The Final Four is in sight as the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament nears Elite Eight. Here’s what to watch on Friday

By Jacob Lev, CNN

(CNN) — Both NCAA tournaments are in full swing on Friday as Sweet 16 action heats up as the men’s bracket finishes up the round with four games and the women’s will tip off with four games as well.

And soon enough, teams will be punching their tickets to the Final Four.

Here is what to watch for on Friday:

No. 5 St. Johns vs. No. 1 Duke, 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

No. 5 seeded St. Johns are back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.

With Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino at the helm, the Johnnies will be riding a certain high after getting past Kansas in the second round on a buzzer-beater by guard Dylan Darling.

However, the Red Storm have a tough task ahead of them – No. 1 seed Duke.

Some might consider Friday’s matchup a showdown between two blue-bloods but Pitino doesn’t want fans to think that way.

“I do feel what’s even better than that is the fact the blue-bloods no longer control basketball any longer. There’s no difference between Kentucky, North Carolina than Illinois or St. John’s,” Pitino said on Thursday.

The Blue Devils haven’t look quite as dominant in their first two games of the tournament but will look to get a boost from a possible return from star guard Caleb Foster, who head coach Jon Scheyer said is a game-time decision.

No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan, 7:45 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

No. 1 seeded Michigan are a favorite to win it all but will have to get through No. 4 seed Alabama to get there.

The Wolverines will have to rely on star forward Yaxel Lendeborg to stop the high-powered Crimson Tide offense that is led by Labaron Philon, who is averaging 21.6 points per game.

The game will also feature two coaches – Alabama’s Nate Oats and Michigan’s Dusty May – who are both rumored for the vacant North Carolina job.

Both threw cold water on those murmurs, reiterating love for their respective schools. But, as Will Wade proved on Thursday, those love stories can quickly turn into heartache.

No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 2 UConn, 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS

Speaking of blue-bloods, No. 2 UConn will face No. 3 Michigan State for the third time in tournament history.

Both programs have split the two meetings, the last coming in 2014 in the Elite Eight and on Friday, they will play for a chance at advancing to that stage of the tournament – a familiar spot for both teams.

Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. broke a school record by dishing out 16 assists in their win against Louisville in the second round and will look to do the same against the Tarris Reed Jr.-led Huskies defense.

Reed finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds in UConn’s win against UCLA last week.

Buckle up for Tom Izzo vs. Dan Hurley because you never what might happen with that combustible combination.

No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Iowa State, 10:10 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

No. 2 seeded Iowa State have had an interesting week in regard to injuries and coaching rumors.

Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson suffered an ankle injury in their first round game against Tennessee State, resulting in the 22-year-old missing the team’s second round showdown with Kentucky.

Head coach T. J. Otzelberger called Jefferson a game-time decision.

“We’re going to give him every opportunity up until the game to do everything he can. He’s a fierce competitor. Our medical staff has been amazing, and he’s continued to work diligently,” Otzelberger said on Thursday.

Speaking of Otzelberger, the same North Carolina rumors were swirling around the 48-year-old this week. However, Otzelberger confirmed he would be staying in Ames, Iowa.

“I couldn’t be more excited about our future. I couldn’t be more thrilled for what we have in front of us, and couldn’t be more proud of being part of Cyclone basketball,” Otzelberger said.

As for the Volunteers, the Rick Barnes-led squad will look to advance to the Elite Eight for the third consecutive year and will lean on Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie to help lead the charge.

Four marquee games in the women’s bracket

The women’s Sweet 16 will kick off today with four marquee matchups.

The slate will be headlined by No. 1 seeds UConn and UCLA.

The Huskies enter Friday with a perfect record and in the midst of a 52-game win streak, which they will look to extend against No. 4 seed UNC.

The Bruins face No. 4 seed Minnesota, who are coming off a buzzer-beater win against Ole Miss in the second round.

Here’s the women’s schedule:

• No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 6 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
• No. 1 UConn vs. No. 4 North Carolina, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
• No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 4 Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
• No. 2 LSU vs. No. 3 Duke, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN

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