Miami (Fla.) looks to beat Alabama for the first time when it hosts the Crimson Tide in the second round of the NIT on Saturday. The second-seeded Hurricanes shook off the disappointment of missing the NCAA Tournament by beating North Carolina Central 75-71 on Tuesday. Miami has lost its previous two meetings with sixth-seeded Alabama, including a 79-64 setback in the 2011 NIT quarterfinals, and hopes to win for the fifth time in its last six home games.

After being a controversial choice to even get into the NCAA Tournament, UCLA has a golden opportunity to reach the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. The 11th-seeded Bruins, fresh off a resounding comeback win in the second round, take on 14th-seeded UAB in a third-round matchup on Saturday in Louisville, Ky. Behind 27 points by Bryce Alford - the last three on a questionable goaltending call with 13 seconds left - UCLA posted a 60-59 win over SMU on Thursday.

Eighth-seeded Cincinnati gets a chance to be a giant killer when it takes on unbeaten and top-seeded Kentucky on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament round of 32 in Louisville, Ky. “We’ll go out there with a lot of confidence,” Bearcats guard Kevin Johnson told reporters. “We’ve got nothing to lose. That’s not a bad position to be in.” Cincinnati joins Kentucky among the top defenses in the country, but must deal with a balanced Wildcats squad that has won 35 games by an average of 21 points.

Two of the nation’s top freshmen will be on the same court Saturday when second-seeded Arizona faces 10th-seeded Ohio State in NCAA Tournament round of 32 play at Portland, Ore. Wildcats star Stanley Johnson had 22 points in a 93-72 victory over Texas Southern on Thursday to continue his strong season while averaging 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. Buckeyes guard D’Angelo Russell scored 28 in a 75-72 overtime win over VCU on Thursday and is averaging 19.6 points, 5.6 boards and five assists.

R.J. Hunter hit the shot, Ron Hunter hit the floor and Georgia State hit this NCAA Tournament with one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent memory, but the next challenge awaits. The 14th-seed Panthers face Xavier in the third round Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla., after Thursday’s stunning 57-56 upset of Baylor. The sixth-seed Musketeers had one of the few breathers experienced on the tournament's first full day Thursday, cruising past Ole Miss 76-57 behind 20 points from Matt Stainbrook.

Villanova may have been considered by some as the most likely No. 1 seed to be bounced from the NCAA Tournament early, but were among the most dominant teams to take the floor in its first game. The Wildcats look to extend their school-record winning streak to 17 games Friday when they meet North Carolina State in the third round of the East region in Pittsburgh. Villanova routed No. 16 Lafayette 93-52 on Thursday, rolling to the second-largest margin of victory in its tournament history.

After ousting a pair of upset-minded teams in the round of 64, fourth-seeded Georgetown and fifth-seeded Utah face different and more difficult challenges when they meet Saturday in Portland, Ore. Georgetown outlasted No. 13 seed Eastern Washington 84-74 on Thursday but meet a Utes team which is significantly stronger on defense and utilizes a slower tempo on offense.

Two teams that barely avoided the upset bug in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 64 meet Saturday when No. 5 seed Arkansas faces fourth-seeded North Carolina in Jacksonville, Fla. The Razorbacks advanced with a 56-53 win over No. 12 seed Wofford, while the Tar Heels needed four points by Justin Jackson in the final minute to edge Harvard 67-65. “It’s the luckiest I’ve ever felt after a basketball game in my entire life,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams told reporters.

It was not always pretty for Notre Dame and Butler in the round of 64, but fortunately the NCAA Tournament is not a beauty pageant. The third-seeded Fighting Irish take on the sixth-seeded Bulldogs in Pittsburgh on Saturday with both teams looking to advance to the Sweet 16. Notre Dame has not reached the Sweet 16 since 2003, while Butler - the NCAA Tournament runner-up in 2010 and 2011 - is seeking its fifth trip to the regional semifinals since 2003.