Don't miss this thrilling Sweet 16 matchup featuring 2 freshman phenoms

Paige Bueckers.
(Image credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

A full slate of college hoops is on the way this weekend, as both the men's and women's Division I tournaments kick off the Sweet 16. There are plenty of exciting games on both sides, but the first game of the weekend should provide fireworks right off the bat when the top-seeded UConn women's team takes on fifth-seeded Iowa at 1:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

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The contest will pit two of the country's best players, both freshman point guards (and good pals), against each other. Iowa is headlined by Caitlin Clark, who led the nation in scoring at 26.8 points per game and is known for her seemingly limitless range. She's also an unselfish player with deft passing abilities, making teams wary of doubling her.

Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers will run the show for the Huskies. The top recruit in the country going into this year, Bueckers has met the lofty expectations and then some, averaging 19.9 points per game on nearly 54 percent shooting to go along 6.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game for a 26-1 squad.

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UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who has seen his fair share of talented players over the last three decades, said "it's been a while since you have two kids that have had this kind of impact, both on their teams and on the game itself nationally" face each other in the tournament. Read more about the matchup at ESPN.

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