March Madness in DC: District hosts Sweet 16, Elite Eight matchups this weekend

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The March Madness Sweet 16/Elite 8 logo is shown on the floor during the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 media day at Capital One Arena on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON - March Madness is coming to the District this weekend, as Washington, D.C., is hosting three Eastern Regional games in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

Sweet Sixteen at Capitol One Arena

What we know:

While Sweet 16 action begins on Thursday night for two other regions, D.C.'s turn comes on Friday. Duke will take on St. John's in the early game at 7:10 p.m., followed by Michigan State against UConn at 9:45 p.m. at Capitol One Arena.

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Nikolas Khamenia #14 of the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Who's playing in the Sweet 16?

Dig deeper:

Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The Blue Devils went 29-2 in the regular season and went on to win the ACC. So far in the tournament, they've taken down Siena University and Texas Christian University. The Blue Devils have won it all five times before, including most recently in 2015.

St. John's forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) attempts to shoot against Kansas guard Tre White, left, during a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

St. John's hasn't made it this far in the tournament since 1999. Friday will be their 10th appearance. The Red Storm went 25-6 in the regular season, and won the Big East title over UConn, who they could face in the Elite Eight. St. John's has beaten Northern Iowa and Kansas so far this tournament. 

Coen Carr #55 of the Michigan State Spartans dunks the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Michigan State is the No. 3 seed in the East. The Spartans went 25-6 in the regular season, falling to UCLA in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. En route to the Sweet 16, MSU has beaten North Dakota State and Louisville. Friday's game against the Huskies will be MSU's 17th Sweet 16 appearance.

Tarris Reed Jr. #5 of the UConn Huskies reacts against the UCLA Bruins during the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

UConn is the No. 2 seed in the East, and is making its 17th Sweet 16 appearance under the current seeding format. The Huskies went 27-4 in the regular season. UConn has beaten Furman and UCLA to get this far.

Wins from St. John's and UConn Friday night would set up a rematch of the 2026 Big East Tournament championship on Sunday. St. John's won that game by 20, but the two split the regular season series.

The last four times the Huskies reached the Sweet 16, they ended up winning it all, including, most recently, in 2024.

Sweet Sixteen ticket prices

By the numbers:

If you want to see the action in person this weekend, it'll cost you a pretty penny.

One ticket will get you into both games Friday, but prices on Ticketmaster start at nearly $340 a seat. Though that's a steal compared to the priciest listing—nearly $9,700.

While we still don't know who's going to the Elite Eight, ticket prices for that game, as of Thursday, start around $315, with top tickets again costing upwards of $9,500.

What's next:

The winner of Sunday's game will head to Indianapolis for the Final Four. They'll face the winner of the South Regional—either Houston, Illinois, Nebraska or Iowa—on April 4.