NCAA Tournament: 8 Elite March Madness Matchups I Want to See!

Danny Mogollon

We’re not going to get Virginia versus Charleston or Bill Self against Illinois, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t exciting matchups and fun storylines awaiting us in the coming days and weeks of the NCAA Tournament.

Second Round Games

8. #3 Xavier vs. #11 Pittsburgh (Midwest)

Not only am I old enough to remember when Pittsburgh was in the Big East, and Xavier wasn’t, I’m old enough to remember when Sean Miller was a Panther in the Big East, dishing to Charles Smith and send-it-in Jerome Lane. Coaching against the alma mater is always a juicy storyline.

Regional Semifinals

7. #1 Houston Cougars vs. #4 Indiana Hoosiers (Midwest )

In 2006, Indiana hired Kelvin Sampson away from Oklahoma to get IU back to the Final Four. Amid NCAA investigations and violations, Sampson’s tenure didn’t even last two seasons in Bloomington. Six years later, he resurfaced as Houston’s headman and took them to Final Four in 2021.

6. #2 UCLA Bruins vs. #3 Gonzaga Bulldogs (West )

They never played until 1999 but have given us two of the tournament’s most memorable moments, with Adam Morrison on the floor in tears as UCLA celebrated a stunning comeback and Jalen Suggs’s dramatic buzzer-beater in OT to send the Zags to the NCAA Championship Game.

Regional Finals

5. #1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #3 Baylor Bears (South)

Two of the best NBA prospects in the Big Dance. If anyone can go mano a mano with Bama’s Brandon Miller, it’s Baylor’s Keyonte George.

4. #3 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. #5 Saint Mary’s Gaels (West)

This is an intense rivalry. They’ve played 55 times, including a Gonzaga win in the WCC Championship Game, but have never faced off in the NCAAs.

3. #1 Houston Cougars vs. #2 Texas Longhorns (Midwest)

It’s not often the Cougars get a chance against the ‘Horns. They haven’t played on the gridiron since 2002 or on the hardwood since 2013 in the CBI! A matchup with the Final Four on the line would be one for the ages.

2. #5 Duke Blue Devils vs. #6 Kentucky Wildcats (East)

A four-point Final Four in 1966. A six-point Natty in 1978. A one-point regional semi in 1980. A two-point regional final in 1998. And one of the greatest college basketball games ever, an epic one-point overtime regional final in 1992. We’re long overdue for a classic between these blue bloods.