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After a first round that featured 13 lesser-seeded teams winning including a record eight with seeds of 11 or worse, the second round has a tough act to follow. Here's a look at some of the biggest storylines heading into Saturday's action:
1. Which No. 1 seed is in the most jeopardy of a second-round knockout?
Of the three No. 1 seeds in action on Saturday, Virginia may have both the most to lose and the most dangerous matchup. The Cavaliers face a Butler team with an efficient offense, a level of comfort playing at a methodical pace and a history of pulling seismic upsets.
A loss Saturday would be devastating for Virginia because the Cavaliers have a golden opportunity with March nemesis Michigan State no longer a Midwest Region road block. Now a Final Four berth is Virginia's to lose, and seldom has the Cavaliers program ever been able to say that.
Neither of the other two No. 1 seeds have free paths to the Sweet 16 though. Providence will test North Carolina by repeatedly putting its big men in ball screens and UConn inevitably seems to rise to the occasion in March. The Huskies are 17-2 in the NCAA tournament since 2009.
2. Will fatigue impact Wichita State?
If you're curious what govern the NCAA tournament, Wichita State's tip-off time on Saturday should answer that question. CBS has decreed that the Shockers will play Miami in the earliest game even though that puts Wichita State at a disadvantage after already playing in the First Four on Tuesday night and in the first round on Thursday night.
"Miami got a little bit more rest than we did," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. "I would obviously prefer the game to be a little later. We've played 9:10, 9:20, and now we bump it up to the first game of the day, noon tomorrow. But again, they didn't ask me. They didn't really care for my opinion."
CBS/Turner typically selects a regional with two fairly compelling matchups for the early time slots in the second round because there are no other games going on at the same time. Why the networks chose the Providence Regional is anyone's guess, however, both Wichita State-Miami and Duke-Yale are fun matchups.
How concerned with fatigue is Marshall? Enough that Wichita State spent Friday resting and doing mostly film work.
"We'll have to practice a little bit, do some walk-through," Marshall said. 'Very light for the guys that played a lot of minutes yesterday in practice. But there will be some guys that get up and down a little bit just to try to keep their conditioning because who knows when some guy who hadn't been playing much will be called on and need to execute for us."
3. Why is Kentucky vs. Indiana the most compelling game of the day?
The Kentucky-Indiana matchup is especially intriguing because of the way their rivalry abruptly ended in 2012 after the two teams met at least once a season the previous 44 years.
John Calipari wanted to stop playing home-and-home and play at a neutral site, preferably Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium. He knew his rabid fan base would travel, he liked the idea of preparing to play in a dome before a potential Final Four and it didn't hurt that he'd never have to play at Assembly Hall again.
Tom Crean preferred the matchup rotate between the two campus sites the way it most recently had. The Hoosiers had defeated Kentucky's 2012 national championship squad in Bloomington in 2012, and probably had a much better chance for success in the series with their students in the building every two years.
Neither coach would budge from his position, so college basketball has suffered. There's no plans to restart the series anytime soon, so Saturday's game is not just for a spot in the Sweet 16 but for regional bragging rights for years to come.
"I understand they need home games and that's what they want," Calipari said. "There is no issue with me. We've got our schedule. They've got theirs. It hasn't hurt, us and it hasn't hurt them."
4. Which elite big man will shine brightest in Gonzaga-Utah?
When the Zags and Utes tip off on Saturday, the teams top big men will be the center of attention.
On one side is Domantas Sabonis, a skilled yet physical 6-foot-11 forward from Lithuania with a lethal mid-range game and a ferocity and grit about him. On the other side is Jakob Poeltl, a true 7-foot center who scores with his back to the basket and protects the rim with his ability to alter shots.
Poeltl is considered a potential lottery pick. Sabonis could go in the first round of the draft as soon as this June too.
The stakes are even higher now that Michigan State has been eliminated from the Midwest Bracket. Now the winner of Utah and Gonzaga will likely be the favorite in the next round against either Syracuse or Middle Tennessee.
5. Which 12 seed has the better chance to advance to the second weekend?
Twenty times since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985, a No. 12 seed has made the Sweet 16. Only once has two made it in the same year, however, so it's probably unlikely both Yale and Arkansas-Little Rock survive second-round matchups on Saturday.
Which has more hope of springing another upset? Probably Little Rock. Its methodical pace and top 30 defense will challenge free-flowing, high-scoring Iowa State, though the Cyclones are better equipped to handle it than first-round opponent Purdue was. Whereas Purdue lacked a capable point guard, Iowa State's Monte Morris is one of the elite distributors nationally.
"I hope our guard play ... gives us an ability to handle their pressure better," Iowa State coach Steve Prohm told reporters in Denver. "We don't have the size of Purdue. But we can space the floor. We can spread you out. We can do some different things offensively that Purdue may not be able to do."
Yale probably lacks the perimeter quickness to give Duke's backcourt fits, but the Bulldogs' rebounding prowess at both ends of the floor could be problematic. When Duke pulled away in the second half of the first meeting en route to a comfortable victory, that was still back when the Blue Devils had Amile Jefferson available. They're smaller now and playing more zone, which has made them more vulnerable on the glass.
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1. Which No. 1 seed is in the most jeopardy of a second-round knockout?
Of the three No. 1 seeds in action on Saturday, Virginia may have both the most to lose and the most dangerous matchup. The Cavaliers face a Butler team with an efficient offense, a level of comfort playing at a methodical pace and a history of pulling seismic upsets.
A loss Saturday would be devastating for Virginia because the Cavaliers have a golden opportunity with March nemesis Michigan State no longer a Midwest Region road block. Now a Final Four berth is Virginia's to lose, and seldom has the Cavaliers program ever been able to say that.
Neither of the other two No. 1 seeds have free paths to the Sweet 16 though. Providence will test North Carolina by repeatedly putting its big men in ball screens and UConn inevitably seems to rise to the occasion in March. The Huskies are 17-2 in the NCAA tournament since 2009.
2. Will fatigue impact Wichita State?
If you're curious what govern the NCAA tournament, Wichita State's tip-off time on Saturday should answer that question. CBS has decreed that the Shockers will play Miami in the earliest game even though that puts Wichita State at a disadvantage after already playing in the First Four on Tuesday night and in the first round on Thursday night.
"Miami got a little bit more rest than we did," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. "I would obviously prefer the game to be a little later. We've played 9:10, 9:20, and now we bump it up to the first game of the day, noon tomorrow. But again, they didn't ask me. They didn't really care for my opinion."
CBS/Turner typically selects a regional with two fairly compelling matchups for the early time slots in the second round because there are no other games going on at the same time. Why the networks chose the Providence Regional is anyone's guess, however, both Wichita State-Miami and Duke-Yale are fun matchups.
How concerned with fatigue is Marshall? Enough that Wichita State spent Friday resting and doing mostly film work.
"We'll have to practice a little bit, do some walk-through," Marshall said. 'Very light for the guys that played a lot of minutes yesterday in practice. But there will be some guys that get up and down a little bit just to try to keep their conditioning because who knows when some guy who hadn't been playing much will be called on and need to execute for us."
The Kentucky-Indiana matchup is especially intriguing because of the way their rivalry abruptly ended in 2012 after the two teams met at least once a season the previous 44 years.
John Calipari wanted to stop playing home-and-home and play at a neutral site, preferably Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium. He knew his rabid fan base would travel, he liked the idea of preparing to play in a dome before a potential Final Four and it didn't hurt that he'd never have to play at Assembly Hall again.
Tom Crean preferred the matchup rotate between the two campus sites the way it most recently had. The Hoosiers had defeated Kentucky's 2012 national championship squad in Bloomington in 2012, and probably had a much better chance for success in the series with their students in the building every two years.
Neither coach would budge from his position, so college basketball has suffered. There's no plans to restart the series anytime soon, so Saturday's game is not just for a spot in the Sweet 16 but for regional bragging rights for years to come.
"I understand they need home games and that's what they want," Calipari said. "There is no issue with me. We've got our schedule. They've got theirs. It hasn't hurt, us and it hasn't hurt them."
4. Which elite big man will shine brightest in Gonzaga-Utah?
When the Zags and Utes tip off on Saturday, the teams top big men will be the center of attention.
On one side is Domantas Sabonis, a skilled yet physical 6-foot-11 forward from Lithuania with a lethal mid-range game and a ferocity and grit about him. On the other side is Jakob Poeltl, a true 7-foot center who scores with his back to the basket and protects the rim with his ability to alter shots.
Poeltl is considered a potential lottery pick. Sabonis could go in the first round of the draft as soon as this June too.
The stakes are even higher now that Michigan State has been eliminated from the Midwest Bracket. Now the winner of Utah and Gonzaga will likely be the favorite in the next round against either Syracuse or Middle Tennessee.
5. Which 12 seed has the better chance to advance to the second weekend?
Twenty times since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985, a No. 12 seed has made the Sweet 16. Only once has two made it in the same year, however, so it's probably unlikely both Yale and Arkansas-Little Rock survive second-round matchups on Saturday.
Which has more hope of springing another upset? Probably Little Rock. Its methodical pace and top 30 defense will challenge free-flowing, high-scoring Iowa State, though the Cyclones are better equipped to handle it than first-round opponent Purdue was. Whereas Purdue lacked a capable point guard, Iowa State's Monte Morris is one of the elite distributors nationally.
"I hope our guard play ... gives us an ability to handle their pressure better," Iowa State coach Steve Prohm told reporters in Denver. "We don't have the size of Purdue. But we can space the floor. We can spread you out. We can do some different things offensively that Purdue may not be able to do."
Yale probably lacks the perimeter quickness to give Duke's backcourt fits, but the Bulldogs' rebounding prowess at both ends of the floor could be problematic. When Duke pulled away in the second half of the first meeting en route to a comfortable victory, that was still back when the Blue Devils had Amile Jefferson available. They're smaller now and playing more zone, which has made them more vulnerable on the glass.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!Follow @JeffEisenberg