Friday Tourney Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today:

Noon Time Window: Georgia vs Michigan State

Other Games: Kansas vs New Mexico St (12:15 CBS)

I was tempted to pick the Kansas/New Mexico St game solely because of how poorly the B12 played yesterday.  After watching today's games, I really have no idea how this one will play out.  I could see a Spartan blowout, or a Dawg fight that UGA comes out on top of.  I know MSU had a great B10 tourney, but tourney success didn't pay off for Iowa State, and ND looked sluggish Thursday as well. 

2:00 Window: WVU vs Buffalo

Other Games:
Nothern Iowa vs Wyoming (1:40 TBS)

Wichita St vs Indiana (2:45 CBS)

This time slot has two potential Cinderellas in Wichita State and Northern Iowa, but I think they will both win comfortably. So I'm going with WVU/Buffalo.  Coming into the tournament I thought WVU would win this game comfortably, but considering the B12's struggles yesterday, I'm reconsidering. Buffalo did give UK a test earlier in the season, which is more than a lot of Power Conference teams can claim.  This should be an entertaining (if sloppy) game.

 

4:00 Window: Maryland vs Valparaiso

Other Games:

Virginia vs Belmont (3:10 truTV)

Louisville vs UC Irvine (4:10 TBS)

I honestly don't expect any of these games to be overly competitive.  The favorites in all of these games seem to be more fundamentally sound than a lot of the favorites that struggled yesterday.  The one exception may be Louisville (without Jones), but I expect their athleticism to overwhelm Irvine. The reason I highlighted the Valpo game is because I think they are the best of the underdogs.  They have a win against Murray State on their resume, and if UMD is asleep they may be competitive.

7:00 Window: Davidson vs Iowa

Other Games:

Oregon vs Oklahoma St (6:50 TBS)

Duke vs Robert Morris (7:10 CBS)

Oklahoma vs Albany (7:27 truTV)

Davidson vs Iowa is a very intriguing game.  Iowa is a middle of the pack Power Conference team and Davidson was at the top of the A-10 all season long.  Davidson has played well in big games throughout the year (@UVA and against VCU), and I think the A-10 was widely disrespected by the committee. Davidson could prove them wrong. The other games are all relatively unappetizing.  I don't expect Oregon or OSU to make much noise in the next round, and the other two should be blowouts.

9:30 Time Window: Providence vs Dayton

Other Games:

Wisconsin vs Coastal Carolina (9:20 TBS) 

San Diego St vs St John's (9:40 CBS)

Gonzaga vs North Dakota St (9:50 TNT)

Once again this is another set of games that has an A-10 team vs a lesser "Power Conference" team. I really don't believe in the power of the Big East, and expect Dayton to really push, if not beat, Providence.  San Diego St is nearly impossible to watch, and the other two games should be relatively straightforward.