NCAA Tournament 2014: Sweet 16 Day 1 Scores, Updated Bracket and Schedule

There may not be an in-state rivalry, but Thursday's slate of Sweet 16 matchups is undeniably compelling. 

In the opening set of games, we get Stanford vs. Dayton in a battle of Cinderellas and a white-hot Baylor squad against an offensively well-oiled machine in Wisconsin. 

The nightcap then features arguably the two most complete teams in the nation. Florida takes on a dynamic offense in UCLA, while Arizona matches up with a long, athletic and efficient defense in San Diego State. 

Let's take a look at how the action unfolds, as four teams look to book a spot in the Elite Eight. 

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Sweet 16 Schedule and Scores

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV Info	Live Stream	Winner
Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV Info	Live Stream
Thurs., March 27	No. 10 Stanford vs. No. 11 Dayton	7:15 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live	Dayton, 82-72
Thurs., March 27	No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Baylor	7:47 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live	Wisconsin, 69-52
Thurs., March 27	No. 1 Florida vs. No. 4 UCLA	9:45 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live	Florida, 79-68
Thurs., March 27	No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 San Diego State	9:55 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live	Arizona, 70-64
Fri., March 28	No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 11 Tennessee	7:15 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Fri., March 28	No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Connecticut	7:47 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Fri., March 28	No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 Kentucky	9:40 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Fri., March 28	No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 4 Michigan State	9:55 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live

(1) Arizona 70, (4) San Diego State 64

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Arizona looked in trouble. The Wildcats trailed for much of the night and National Player of the Year candidate Nick Johnson was doing nothing on the offensive end. 

But freshman Aaron Gordon helped the 'Cats keep pace with a physical, impressive San Diego State squad, and Johnson came up big down the stretch to seal the 70-64 comeback victory. 

ESPN's Myron Medcalf summed up the battle:

The Aztecs crushed Arizona on the offensive glass, Xavier Thames (25 points) and Dwayne Polee (13 points off the bench) were terrific and the defensive was as good as advertised for much of the game. 

But Gordon (15 points, seven rebounds) made plays all over the floor, crashing the offensive glass, making great passes and playing defense. Oh, and there was this:

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (15 points, five rebounds) and T.J. McConnell (11 points, three assists) were also key in keeping the Wildcats close, before Johnson hit a late three and knocked down all 10 of his free-throws down the stretch to seal the win. 

ESPN Stats & Info put some numbers on the roller-coaster performance:

The defensively stout Wildcats will meet the offensively clicking Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday (8:49 p.m. ET) in what should be a tantalizing clash of strengths. 

(1) Florida 79, (4) UCLA 68

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Ho-hum. Florida's in the Elite Eight again. Also, the sky is blue and Sim Bhullar is big. 

With a comprehensive 79-68 over UCLA on Thursday night, the Gators, as noted by Patrick Stevens, join elite company with a fourth-consecutive trip to the regional finals:

Although the Bruins stuck around for most of the night, this one was never really in serious question. 

Michael Frazier poured in five three-balls for a game-high 19 points, electrifying freshman Kasey Hill had 10 assists off the bench four players scored in double-figure scorers and Billy Donovan's squad shot a scorching 50.0 percent from the field. 

But not only do the Gators have a slew of different ways to hurt you on offense, they are physical and relentless on defense. The Bruins are a terrific offensive team, but they struggled to just 42.2 percent from the field, while leading scorers Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams combined for 28 points on an inefficient 26 shots. 

If Florida wants to avoid a fourth-straight exit at this stage, it will have to get past Dayton on Saturday (6:09 p.m. ET).  

The Flyers may be a No. 11 on the seeding line, but the Gators would be wise not to overlook them. Amazingly enough, history has favored the 11th seed in this matchup, per Bryan Armen Graham:

There's also the fact that Archie Miller's squad is incredibly deep and clicking on all cylinders on offense right now. 

(2) Wisconsin 69, (6) Baylor 52

Harry How/Getty Images

With Wisconsin’s ability to put five shooters on the floor at all times and Baylor’s dismantling of Doug McDermott and the nation’s most efficient offense in the round of 32, this stood out as one of the most compelling matchups of the Sweet 16.

Instead, it will likely go down as the most boring—at least for non-Wisconsin fans.

The Badgers dominated on both sides of the floor from the opening tip, cutting up Baylor’s zone on offense and limiting the Bears to bad looks and few second chances on the other end, rolling to a 69-52 victory.

Scott Drew summed up the loss in the post-game press conference, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com):

"

Wisconsin really played a great game, and we did a very poor job in making things tough. They're extremely hard to pressure and rattle. ... Once we got behind, we had to do some things we wished we didn't have to do.

"

As ESPN Stats & Info noted, it’s Bo Ryan and Wisconsin’s first trip to the Elite Eight in nearly a decade:

Wisconsin came out with a gameplan and executed it to perfection, attacking Baylor’s zone on the interior. Frank Kaminsky shot 8-of-11 from the field for a game-high 19 points, while freshman Nigel Hayes chipped in 10 and six rebounds off the bench.

The work on the inside helped space things out even more, allowing for Wisconsin’s ball movement and shooters to do the rest. Ben Brust was particularly hot from beyond the arc, knocking down three of his five attempts for 14 points.

Overall, the Badgers shot 52.0 percent from the field. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein summed it up quite accurately:

Wisconsin was just as impressive on the other end, holding Baylor to 31.0 percent shooting and grabbing 32 offensive rebounds to the Bears’ 11 offensive ‘boards.

Bo Ryan’s squad will face a stiff challenge in the regional finals against either Arizona or San Diego State, but Wisconsin established itself as a clear title contender with a comprehensive victory against a previously red-hot squad.

(11) Dayton 82, (10) Stanford 72

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Stanford's matchup zone gave fits to both New Mexico and Kansas during the first weekend, but Dayton's inside-outside attack, spacing and precise, quick ball movement were too much for the Cardinal. 

The Flyers were razor sharp for much of the night, recording 19 assists to just 10 turnovers en route to an 82-72 win and a spot in the Elite Eight. 

As the NCAA's March Madness Twitter feed noted, it's the first time in 30 years Dayton has advanced this far:

Head coach Archie Miller was five years old when that happened. 

Ohio State transfer Jordan Sibert led the way for Miller's squad, knocking down four three-pointers and tallying a team-high 18 points. Dayton's immense depth was once again apparent, though—11 different players scored, and freshman Kendall Pollard chipped in a career-high 12 off the bench.

Miller summed up the depth for the Flyers in the post-game press conference, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com):

"

We had 11 guys score in the game and from top to bottom, we kept coming and coming. The way they shared the ball and moved the ball ... it was a true team effort. It's nice that on the biggest stage, we acted like ourselves.

"

Dayton put on an offensive clinic, shooting 48.3 percent from the field. 

Thanks to its advantage inside the paint, Stanford was able to keep pace for a while. A couple of free throws from Stefan Nastic cut the lead to four with 14:37 remaining, but the junior, who was getting pretty much whatever he wanted inside, dealt with foul trouble for much of the game, and that's as close as the Cardinal ever got. 

Nastic, Dwight Powell, Josh Huestis and Chasson Randle combined for 66 of the Cardinal's 72 points, as Johnny Dawkins' team got just two points from the bench and shot just 37.9 percent from the field.  

Dayton will get the winner of Florida vs. UCLA on Saturday for a trip to the Final Four.