March Madness: 5 best NCAA Tournament games to watch today, March 23

West Region: No. 12 Murray State vs. No. 4 Florida State at 6:10 p.m. ET on TNT

Like the game before it, this game features a high-achieving mid-major program (Murray State) against a power conference squad (Florida State) with legitimate Final Four aspirations. The big difference here is that the best player on the floor is suiting up for the Racers.

That would be point guard Ja Morant, who electrified the XL Center by putting up 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists in an 83-64 rout of Marquette. Morant, who recorded the first triple-double in the NCAA Tournament since Draymond Green in 2012, looked like a young Russell Westbrook with his passing ability and his all around game.

The team that hasn’t gotten a ton of attention here is Florida State, which held off a pesky Vermont team that knocked down 16 threes in a 76-69 win. The Seminoles return most of the core from their Elite Eight team a year ago, so this game will be a test of whether their experience will be enough to counter Morant’s all-world talent.

Prediction: Florida State

South Region: No. 6 Villanova vs. No. 3 Purdue at 8:40 p.m. ET on TNT

The defending national champions lived to fight another day on Thursday, but it wasn’t easy against Saint Mary’s. The West Coast Gaels gave Villanova all they could handle, but Phil Booth’s 20 points were enough to help the Wildcats move on.

The Boilermakers had an easier time in their matchup, moving past Old Dominion 61-48 to get to the Round of 32. Carsen Edwards wasn’t terribly efficient for Purdue, going 7-23 from the floor, but his 26 points were plenty to help the Boilermakers down the Monarchs.

The key to this matchup could be how Villanova is able to contain Edwards. Purdue has a lot of trouble scoring points if Edwards isn’t producing, so if the Wildcats can neutralize Edwards they could move on to the Sweet 16.

Prediction: Purdue

Midwest Region: No. 5 Auburn vs. No. 4 Kansas at 9:40 p.m. ET on TBS

The last game of the day out in Salt Lake City should be a high-scoring affair between Auburn and Kansas. These two teams took very different paths through the first round, with Auburn having to sweat a lot more than Kansas.

The Tigers did everything they could to hand their game to New Mexico State, but the Aggies simply wouldn’t take it. As a result, Auburn walked away with a 78-77 win to survive and advance.

Kansas took the more conventional route to the Round of 32, blowing away Northeastern 87-53 to move on. Dedric Lawson did what Dedric Lawson does for Kansas, recording 25 points and 11 rebounds to help the Jayhawks move one step closer to the Sweet 16.

This is not a traditionally deep Kansas team, but it still has more than enough talent to put up points against Auburn. The rest of the Midwest Region may be rooting for Auburn to win here so that Kansas doesn’t get to play the regional in Sprint Center, which is just an hour away from their campus.

Prediction: Auburn