UNDATED (AP) — Eight teams battle for a spot in the Elite Eight tonight as NCAA regional semifinals take place in New York and Memphis, Tennessee.
Three of college basketball’s blue bloods gather for a marquee showdown in Memphis, along with a blue bulldog from Indiana that’s had lots of success of its own. North Carolina, Kentucky and UCLA are joined by upstart Butler in the South Regional — the only region where the top four seeds all advanced after the opening weekend. Top-seeded North Carolina takes on Butler tonight, followed by No. 2 seed Kentucky against third-seeded UCLA.
UCLA has the most national championships with 11 — 10 from legendary coach John Wooden. Kentucky has eight. North Carolina is tied for third with five championships and has been to more Final Fours – 19 of them – than any other school. Butler’s Bulldogs lack titles, but they have become the tournament darlings in recent seasons, having reached the national championship game in 2010 and 2011.
FILE – At left, in a Dec. 18, 2016, file photo, UCLA head basketball coach Steve Alford calls to his team during an NCAA college basketball game against Oregon, in Eugene, Ore. At right, in a March 12, 2017, file photo, Kentucky head coach John Calipari watches the action in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Arkansas for the championship of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville, Tenn. UCLA and will meet in an NCAA college basketball regional semifinal in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, March 24. (AP Photo/File)
The East Regional at New York’s Madison Square Garden features eighth-seeded Wisconsin against thehollywoodmirror.com fourth-seeded Florida, while third-seeded Baylor meets seventh-seeded South Carolina.
No team left in the NCAA Tournament is as used to being in the Sweet 16 as Wisconsin. The Badgers are in their fourth straight regional semifinal, a feat no other team can claim. They have also been in the round 16 six of the last seven years.
10. Family #FieldOf16 || #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/iJMkvXHodD
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 24, 2017
Florida is making its fifth straight Sweet 16 appearance, but it’s over a seven-year span. Baylor is making its fourth regional semifinal appearance since 2010.
Then there’s South Carolina, which has won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 1973.
Coverage begins at 4:00pm on KPUG 1170AM & 97.9FM.
