Morning Madness: Friday, Feb. 24

Here's what you need to know in college hoops for Friday, Feb. 24.

The absolute chaos of Wednesday night proved difficult to duplicate on Thursday, which made for a welcome breather of sorts. (Well, maybe not for Wisconsin.) This weekend, though, we ratchet up into full Madness mode.

In case you missed it

• No. 16 Wisconsin continues to struggle on the road, falling to Ohio State in Columbus 83-73 on Thursday. Five of the Badgers' six losses this year have come away from home — not a good sign heading into the postseason.

• No. 15 Cincinnati had no problem at home, handling Memphis 87-74. Perhaps the highlight of the night came from Cincinnati's Gary Clark, who threw down a one-handed, and-one alley-oop.

• Gonzaga is still unbeaten. The No. 1 Zags dismantled San Diego, 96-38, to go to 29-0. They wrap up their regular season at home Saturday against BYU and play their first game in the West Coast Conference tournament on March 4.

Full Thursday scoreboard

What to watch this weekend

• No ranked teams are playing tonight, though some big-win NCAA tournament hopefuls -- including Valparaiso (23-6), Oakland (22-7), Akron (22-6) and Dayton (22-5) -- are going at it. If you're looking for the big guys, this weekend has plenty in store.

SATURDAY

• No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 5 UCLA: A top 5 matchup with high stakes. The Bruins are out for revenge after falling to Arizona 96-85 on Jan. 21. (8:15 ET, ESPN) 

• No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 23 Creighton: Both teams are coming off of upset losses, but don't have too high hopes for the Bluejays. Villanova hasn't lost back-to-back games since Mar. 22, 2013. (3 ET, FOX)

• No. 9 Baylor vs. Iowa State: Baylor took home a win in the first matchup, 65-63, but Iowa State has won five of its last six. (4 ET, ESPN)

• No. 10 Duke vs. Miami: The Blue Devils would like to forget their last game (one that ended on a banked-in, game-winning buzzer beater at Syracuse). Miami already has two wins against ranked opponents. (4 ET, CBS)

• No. 11 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Florida: In one of the top games of the week, this matchup might decide the SEC. (2 ET, CBS)

SUNDAY

• No. 7 Louisville vs. Syracuse: The Cards look to rebound after a poor showing at North Carolina, while Syracuse still has dreams of a tournament invite. (2 ET, CBS)

• Georgia Tech at No. 21 Notre Dame: The Yellow Jackets, still scrambling for an invite of their own, won the first meeting on a last-second layin in Atlanta. The Irish want revenge. (6:30 ET, ESPU)

• No. 22 Butler vs. Xavier: The Bulldogs just pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year by knocking off Villanova 74-66 to complete a season sweep of the Wildcats. Can they keep it going against Xavier, which has lost four in a row? (3:30, FS1)

Full Friday schedule | Saturday | Sunday

Social moment of the day

Michigan State's 88-72 win over Nebraska might not look that exciting on paper, but the Spartans had two insane highlights:

Michigan State guard Cassius Winston drills the half-court buzzer beater! pic.twitter.com/nHjURA1agD

— SI College Hoops (@si_ncaabb) February 24, 2017

Just when you think you've seen it all from @MilesBridges01, @cassiuswinston goes and lobs it off the glass. https://t.co/fRLdptF2Wf

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 24, 2017

Sheeeesh.

So many points

We are in the midst of a revolution in college basketball.

This season, 82 teams boast an adjusted offensive rating -- that is, points scored every 100 possessions -- of 110 or higher, a far cry from the early and mid-2000s, when fewer than half thar many teams scored at such a hefty clip. 

NCAA.com's Joe Boozell breaks down the recent scoring boom in college basketball.

Bracket tip of the day: Know your 16 seed

If there's one absolute certainty in picking your bracket, it's probably this: never, ever go with a 16 seed.

It's a well-known fact that the 16 seed has never won a game in 128 tries. But just how close have they been? And is there a chance this could be the year they break the spell? Maybe?

More from NCAA.com's Daniel Wilco.

Sign up for the Bracket Challenge Game | More Bracket Tips

Mark your calendar

Selection Sunday: March 12
First Four in Dayton: March 14, 15
First Thursday of the NCAA Tournament: March 16
Final Four in Phoenix: April 1-3

FULL MARCH MADNESS SCHEDULE | TICKETS | SHOP