(NewsNation) — The NCAA basketball Sweet 16 had four schools in common across the men’s and women’s brackets. By Friday night, the dual Final Four dreams of only the University of Miami Hurricanes and University of Connecticut Huskies have a chance to stay alive.
The Miami women’s team, seeded ninth, is making its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance after its upset of top-seeded Indiana last weekend. They take on fourth-seeded Villanova on Friday afternoon.
“I think my team is just playing with a ton of grit and a ton of tenacity,” women’s head coach Katie Meier said. “We’ve got a spine about us. It’s hard to knock us out.”
The Miami men will need to knock out their own No. 1 seed to advance. Houston, considered the second-biggest favorite to win the tournament, stands in their way at 7:15 p.m. ET Friday.
The Lady Huskies, long considered royalty in the women’s game, are seeking their 12th championship and first since 2016. They face Ohio State Saturday in the Sweet 16.
The Canes and Huskies were not alone heading into the Sweet 16 with the men’s and women’s dreams alive — but Thursday was not kind to their dual-minded competition.
Tennessee and UCLA also entered Thursday with the same hopes, but their men’s teams were eliminated after coughing up big leads. Connecticut cruised past Arkansas, and will play Gonzaga in the Elite Eight Saturday.
As the Miami campus gets ready for a big day of basketball, students are soaking in the madness of both of their teams doing so well.
“I’m a senior, so this is something that I haven’t really experienced, and everyone’s focusing on basketball,” said Romir Basu. “Everyone is talking about it.”