Welcome to Week 2 of March Madness.
The Louisville and Kentucky men's basketball were sent packing in last weekend's Round of 32. But in the women's tournament? Jeff Walz's Cardinals and Kenny Brooks' Wildcats are one upset win away from a UofL vs. UK showdown in Fort Worth, Texas, with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Third-seeded Louisville plays No. 2 Michigan at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Dickies Arena. Fifth-seeded Kentucky will follow against No. 1 Texas at 3 p.m. Both games will air on ABC.
There are plenty of familiar faces still dancing in the men's tournament to hold you over until then.
Rick Pitino has St. John's in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. John Calipari is making his second consecutive regional appearance with Arkansas. And both coaches got there with at least one player and one staff member whose names should ring a bell around these parts.
There are others to keep an eye on, too. Here's a rundown:
Rick Pitino, Bryce Hopkins and more at St. John's
- Next game: No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 1 Duke (7:10 p.m. Friday, CBS)
The Red Storm are the fourth team Pitino has guided to the Sweet 16, joining Louisville, Kentucky and Providence.
The 73-year-old coach has a former Cat on his roster in Bryce Hopkins and a former Cards assistant coach on his bench in Steve Masiello. Longtime UofL sports information director Kenny Klein is also along for the ride as a special advisor.
So excited to have my Main Man with us. Thx @KKcards , love you! pic.twitter.com/OiyBBCK4P9
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) March 23, 2026
Hopkins, in his fifth season of eligibility, has started all 36 games thus far for Pitino. He is St. John's No. 2 scorer and No. 3 rebounder with 13.6 points and 6.2 boards across 28.8 minutes per game.
To reach the Elite Eight, Pitino and the Red Storm must take down the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, Duke. The Blue Devils have notched a win over St. John's at some point of every season they've won a national championship.
John Calipari & Co. at Arkansas
- Next game: No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona (9:45 p.m. Thursday, CBS)
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Calipari rode one of the country's top freshman guards to the Sweet 16.
This time, it was Darius Acuff Jr., who totaled 60 points and 13 assists (vs. five turnovers) across Arkansas' victories over No. 13 Hawaii and No. 12 High Point last week.
Calipari brought most of his Kentucky staff with him to Fayetteville — and reunited with Kenny Payne after the Cards let him go. The familiar faces include Chin Coleman; Bruiser Flint; Chuck Martin; Tyler Ulis; and his son, Brad Calipari.
The Razorbacks' roster features one ex-Cat, D.J. Wagner, and two players who were going to play for Calipari in Lexington prior to his departure, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III.
Ex-Louisville assistant Luke Murray at UConn
- Next game: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (9:45 p.m. Friday, CBS)
In his fifth season on Dan Hurley's staff at UConn, Luke Murray is looking to win a third national championship.
The former Louisville assistant is 146-37 since teaming up with Hurley and the Huskies prior to the 2021-22 campaign.
Former UK big man Zvonimir Ivišić, Calipari assistant Orlando Antigua at Illinois
- Next game: No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston (10:05 p.m. Thursday, TBS)
After spending his sophomore season playing for Calipari at Arkansas, Zvonimir Ivišić hit the NCAA transfer portal for a second time and landed alongside his twin brother, Tomislav, at Illinois.
The 7-foot-2 former Cat is averaging 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks across 17.9 minutes per appearance (34 games, four starts) for the Fighting Illini.
Orlando Antigua, who had two stints on Calipari's staff at UK, is Brad Underwood's associate head coach.
Louisville native, ex-Cards forward Kaleb Glenn at Michigan State
- Next game: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 2 UConn (9:45 p.m. Friday, CBS)
Kaleb Glenn won't see the court during the Spartans' Sweet 16 game against the Huskies. The Louisville native and former Cards forward suffered a season-ending knee injury during a workout last June.
"He never had an injury, and learning how to deal with one is part of the process of growing up," coach Tom Izzo said last week. "I think he's handled it great. I think he'll be a real help next year."
"It makes you not take something so simple — like walking — for granted," Glenn added. "You never know what could happen."
Former Louisville forward Nyla Harris at North Carolina
- Next game: No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 1 UConn (5 p.m. Friday, ESPN)
After three seasons with the Cards, Nyla Harris earned a spot on this year's All-ACC first team at North Carolina.
The 6-2 senior forward leads the Tar Heels in points (11.5) and rebounds (6.9) per game.
Louisville native, Sacred Heart star ZaKiyah Johnson at LSU
- Next game: No. 2 LSU vs. No. 3 Duke (10 p.m. Friday, ESPN)
ZaKiyah Johnson, one of the most decorated high school athletes Kentucky has ever produced, has had a strong freshman season with the Tigers — who are making their fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
The 6-foot guard out of Sacred Heart Academy is averaging 10 points, 5.7 rebounds and an assist across 19 minutes per appearance (33 games, 22 starts).
George Rogers Clark grad Ciara Byars at Michigan
- Next game: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Louisville (12:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC)
Ciara Byars, the first McDonald's All-America Game nominee in George Rogers Clark High School history, has appeared in 14 games off the bench (3.5 minutes per) during her freshman season with the Wolverines.
The 6-2 forward averages 1.9 points and a rebound.
Ex-Cats Maddie Scherr and Clara Silva at TCU
- Next game: No. 3 TCU vs. No. 10 Virginia (7:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPN)
There are two former Kentucky players on TCU's roster:
- Maddie Scherr, a Ryle High School grad who played for the Cats from 2022-24. The 5-10 guard, after redshirting last season due to a back injury, is averaging 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, three assists and 1.1 steals across 23.2 minutes per appearance (20 games, 18 starts).
- Clara Silva, a 6-7 center from Portugal who played at UK during Brooks' inaugural season. As a fixture of the Horned Frogs' starting lineup, the sophomore leads the team in rebounds (268) in addition to averaging 9.2 points, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 assists across 23.8 minutes per game.
Former UofL guard Payton Verhulst at Oklahoma
- Next game: No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 South Carolina (5 p.m. Saturday, ESPN)
Payton Verhulst was an ACC All-Freshman honoree for Walz during Louisville's run to the Final Four in 2022. She transferred to the Sooners after appearing in eight games for the Cards the following season.
The 6-1 guard has started every game of her redshirt senior campaign, averaging 12 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals across 30.7 minutes per.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: March Madness Sweet 16 Kentucky ties led by Rick Pitino, John Calipari