NCAA Tournament TV Schedule 2013: Viewing Information and Preview for Thursday

Finally, the end of my March Madness withdrawal is here. The NCAA tournament cranks the action back up as the Sweet 16 gets underway on Thursday with Marquette and Miami tipping off at 7:15 p.m. ET. 

In all, there are four games on Thursday as the West and East regions will whittle down to two teams apiece.

Check out all the information you need to catch these games on Thursday, followed by a preview of each contest. 

Live Stream: March Madness Live

Thursday's Sweet 16 Schedule

Thursday

Time (ET)	Matchup	Region	Channel
7:15	No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 2 Miami	East	CBS
7:47	No. 6 Arizona vs. No. 2 Ohio State	West	TBS
9:45	No. 4 Syracuse vs. No. 1 Indiana	East	CBS
10:17	No. 13 La Salle vs. No. 9 Wichita State	West	TBS

Game Previews

No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 2 Miami

Neither of these teams played its best ball in the last round and Marquette hasn't all tournament. The Golden Eagles have advanced by just a combined three points in their two tourney games. 

Miami suffered a blow, as SportsCenter passes along with this tweet, they will not have the services of massive center Reggie Johnson:

This is going to hurt Miami on the boards, and Marquette was already going to have the edge there. This all sets up for what should be a fun and unpredictable matchup.  

No. 6 Arizona vs. No. 2 Ohio State

Ohio State has to like the way things played out. As the No. 2 seed in the West, all that stands between them is the sixth seed and then the winner of a game featuring the nine- and 13-seed.

However, Arizona is not your typical No. 6 seed. The Wildcats stormed out of the gate this season and were once ranked No. 3 in the nation. They have regular-season wins over Florida and Miami, and they have looked great in this tournament.

Mark Lyons has been superb in hitting 50 points in his two tourney games this year. However, the Buckeyes have the excellent defensive services of Aaron Craft to help slow him down. 

This all sets up for what should be a tightly contested battle. 

No. 4 Syracuse vs. No. 1 Indiana

The storied Indiana Hoosiers program is hoping to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in over a decade, and all that stands in their way is the stifling 2-3 zone of the Orange. 

Syracuse is looking to reach its second straight Elite Eight, and it is going to need that defense to be better than ever to do it. 

The Hoosiers are third in the nation in three-point percentage at 40.8 percent. Meanwhile, the Orange are third in defensive field-goal percentage at 37.3 percent and sixth in three-point percentage allowed at 28.9 percent.

It will be fascinating to see if the Hoosiers shooters can carry them to victory. 

No. 13 La Salle vs. No. 9 Wichita State

The battle of Cinderellas! 

However, Wichita State has looked like anything but an underdog in this tournament. The Shockers throttled Pittsburgh in the Round of 64 and then handled No. 1 seed Gonzaga. 

Meanwhile, La Salle has won both of its games by two points each. 

The Explorers have advanced by playing intense defense and leaning on Ramon Galloway. The senior guard has been amazing. In his three tournament games (the Explorers played in the First Four) he is averaging over 21 points per game, and he is 12-of-23 from beyond the arc. 

If he can keep that hot hand going, the Explorers have an excellent chance to pull off another upset.