NCAA Tournament coming to Boston, with four teams hoping to cut down nets at TD Garden

BOSTON -- After gripping the country with an exciting first weekend of action, March Madness is now set to take over Boston. TD Garden will play host to Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matchups later this week, and one lucky team will get to cut down the nets on Saturday night.

Will that be the defending champion UConn Huskies? Or will one of the three other teams coming to Boston knock UConn out of the East bracket?

Basketball fans will actually be treated to a rematch of last year's national final in Boston, with the top-seeded Huskies set to face off against the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs on Thursday night. When UConn and San Diego State are done doing battle, 3-seeded Illinois and 2-seeded Iowa State will duke it out for a spot in Saturday's Elite 8.

(1) UConn vs. (5) San Diego State: Thursday, March 28 at 7:39 p.m.

The Huskies are looking to become the first repeat champ in nearly 20 years and began their quest with a pair of statement wins. UConn cruised to a 91-52 win over Stetson in the opening round before thumping Northwestern, 75-58, on Sunday to make it to the Sweet 16.

UConn has one of the most talented starting fives in the country. The Huskies are led by guard Tristen Newton and sharpshooter Cam Spencer in the backcourt, and anchored by 7-foot-2 big man Donovan Clingan in the middle. Newton and Clingan can take over a game, as both posted double-doubles against Northwestern. Newton poured in 20 points and dished out 10 assists, while Clingan had 14 points and 14 rebounds. The big fella -- aptly nicknamed "Cling Kong" -- also brings some game-changing defense to the floor, as he rejected eight shots against Northwestern. 

Freshman Stephon Castle (21 points off 9-for-17 shooting in the tournament) and glue guy Alex Karaban (21 points, 10 rebounds over the first two rounds) round out the UConn starting lineup, while Big East Sixth Man of the Year Hassan Diarra packs a punch off the bench.

That's what the San Diego State Aztecs have standing in their way in the NCAA Tournament -- again. UConn won its fifth title last year with a 76-59 win over San Diego State in the championship game, and the Aztecs will be looking for some revenge this Thursday in Boston.

San Diego State is through to the second weekend thanks to a 69-65 win over 12-seeded UAB in the first round and a much more comfortable 85-57 win over Yale on Sunday. The Aztecs are once again led by their defense, which has held opposing shooters to 37 percent from the floor during tournament action.

Offensively, the Aztecs are led by senior Jaedon LeDee, with the 6-foot-9 forward averaging 29 points over the first two games of the tournament. Guard Darrion Trammell stepped up with 18 points against Yale, while senior guard Lamont Butler had 14 points, four assists, and four steals for the Aztecs against UAB.

(2) Iowa State vs. (3) Illinois: Thursday, March 28 at 10:09 p.m. 

Iowa State and Illinois both had relatively easy paths to Boston, winning each of their tourney games by double digits. Iowa State bested 15-seeded South Dakota State, 82-65, in the first round and then beat 7-seeded Washington State, 67-56, on Saturday. Illinois was tested by Morehead State in the opening round, with the game tied at the 14:21 mark, but the Illini got things together and won big, 85-69. They followed that up with an 89-63 win over 11-seeded Duquesne on Saturday.

Iowa State is extremely balanced offensively, with four players scoring in double digits in both of their tournament wins so far. Sophomore Tamin Lipsey is leading the way at 16 points per game, while freshman Milan Momcilovic is averaging 14.5 points off 50 percent shooting over his two tourney games. The Cyclone are shooting the bell really well from deep, hitting 48.6 percent of their 3-pointers over the first two rounds. 

Terrence Shannon Jr. is the man on Illinois, with the senior guard dropping 26 points on Morehead State before a 30-point explosion against Duquesne. He's shooting 63 percent for the tournament so far.

And when it's not Shannon Jr. doing the scoring for the Fighting Ilini, senior forward Marcus Domask usually picks up the slack. He's coming off a 22-point evening against Duquesne, and had a 12-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against Morehead State.

The two winners from Thursday night will advance to the Elite 8, which will be played in Boston on Saturday. The winner of that game will get to cut down the nets at TD Garden and then head off to the Final Four, which is being held in Phoenix, Arizona on April 6.

Boston last hosted an NCAA regional in 2018, when eventual champion Villanova cut down the nets at TD Garden.