RAMON ALVARADO

March Madness is in full effect now that we are approaching the Sweet Sixteen of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The most compelling matchup between the final sixteen teams may be the rematch of a game we saw played early on in the season. A game that featured the UCLA Bruins and the Kentucky Wildcats. The teams will battle it out for a spot in the Elite Eight at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday, March 24.

It was December 3, 2016, when UCLA visited Rupp Arena in Kentucky to face the Wildcats. It was an early season showdown between two teams that featured premier freshman players. The game was expected to be high scoring, and it did not disappoint. The Bruins were able to edge out a tough, exciting road victory over Kentucky, 97-92.

The two teams are now set to meet again in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2017 tournament. This time, it’s win or go home, and each teams’ star freshman players are playing the best they have all year.

Kentucky’s basketball team is powered by freshman guards De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. The two were responsible for nearly half their teams’ points in their last matchup in the tournament, scoring 14 each. A matchup in which they defeated a feisty Wichita State team, 65-62.

UCLA’s squad gets their balance on offense from freshman guard Lonzo Ball and freshman forward TJ Leaf. Ball, who is highly regarded as the best player in college basketball, had himself a game in his team’s last outing.

In UCLA’s 79-67 victory over Cincinnati, Ball recorded 18 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds while shooting 4-7 from long range.

There will be a lot of NBA scouts watching the rematch between UCLA and Kentucky. They will be looking to see how Ball matches up with Kentucky’s backcourt of Fox and Monk this time around.

In the first game between the two, Ball racked up 14 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. Kentucky’s Monk exploded for 24 points while his teammate Fox had 20 to go along with 9 assists.

The guard play will only be one intriguing matchup between UCLA and Kentucky when they battle on Friday night. Another key aspect of the game will be the coaching from UCLA’s Steve Alford and Kentucky’s John Calipari.

Alford is no new coach, but Calipari is still looked as one of the best coaches in the world so it’ll be interesting to see how they counter each other’s moves in the game.

All fans of basketball will be tuned into CBS on Friday night as the UCLA Bruins and Kentucky Wildcats faceoff in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. If this rematch is anything like the first game the two played, it’ll be must watch television.