2023 March Madness live stream: NCAA Tournament TV schedule, watch Sweet 16 streaming online Friday

The Sweet 16 round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament heads into its final day, with just four regional semifinal games to play on Friday before the field is narrowed again in the Elite Eight for the weekend. Friday night's action features the two lone No. 1 seeds in the bracket and the remaining three teams in region looking to spoil those top-seeded title hopes. 

No. 1 seed Alabama will be in Louisville for its South Regional semifinal against No. 5 seed San Diego State (6:30 p.m. ET, TBS) while Houston, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest, is in the Sweet 16 for a third consecutive year taking on No. 5 seed Miami (7:15 p.m. ET, CBS). The Cougars have made it to the Elite Eight in each of the previous tournaments, continuing on to the program's sixth Final Four in 2021, while Alabama is trying to make it to the Final Four for the first time ever and has just one Elite Eight appearance (2004) in its tournament history. 

Aside from the No. 1 seeds and their own opportunities that await this weekend, here's what you need to know heading into Friday's Sweet 16 action. 

Can the Aztecs slow the Tide?

Alabama has the best average scoring margin in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, beating its opening-weekend opponents by an average of 21.5 points per game. The Crimson Tide put up 96 in a 21-point win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, then scored 73 in a 22-point win against Maryland that was a defensive clinic. 

But what awaits Brandon Miller and the Tide in the Sweet 16 is an Aztecs team that might be the toughest defensive challenge on the schedule aside from Tennessee, a team responsible for one of Alabama's five losses. San Diego State has faced three straight respectable offensive teams in Utah State, Charleston and Furman, and held each opponent under 60 points. But the recent success stretches even beyond the postseason, with SDSU boasting a 12-1 record since the start of February. So will Alabama face the same fate as these other opponents going up against a defensive juggernaut? 

The counter, of course, is that Alabama is equally impressive on the defensive end. The Crimson Tide rank No. 3 nationally in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com, while San Diego State is at No. 5. This is going to be a game in which every possession is a chore to score, and Alabama is hoping that it has the key to unlocking San Diego State's defense with Miller, an All-American as a freshman. 

Rodney Terry's in-progress job interview 

Rodney Terry has a 21-7 record serving as head coach of Texas' program this year, guiding the Longhorns to a second-place regular-season finish in the Big 12, a Big 12 Tournament title and now the program's first Sweet 16 appearance since 2008. The expectations were admittedly high coming into the year given the talent on the roster, but Terry has accomplished this feat guiding the team in the wake of Chris Beard's suspension and eventual dismissal. No. 2 seed Texas will look to continue this strong close to the 2023 campaign against No. 3 seed Xavier (9:45 p.m. ET, CBS), and a Longhorns win would further validate the case for Terry being named the program's full-time head coach. 

CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd is on site in Kansas City and argues that Texas' toughness and late-season improvement are making Terry an easy pick for the full-time job. There may be other candidates on the board for Texas, but if Terry can lead the Longhorns to just their fifth-ever Elite Eight appearance -- or further -- it's going to be tough for those other candidates to match the on-court case he's making as the best person for the job. 

Princeton looks to play big vs. Creighton

No. 15 seed Princeton can become just the second team to take down a No. 2 seed in the first round and march all the way to the Elite Eight. Saint Peter's accomplished that feat just last season, taking down No. 2 seed Kentucky and No. 7 seed Murray State on the way to its Sweet 16 showdown with No. 3 seed Purdue. An undersized Peacocks team had to play big against Zach Edey, and Princeton faces a similar challenge going up against Creighton's 7-1 star big man Ryan Kalkbrenner in the matchup between the Tigers and the No. 6 seed Blue Jays (9 p.m. ET, TBS). 

Kalkbrenner may not be as tall as Edey, but Princeton's forwards — Tosan Evbuomwan at 6-foot-8, Keeshawn Kellman at 6-foot-9 — are giving up a few inches to the First Team All-Big East selection who leads the nation in field goal percentage (.706), averages 15.7 points per game and led the Big East in blocked shots. 

The good news for Princeton is such a challenge is nothing new, even in the context of this tournament. The Tigers had a great game plan for slowing down Arizona, and while 6-foot-11 Azuolas Tubelis and 7-footer Oumar Ballo finished in double-figures, the rest of the Wildcats' offense cratered down the stretch. How Princeton handles Kalkbrenner, and whether Creighton's guards can hit the 3-pointers Arizona's couldn't, will decide whether we see another No. 15 seed dance on into the Elite Eight. 

Check out the full TV and streaming schedule for Friday's Sweet 16 action below: