Three Catholic Schools into the Sweet 16

The NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Tournament enters its second week with the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight set to be played Thursday-Sunday:

Holy Thursday (Eastern Time); Elite Eight games among these teams will be on Holy Saturday with game times to be announced:

West Region at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California:

7:09 pm: (2) Arizona Wildcats v.s. (6) Clemson Tigers on CBS

9:39 pm: (1) North Carolina Tarheels v.s. (4) Alabama Crimson Tide on CBS

East Region at TD Garden in Boston, Massachussets:

7:39 pm: (1) UConn Huskies v.s. (5) San Diego State Aztecs on TBS

10:09 pm: (2) Illinois Fighting Illini v.s. (3) Iowa State Cyclones on TBS

Good Friday (Eastern Time); Elite Eight games among these teams will be on Easter Sunday with game times to be announced:

South Region at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas:

7:09 pm: (2) Marquette Golden Eagles v.s. (11) NC State Wolfpack on CBS

9:39 pm: (1) Houston Cougars v.s. (4) Duke Blue Devils on CBS

Midwest Region at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan:

7:39 pm: (1) Purdue Boilermakers v.s. (5) Gonzaga Bulldogs on TBS

10:09 pm: (2) Tennessee Volunteers v.s. (3) Creighton Bluejays on TBS

The 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament started off with 7 Catholic schools.

The Duquesne Dukes of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had an upset victory over the BYU Cougars, 71-67, to start. However, their game against Illinois in the Round of 32 saw the Fighting Illini win 89-63!

The Dayton Flyers of Dayton, Ohio had the most impressive comeback of the tournament thus far coming back from 17 points down to defeat the Nevada Wolf Pack in the Round of 64. However, the Flyers were not able to get past the Arizona Wildcats who won 78-68 in the Round of 32.

Saint Peter's Peacocks of Jersey City, New Jersey were the long shot in the Round of 64 for the Catholic universities and it showed with their 49-83 loss against the Tennessee Volunteers. 

Meanwhile, the Saint Mary's Gaels of Moraga, California had the most disappointing tournament of the Catholic schools suffering a 66-75 upset to the Grand Canyon Antelopes in the Round of 64. 

For the Catholic schools left, the most impressive has been the Gonzaga Bulldogs of Spokane, Washington who defeated the McNeese State Cowboys in the Round of 64, 86-65, and then defeated the Kansas Jayhawks in the Round of 32, 89-68. 

The other two from the Big East Conference have had at least one very close game.

Marquette Golden Eagles of Milwaukee, Wisconsin won their opening game 87-69 over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, but their latest game against the Colorado Buffaloes saw the Golden Eagles hang on to an 81-77 victory. 

Creighton Bluejays of Omaha, Nebraska had an even closer affair following their First Round 77-60 win over the Akron Zips. In the Second Round, the Bluejays needed a comeback plus two overtimes to overcome the Oregon Ducks, 86-73. The score was definitely not reflective of the game as the Ducks imploded in the second overtime.

Both Creighton and Gonzaga are in the Midwest side of the bracket meaning if they win on Good Friday night, they will play against each other on Easter Sunday.

Marquette will also play on Easter Sunday if they win on Good Friday night.

If Marquette and one of the other two wins in the Elite Eight, they will play each other in the Final Four the following Saturday in Glendale, Arizona, with the Championship game being on Monday night.

Marquette is the only Catholic school favored for their Sweet 16 matchup this year, and none are favored to advance to the Final Four. Nonetheless, most experts see the Golden Eagles, Bluejays, and Bulldogs as likely candidates for the Final Four and even for the National Championship. In other words, while none of them are favored, all three are highly respected with many experts picking them as their favorite.