March Madness 2023: Top Storylines and Expert Picks for Friday's Men's Bracket

The two highest seeds left in the NCAA men's basketball tournament take the court on Friday for their Sweet 16 contests.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Houston Cougars found another level in their respective second-round contests to prove they are immune to upsets.

Alabama and Houston face tougher challenges in the form of the San Diego State Aztecs and Miami Hurricanes.

San Diego State's tremendous defense got it into the Sweet 16, while Miami banked on great offense to cruise into the second weekend.

The pair of No. 1 seeds open up Friday's four-game slate. They will be followed by the lone double-digit seed left in the tournament and a battle between No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.

The 15th-seeded Princeton Tigers will go for another upset against the Creighton Bluejays, while the Xavier Musketeers and Texas Longhorns will face off in what could be the most even matchup of the Sweet 16.

Can Alabama and Houston Continue to Roll?

Alex Slitz/Getty Images

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - MARCH 18: Brandon Miller #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide drives during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 18, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Alabama and Houston each picked up a pair of double-digits wins in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.

Both sides exercised their dominance in the second halves of their second-round games, as they blew past the Maryland Terrapins and Auburn Tigers, respectively.

The ability to find another level on the hardwood separates the Crimson Tide and Cougars from the rest of the field at the moment.

They will face their toughest tests of the tournament to date on Friday, and that could lead to closer games on the scoreboard.

San Diego State could cause Alabama problems with its defense. The Aztecs have held two double-digit seeds under 60 points.

Alabama's advantage should be its length, led by Brandon Miller, as it enters Friday as the best rebounding team in college basketball.

Houston faces a more even matchup against Miami and its fantastic scoring guards, Isaiah Wong, Nijel Pack and Wooga Poplar.

The Cougars need to slow down the Hurricanes on the perimeter to feel comfortable about advancing to the Elite Eight.

Houston held Auburn and the Northern Kentucky Norse to five three-pointers each in the first two rounds.

Miami may make a few more three-point shots, but if Houston can take away some momentum-changing shots from deep, it can avoid an upset.

Princeton Looking to Replicate St. Peter's Cinderella Run

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 18: Tosan Evbuomwan #20 of the Princeton Tigers reacts on the bench during the second half against the Missouri Tigers in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 18, 2023 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Princeton is attempting to become the second straight No. 15 seed out of New Jersey to make the Elite Eight.

The Tigers followed in the footsteps of the St. Peter's Peacocks from last season by winning two games as a No. 15 seed.

Princeton schemed some fantastic defenses to beat the Arizona Wildcats and Missouri Tigers in the first two rounds.

The defensive game plan against Arizona could help the Tigers in their matchup with Creighton.

The Bluejays have a giant down low in Ryan Kalkbrenner. Princeton can't match his size, but it can limit his impact—similar to how it controlled Arizona's Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis.

Princeton won the rebounding battle against Arizona, and it limited how many second-chance opportunities both big men would get.

Tubelis and Ballo combined for 35 points, but they weren't as dominant in the second half, as Princeton frustrated both players with double teams and tough defense on the blocks.

Princeton would love it if Creighton shoots 3-for-16 from three-point range, as Arizona did, but that probably will not be the case.

The Bluejays shoot 35.8 percent from three-point range, and they shot 10 percentage points better than their average in the second round against the Baylor Bears.

Creighton's three-point shooting will be its solution if Kalkbrenner is slowed down by Princeton in the paint, and that could lead to the Tigers' Cinderella run ending in the Sweet 16.

Expert Picks

AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

DENVER, CO - MARCH 19: Baylor Scheierman (55) of the Creighton Bluejays watches after shooting over Josh Ojianwuna (15) of the Baylor Bears during the second half of Creightons 85-76 second round NCAA mens basketball tournament win at Ball Arena in Denver on Sunday, March 19, 2023. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Upsets may be hard to come by on Friday.

A majority of experts believe Alabama, Houston, Creighton and Texas will advance to the regional finals on Sunday.

All of ESPN.com's experts believe Alabama, Houston and Creighton will win. Only Myron Medcalf has Xavier beating Texas.

The Athletic's Seth Davis picked Alabama, Houston and Texas to win and cover the point spread. Davis believes Miami will cover the spread but that Houston will come away with the victory.

CBS Sports' panel of experts believe that Alabama and Houston are headed to the Final Four, and some of them believe the two No. 1 seeds will face off in the national championship game.

Creighton, Princeton, Texas or Xavier could win on Friday, but all of the CBS experts believe that will be their last wins of the season.