The opening weekend of March Madness delivered some gems and must-watch moments. Now the stakes only get higher as we head into the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

This weekend has Rick Pitino's St. John's aiming to pull off a huge upset, a showdown between two legendary coaches, and a Big Ten rivalry on the biggest stage. Separately, America's favorite pastime is officially back with the Dodgers opening their three-peat campaign against the Diamondbacks.

Here's your weekend preview starting with what matters most.

The stakes: Rick Pitino began coaching St. John's in 2023, a program that hadn't been relevant in decades. Now he's got the Red Storm in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999, coming off of a buzzer-beater win over Kansas in the second round. On the other side, Duke was the best team in the country for most of the season, and nearly suffered one of the biggest upsets in tournament history against No. 16 seed Siena before pulling away in the first round. The Blue Devils are talented enough to win the championship but they aren’t in peak form with the various injuries they’ve been dealing with. Caleb Foster, their starting guard, has been out since early March with a fractured foot. Patrick Ngongba, their second leading rebounder, is back after missing time with injury but was very rusty in his return last week.

What to watch for: The matchup to watch is in the post. St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor, the Big East Player of the Year, going up against Cam Boozer, one of the best players in the country and a projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. If Ejiofor can slow Boozer down and if St John’s is able to apply the defensive pressure that's carried them all season, they'll have a real shot on Friday night.

The Betting Angle [Powered by WagerXpert]: Duke opened at -6.5 favorites, and without star guard, Caleb Foster, the number feels high. The Red Storm have covered five of their last six, and a motivated Pitino squad hitting their stride at the right time is a tough cover for anyone. Look for St. John’s to keep this one close with a chance to get the outright win.

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The stakes: UConn hasn't lost in the Sweet 16 or later since the 2009 Final Four. The team that ended their run that year was Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans. Seventeen years later these programs are meeting again, and Izzo, now in his 17th Sweet 16 and 61-26 all time in the tournament, is the only coach to have knocked the Huskies out at this stage during their dynasty run. For UConn, Alex Karaban, the program's all-time winningest player, is chasing his third national title. Friday night, Izzo gets his shot to spoil their championship run again.

What to watch for: Jeremy Fears Jr. is coming off one of the great individual tournament starts in recent memory, 27 assists over two games. He's been the engine driving this Spartan run. On the other side, Karaban enters Friday having just posted a career-high 27 points against UCLA, and with a chance to punch his ticket to a third Final Four. The concern for UConn is how they've been shooting the ball. The Huskies have struggled from the perimeter this tournament and will need to find their shot against a Michigan State defense that doesn't give up easy looks.

The Betting Angle [Powered by WagerXpert]: This game is a coin-flip with UConn as slight -1.5 point favorites. Dan Hurley is 15-1 against the spread in his last 16 NCAA Tournament games. The Huskies have shot the ball poorly through two rounds, and a team this talented is due for positive regression from the perimeter. If they find their shot Friday, Michigan State will have a hard time keeping pace.

The stakes: Nobody had these teams making the Sweet 16. Nebraska is making its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance and Iowa is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. They are coming off a massive upset win stunning No. 1 overall seed Florida on a go-ahead three with four seconds left in the second round. Now they face each other, which makes this feel more like a rivalry game than a tournament matchup. They split the season series and now game three is on the biggest stage yet.

What to watch for: These teams know each other better than almost any Sweet 16 matchup on the board. They've played twice already where Iowa won the defensive battle in February, Nebraska won the overtime shootout in March. The question tonight is which version of this rivalry shows up and which coach will be able to make the right adjustments in the biggest game of their careers. Bennett Stirtz is Iowa’s best player and when he scores 20+ they almost never lose. Watch if Nebraska is able to keep him in check.

The Betting Angle [Powered by WagerXpert]: Nebraska is currently a -1.5 favorite. The Huskers won the second meeting between these teams in overtime and have proven they’ve been able to get up threes and handle Iowa’s defense. Iowa is a great story, but Nebraska match up well against them and have already proven they can beat this team when it matters. Back the Huskers to get the job done in a close one.

The stakes: Baseball is back. The Dodgers open their campaign for a third consecutive World Series title against their NL West rivals, the Diamondbacks. A three-peat would put them alongside the Yankees and the Athletics as the only franchises in major league history to pull it off. The Dodgers went out and fixed their main weakness from last year, a bullpen that couldn't hold leads late. They signed Edwin Díaz, one of the best closers in baseball, to a three-year deal. They also added Kyle Tucker, an All-Star player, to an already stacked lineup. Arizona isn't an easy opener either. The Diamondbacks made the World Series in 2023 and were one of baseball's best offenses last season. The Dodgers are the favorite to win it all but Arizona has already proven they can hang with anyone.

What to watch for: The stars to watch for the Dodgers are Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani is the best player in baseball and reason enough to tune in just to see him play. Yamamoto takes the mound as one of the best pitchers in the game. For Arizona, Ketel Marte is an All-Star caliber player and the one most capable of doing damage against elite pitching, if the Diamondbacks are going to make this interesting, it'll run through him.

The Betting Angle [Powered by WagerXpert]: The Dodgers are heavily favored as they are -259 on the moneyline, and for good reason. The talent gap between these rosters is wide, and sending one of baseball's best pitchers to the mound on Opening Day keeps it that way. -259 is a steep price, but the Dodgers are the best team in baseball and this matchup sets up perfectly for them to prove it.

Must-watch:

Worth tuning in:

4. Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks (Thursday 8:30pm, NBC) — Three-peat begins

— Backdrop Sports

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