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when u realize all yours scorers are out (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s the most wonderful day of the year!
…and I’m in Detroit without access to a TV.
So here we go!
NCAA Tournament Schedule
[9] TCU Horned Frogs vs. [8] Ohio State Buckeyes
11:15am | CBS | OSU -2.5 | O/U 146.5
Second round would be an accomplishment for the Buckeyes, who will run up against Duke in round 2. But this is a chance for the Fightin’ Dieblers to show there’s something cooking in Columbus — not that Ohio State is just marking time.
Jamie Dixon’s boys play their usual good defense, and if David Punch is to be believed, they’d win this game nine out of ten times.
[13] Troy Trojans vs. [4] Nebraska Cornhuskers
11:40am | truTV | UNL -13.5 | O/U 138.5
Remember when Troy should’ve beaten USC about four different times in Los Angeles?
Me neither. It’s been a weird season.
Victor Valdes will try to bully his way to the line for the Trojans, who broadly try to slow the game down and get some open looks at threes when Valdes forces the defense to collapse in.
This would be Nebraska’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win, so, I mean…who cares what’s next? (It’s Vandy or McNeese, a pretty rough draw for the Huskers, but a win is all you need. Win a game in the NCAA Tournament, Nebraska.)
[11] USF Brahman Bulls vs. [6] Lhvl Crdnls
12:30pm | TNT | Lhvl -4.5 | O/U 163.5
[12] High Point Panthers vs. [5] wisconsin badgers
12:50pm | TBS | wisc -10.5 | O/U 162.5
Couldn’t have been much better of a matchup for the badgers in the dreaded 12-5: High Point, the esteemed BoilerUp89 has noted elsewhere, feasts on turnovers. The badgers do not turn it over.
This could be a really exciting quadrant — only Hawai’i, who plays Arkansas after this one, really slows things down and gums things up on defense (and is abysmal on offense, though Harry Rouliadeff is fun). A skunks-Hogs second-round matchup would be some good viewing, heavy on threes and points.
[16] Siena Saints vs. [1] Duke Blue Devils
1:50pm | CBS | Duke -27.5 | O/U 135.5
[12] McNeese Cowboys vs. [5] Vanderbilt Commodores
2:15pm | truTV | Vandy -12.5 | O/U 149.5
[14] North Dakota State Bizon vs. [3] Michigan State Spartans
3:05pm | TNT | MSU -15.5 | O/U 143.5
It’s a regional that’s shaped up pretty nicely for the Spartans, as Mikel Brown is out for the tourney for Lhvl. The Bizon rebound well but otherwise were just the best team in a rather weak Summit League. Would’ve been more fun if this was the St. Thomas Tommies.
[13] Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors vs. [4] Arkansas Razorbacks
3:25pm | TBS | Arky -15.5 | O/U 159.5
[11] VCU Rams vs. [6] UNC Tar Heels
5:50pm | TNT | UNC -2.5 | O/U 151.5
[16] Howard Bison vs. [1] Michigan Wolverines
6:10pm | CBS | Mich -31.5 | O/U 151.5
Again, lots of fun in this regional — Saint Louis-Georgia should feature a ton of points, and the Billikens will continue their high-wire act of spotting opponents a 20-point lead and/or trying to blow a 20-point lead of their own. Michigan will likely still be 10-point favorites in Round 2, but they looked vulnerable in the Big Ten Tournament. The Howard game should be a laugher, but hopefully there’s some intrigue on Saturday.
[11] Texas Longhorns vs. [6] BYU Cougars
6:25pm | TBS | BYU -2.5 | O/U 157.5
[10] Texas A&M Aggies vs. [7] Saint Mary’s Gaels
6:35pm | truTV | SMC -3 | O/U 147.5
Just pointing out we’ve got the rare whole-number point spread for this one! And that Randy Bennett is a scourage on college basketball and will try to slow down a fun Aggies club.
[14] Penn Quakers vs. [3] Illinois Fighting Illini
8:25pm | TNT | Illinois -25.5 | O/U 151.5
WELL HEY THERE FRANIMAL!
Fran McCaffery’s boys actually play a little defense and are woefully inefficient on offense. Former Dookie TJ Power does a lot of the heavy lifting for the Quakers, especially after three-point-shooting guard Ethan Roberts was ruled out with a concussion.
Except, oh no, Power might be out with an illness, too.
Illinois will beat up on the winner of VCU and North Carolina in Round 2—it’s a pretty gift-wrapped schedule into a Sweet 16 showdown with Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars.
[9] Saint Louis Billikens vs. [8] Georgia Bulldogs
8:45pm | CBS | UGA -2.5 | O/U 169.5
See above—probably the game of the day. Go Billikens.
[14] Kennesaw State Fightin’ Owls vs. [3] Gonzaga Bulldogs
9pm | TBS | Zags -21.5 | O/U 154.5
[15] Idaho Vandals vs. [2] Houston Cougars
9:10pm | truTV | UH -23.5 | O/U 138.5
Here’s your open thread for the day’s games. At some point I’ll get ahead of things and talk about the best Coney in Detroit, but today is not that day.
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