2016 NCAA Tournament Preview: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 5 Maryland

Schedule: Thursday, March 24, 9:40 p.m. ET on CBS

Arena: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky.

Line: Kansas (-7)

If you’re one of those fans who decided to wait until there were 16 teams left in the tournament to turn your television on, the Kansas Jayhawks and Maryland Terrapins game won’t be a bad place to start. There are some good games on the slate for the Sweet 16, and this figures to be one of the most watched. Here’s what we know so far.

What To Watch For: Kansas

Kansas has been one of he best teams in NCAA basketball all year. You truly could have given them the No. 1 ranking all year and been able to generate an intelligent argument behind it. Their tournament run only provides more evidence. Against the Connecticut Huskies, they dominated the boards and got outscored by eight points in the second half, yet they still won by 12. They average a little under 82 points a game. Perry Ellis, Wayne Selden Jr., Frank Mason III and Devonte’ Graham are all capable of an offensive onslaught against the Terrapins. There’s almost nothing to criticize about this team.

What To Watch For: Maryland

The Terrapins are one of those teams that, on any given night, can beat anybody when they play up to their potential. They’ll need one of those nights on Thursday. They handled adversity well in the second half of their game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Things got tight, and the Terrapins responded the way a good team is supposed to by taking care of business. They can play any way the game goes. They can match you bucket for bucket in the half court game and can run with just about anybody. They have enough offensive weapons to make this game a classic.

All this will serve the Terrapins well, because the Jayhawks may dictate pace, but before you write the Jayhawks in for an automatic bid into the Elite Eight, understand their opponent is worthy and deserves respect. Once you’ve acknowledged that, then and only then can you go ahead and write the Kansas into the next round. Expect a close game and a free throw shooting contest late.

Prediction: Kansas 83, Maryland 76