Pitino and Calipari face off in March Madness battle of coaching greats
Mackenzie Salmon takes a look at the best games to watch on the first day of second round action in the NCAA Tournament including a battle of coaching legends.
Sports Seriously
Another day of March Madness awaits college basketball fans on Saturday.
With the first round now complete, the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament now progresses to the second round, which will see several high-profile team and coaching matchups on display.
Perhaps the biggest of those will pit national champion St. John’s and Arkansas against each other — or, perhaps more accurately, Rick Pitino and John Calipari. The two national title-winning coaches haven’t faced off against each other since December 2016, with Pitino, then with Louisville, beating his Kentucky counterpart.
Another notable game on Saturday includes No. 1 overall seed Auburn taking on a Creighton team that demolished 8-seed Louisville on Thursday. Elsewhere, Kelvin Sampson and No. 1 seed Houston will look to avoid an upset from Mark Few-led Gonzaga, while Rick Barnes’ 2-seeded Tennessee looks to keep alive its hopes of a first-ever Final Four appearance vs. Mick Cronin and 7 seed UCLA.
Follow along live for bracket updates, scores, highlights and more from Saturday’s action:
Men’s March Madness games today
Saturday, March 22
- (4) Purdue vs. (12) McNeese | 12:10 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
- (2) St. John’s vs. (10) Arkansas | 2:40 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
- (4) Texas A&M vs. (5) Michigan | 5:15 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
- (3) Texas Tech vs. (11) Drake | 6:10 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
- (1) Auburn vs. (9) Creighton | 7:10 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
- (3) Wisconsin vs. (6) BYU | 7:45 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
- (1) Houston vs. (8) Gonzaga | 8:40 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
- (2) Tennessee vs. (7) UCLA | 9:40 p.m. | TBS (Sling TV)
Watch select March Madness games live with Sling TV
The players play the game, but coaches often act as figureheads for their teams.
When (2) St. John’s and (10) Arkansas tip off at 2:40 p.m. ET, Rick Pitino and John Calipari will face off in an NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. More from Paul Myerberg here.
The Big Ten and the SEC sent a record eight teams each to the Round of 32, and both conferences will have four teams each playing Saturday.
For the Big Ten, (4) Purdue will tip off against (12) McNeese, (5) Michigan plays (4) Texas A&M, (3) Wisconsin will see (6) BYU, and (7) UCLA has the nightcap against (2) Tennessee.
On the SEC side, John Calipari and (10) Arkansas play Rick Pitino’s (2) St. John’s, the aforementioned Aggies will play Michigan, No. 1 overall seed Auburn plays a tough No. 9 Creighton, and the Vols will play the Bruins to end the day.
At this point, everyone already knows the saga of Amir “Aura” Khan and Will Wade at McNeese. But the Cowboys didn’t just get by Clemson on good vibes. They outplayed the Tigers to advance.
Today, McNeese gets an early opportunity to go to the Sweet 16 against Matt Painter and Purdue. The resumes couldn’t be more different. It would be McNeese’s first Sweet 16 appearance vs Purdue’s 14th, and sixth since 2010.
Where to watch March Madness
Each of CBS, TBS and TNT will carry men’s March Madness games on Saturday. Streaming options include March Madness Live, which requires a valid cable login.
Other streaming options include Sling TV, which carries TBS and TNT, and Fubo, the latter of which carries CBS and offers a free trial.
Watch select March Madness games with Fubo (free trial)
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