Well it’s the most exciting time of year in sports and the second straight weekend of NCAA MARCH MADNESS starts Thursday evening. As always, we have you covered for the best games and matchups to check out this weekend and where you can find them. Check the spreads and lines here, and let’s see the best games below:

#11 Tennessee vs. #2 Michigan, CBS, Thursday, 7:15PM – Tennessee is seeded fairly low but that isn’t affecting their play at all. The Vols seem poised to challenge Louisville for most under-seeded team in the tournament. They’ve been destroying teams, and are rolling, while Michigan hasn’t looked particularly sharp since January. Analysts have soured on Michigan (recognized as a potential #1 overall seed before losing to Michigan State in the Big 10 Championship Tournament), so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond against another BCS program who’s certainly on a roll as of late. The Vols will try to get out and run, and Michigan will do their best to slow the pace and bank off their high percentage shots.

#8 Kentucky vs. #4 Louisville, CBS, Thursday, 9:45PM – Fans of this series have made plenty of noise in recent years over comparing the rivalry to the best in college sports. Notably, Big Blue Nation and Louisville fans have been saying their rivalry is tops over the more famous one on Tobacco Road (Duke/UNC), and, well, here is a great chance for them to prove it. Both of these teams love to get out and score, so this should be a high-flying affair with plenty of points to throw around. Kentucky will be looking to get their phenom-talented freshman going, but will have to stay somewhat conservative or Louisville’s Russ Smith could get hot. Don’t miss this one if you want to see a track meet.

#4 UCLA vs. #1 Florida, CBS, Thursday, 7:15PM — Florida might be the #1 overall seed but they certainly haven’t played like it. That sort of lackadaisical approach isn’t going to work against a Blue Blood program like UCLA, so Billy Donovan and the Gators will certainly be on their game against the Bruins. Florida’s offensive efficiency is off the charts, but they don’t tend to score a lot. Look for UCLA to work the Wear twins out of the post to create 3-point opportunities and  easy buckets to keep up. This one could get interesting if Florida comes out slow again…

Those are the best matchups for the Sweet 16 round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament on CBS, TNT, TruTV and TBS on DISH Network. Check back for more updates as the tournament progresses.

Alec Lepage is a Sports and News Blogger for Dish Network and multiple sports blogs. Follow him on Twitter @TheAlecLepage

Categories: Sports Previews, Analysis & Guides