. 5 St. John’s vs No. 1 Duke 7:10
What a win for St. John’s in the Round of 32 beating Kansas 67-65 at the buzzer. This is the first time the Johnnies are back in the Sweet 16 since 1999. Up next for the Red Storm, No. 1 Seed Duke. The Blue Devils had a nice bounce back in the Round of 32 with a 23-point win over TCU. I think what this matchup came down to was how much better Duke is on offense than St. John’s. Duke can shoot you out of the gym while the Johnnies shoot below the national average from 3 at just 33.3%, a success rate that places them outside the top 200 nationally. Unless the Johnnies can somehow get inside, they’re going to have to find ways to get clean looks from deep and hope that they go in.
Pick: Duke -6.5
No. 4 Alabama vs No. 1 Michigan 7:35
The offense we’ve seen out of Alabama so far has hardly been surprising. Michigan has been dominant as ever in their first two games of the NCAA Tournament. One thing Michigan has to do better is guarding the three-point line. We’ll see if Alabama’s fire power can continue against the Wolverines. But this Michigan team is elite on the defensive end of the court and can slow this game down. The Wolverines are big and can defend the rim and I just don’t see a path for the Tide.
Pick: Michigan -8.5
No. 3 Michigan State vs No. 2 UConn 9:45
This is my favorite game for Friday’s slate. Truly a coin flip game and I think it will all depend on the health status of Silas Demary Jr. The Spartans don’t force a ton of turnovers, but they do force their opponents into a lot of 3-point shots. Michigan State is the nation’s best defensive rebounding team by percentage and a top 10 group on the offensive glass. The difference between this game and others is the experience level on both sides. But I never fade Tom Izzo in March. I think the wrong team is favored.
Pick: Michigan State ML +115
No. 6 Tennessee vs No. 2 Iowa State 10:10
Iowa State is trying to make it to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2000. It wasn’t pretty, but Tennessee outlasted Virginia to get this Sweet 16 opportunity in a 79-72 decision win. First glance at the spread, I was a little confused the Cyclones were only laying -3.5. The Vols are not a very good offensive team. They can rebound the ball well and maybe that can save them in this game. But Tennessee can’t shoot the three and I just don’t see how they’ll be able to keep pace with Iowa State. The Cyclones are shooting about 39% from beyond the arc. Pair that with a top 50 two point % and a low turnover % and you’ve got the makings of an outstanding offense.
Pick: Iowa State -3.5
