NCAA tournament: A quick look at Thursday's 16 1st-round games
After two days of First Four games, the real NCAA tournament action begins today with 16 first-round games.
There will be six games in the East Region, two in the South and four each in the Midwest and West.
Here’s a quick look at each of the 16 games (all the NCAA TV info you need for the day is here), along with a short look at three players who have to come up big if their double-digit-seeded team is to pull the upset.
Let the madness ensue.
East Region
No. 1 Baylor (26-6) vs. No. 16 Norfolk State (24-6)
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Time/TV: 2 p.m., TBS
Line: Baylor by 21.5
The skinny: Baylor begins its NCAA title defense against a Spartans squad that played one team from a Power 6 conference during the regular season — and lost by 40 (Xavier beat them 88-48).
No. 8 North Carolina (24-9) vs. No. 9 Marquette (19-12)
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Time/TV: 4:30 p.m., TBS
Line: UNC by 3.5
The skinny: Each needs a big game from its marquee frontcourt player – the Tar Heels with 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior Armando Bacot (16.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 1.7 bpg, 59.8 field-goal percentage) and the Golden Eagles with 6-7, 245-pound sophomore Justin Lewis (17.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg). One thing to watch: Marquette has an issue on both ends of the court with offensive rebounds (it doesn’t get many, it gives up a lot). Can Bacot and the Heels do something with that? UNC is dangerous from beyond the arc but Marquette plays good perimeter defense, so that’s something else to watch.
No. 2 Kentucky (26-7) vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s (19-11)
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Time/TV: 7:10 p.m., CBS
Line: Kentucky by 18
The skinny: Saint Peter’s has impressive defensive stats; they will be a little less impressive after this. UK’s Oscar Tshiebwe figures to feast in the paint.
No. 5 Saint Mary’s (25-7) vs. No. 12 Indiana (21-13)
Location: Moda Center, Portland
Time/TV: 7:20 p.m., TBS
Line: Saint Mary’s by 3
The skinny: The Gaels play excellent defense, are effective from 3-point range and rebound well. Four players average between 10.2 and 12.6 points per game, so there is no reliance on one guy to get shots. Tommy Kuhse (pronounced like Bob Cousy) is a good distributor and shoots 46.9 percent from the floor, and IU needs to worry about him. Indiana’s key guy is F Trayce Jackson-Davis, who ate up Wyoming on Tuesday in the First Four. He will find the going tougher against the Gaels. Hoosiers PG Xavier Johnson has to avoid turnovers and hit some 3s.
No. 7 Murray State (30-2) vs. No. 10 San Francisco (24-9)
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV: 9:40 p.m., CBS
Line: Murray State by 1.5
The skinny: One of the best first-rounders of them all. Murray State enters on a 20-game winning streak (the Racers’ last loss came at Auburn on December 22) and has a nice inside-outside duo in C.J. Williams (18.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.5 steals per game) and Tevin Brown (16.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 38.9 percent from 3-point range). PG Justice “Juice” Hill has good quickness, is a solid distributor and can hit the 3-pointer; his dad, Fitz Hill, was San Jose State’s football coach from 2001-04. USF was overshadowed in the WCC by Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, but the Dons play good defense and have a solid backcourt. The 3-pointer is a big part of the Dons’ offense, but they also lean heavily on 6-9, 240-pound Yauhen Massalski. While both teams have good guards, the big-man battle may determine the outcome.
No. 4 UCLA (25-7) vs. No. 13 Akron (24-9)
Location: Moda Center, Portland
TV: 9:50 p.m., TBS
Line: UCLA by 13.5
The skinny: All the major contributors to UCLA’s Final Four run returned this season, and while the Bruins haven’t been quite as good as expected, they certainly haven’t been a disappointment. UCLA has some guys who can hit 3s, but the Bruins do most of their damage with mid-range jumpers and around the basket. Akron won the MAC tournament as a No. 4 seed. The Zips are a solid offensive team, but it’s hard to see them slowing the Bruins’ offense.
South Region
No. 6 Colorado State (25-5) vs. No. 11 Michigan (17-14)
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV: 12:15 p.m., CBS
Line: Michigan by 2.5
The skinny: The first game of the tournament should be a good one. Colorado State has a jet-quick backcourt duo of Isaiah Stevens and Kendle Moore. But the Rams’ key guy is 6-6, 255-pound F David Roddy, who can score inside and out. Michigan’s size is going to be a problem for Colorado State, whose big guys other than Roddy strictly are role players, and 7-1 C Hunter Dickinson should do some damage for the Wolverines. Michigan’s 3-point shooting has been an issue; will that be in play in this one?
No. 3 Tennessee (26-7) vs. No. 14 Longwood (26-6)
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV: 2:45 p.m., CBS
Line: Tennessee by 17
The skinny: Longwood is making its first NCAA appearance (heck, this is the first time in the Lancers’ 15-year history in Division I that they won more than 17 games), and it figures to be a short stay. The Lancers are proficient from 3-point range (37.9 percent, 19th nationally, 8.2 3-pointers per game), and any hope for a monumental upset rest on being on fire from beyond the arc. Bad news for Longwood: The Vols are excellent defensively. In addition, Tennessee figures to dominate in the paint.
Midwest Region
No. 4 Providence (25-5) vs. No. 13 South Dakota State (30-4)
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo
Time/TV: 12:40 p.m., truTV
Line: Providence by 2
The skinny: Providence was one of the nation’s biggest surprises and won the Big East regular-season title. But the Friars have stumbled a bit down the stretch, and it’s fair to wonder if they peaked too early. They have a share-the-wealth philosophy on offense, but definitely need Jared Bynum to hit some 3-pointers. South Dakota State is going to have trouble with Providence big man Nate Watson. The Friars play solid perimeter defense and that’s a must against the Jackrabbits, who hit 44.9 percent from 3-point range — best mark in the nation by almost 5 percent. Six Jackrabbits have made at least 35 3s, and Gs Baylor Scheierman and Zeke Mayo are especially dangerous. But South Dakota State also has to get low-post production from F Douglas Wilson, who could have trouble finding shots against Providence’s defense. This should be one of the best first-round games. (It’s also the lowest combined losses, with nine, in the first round.)
No. 5 Iowa (26-9) vs. No. 12 Richmond (23-12)
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo
Time/TV: 3:10 p.m., truTV
Line: Iowa by 10.5
The skinny: Offense-minded Iowa has one of the best players in the nation in 6-8 F Keegan Murray, fourth nationally in scoring (23.6 ppg, nation’s-leading 299 made baskets). Richmond won the A-10 tournament as a No. 6 seed and has a nice trio in 6-10 Grant Golden, 6-7 Tyler Burton and 5-9 Jacob Gilyard (nation’s-leading 3.1 steals per game). The Spiders run the Pete Carril/Princeton offense, but aren’t anything special defensively and are going to have a ton of trouble with Murray.
No. 8 San Diego State (23-8) vs. No. 9 Creighton (22-11)
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Time/TV: 7:27 p.m., truTV
Line: San Diego State by 2.5
The skinny: Two good defensive teams vie for the right to (almost certainly) play Kansas in the second round. Creighton lacks depth, is bad from 3-point range, can be sloppy with the ball but does play clampdown defense. San Diego State is physical defensively, is OK from 3-point range but can struggle to score and frequently is sloppy with the ball. San Diego State is at its best when G Matt Bradley, a transfer from California, gets his points. This will not be pleasing aesthetically but should be extremely close.
No. 1 Kansas (28-6) vs. No. 16 Texas Southern (19-12)
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Time/TV: 9:57 p.m., truTV
Line: Kansas by 21
The skinny: Texas Southern has won 14 of its past 16, including its First Four game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and is an experienced team that has been here before. Still, this should be over by the 10-minute mark of the second half.
West Region
No. 8 Boise State (27-7) vs. No. 9 Memphis (21-10)
Location: Moda Center, Portland
Time/TV: 1:45 p.m., TNT
Line: Memphis by 1.5
The skinny: A 10:45 a.m. local-time tip-off. Ridiculous. Still, this should be an excellent matchup of diverse styles. Boise State won’t mind a plodding pace; Memphis prefers an up-tempo game. The Broncos have allowed just three foes to score more than 70 points this season; the Tigers have won just three games scoring fewer than 70 points. Memphis is great on the offensive boards; Boise State simply doesn’t allow offensive rebounds. Memphis has had issues with turnovers. Both teams are weak from the line: Memphis shoots 69.2 percent and Boise State an unsightly 65 percent.
No. 1 Gonzaga (26-3) vs. No. 16 Georgia State (18-10)
Location: Moda Center, Portland
Time/TV: 4:15 p.m., TNT
Line: Gonzaga by 25.5
The skinny: Georgia State, who won the Sun Belt tournament as the No 3 seed, has won 10 in a row. The Panthers pound the offensive glass, play good defense and force turnovers. But they are an abysmal shooting team (40.26 percent from the field as a team, including 32.9 percent from 3-point range; the field-goal percentage is 330th nationally), and unless they turn in a defensive performance for the ages against the Zags, this will be ugly.
No. 5 UConn (23-9) vs. No. 12 New Mexico State (26-6)
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo
Time/TV: 6:50 p.m., TNT
Line: UConn by 7
The skinny: UConn has a nice inside-outside combo in PG R.J. Cole, one of the more underrated players nationally, and C Adama Sanogo, who does excellent work on the offensive boards and as a low-post defender. Cole is a heady distributor, though he does take too many 3-pointers. New Mexico State can be turnover-prone, which will hurt against UConn. But the Aggies have a legit star in Teddy Allen, a Nebraska transfer who was a prolific scorer in the Big Ten and now is a prolific scorer in the WAC. The Aggies need a big game from 6-7 Johnny McCants on the boards and on defense. Any offense they get from him is gravy.
No. 4 Arkansas (25-8) vs. No. 13 Vermont (28-5)
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo
Time/TV: 9:20 p.m., TNT
Line: Arkansas by 6.5
The skinny: Vermont is an experienced team (five senior starters) with two legit standouts (C Ryan Davis and G Ben Shungu, who combine to score 33.3 points per game, grab 10.2 rebounds and hit 41.8 percent of their 3-pointers). And as per kenpom.com, the Catamounts give up the fewest percentage of offensive rebounds of any team in the nation. But Vermont hasn’t seen anything like Arkansas’ athleticism and size. In addition, the Hogs have two standouts themselves in J.D. Notae and Jaylin Williams. This should be an excellent coaching matchup between Vermont’s John Becker and Arkansas’ Eric Musselman. If Vermont can hit some 3s, this could be interesting.
On the spot
Everyone loves the underdog, especially during the NCAA tournament. These three guys need to perform if their team is to pull the big upset.
New Mexico State G Teddy Allen: Allen and the Aggies face UConn, and he has played a lot against power-conference foes because he’s a transfer from Nebraska. And he’s had success at that level: He was the Big Ten’s sixth-leading scorer (16.5 ppg) last season for the Huskers. This season, he’s averaged 19.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while earning WAC player of the year and newcomer of the year honors. Allen is a high-volume shooter — he has taken 26 percent of the Aggies’ shots from the field this season — and he absolutely needs to get his points if New Mexico State is to upset UConn.
Vermont C Ryan Davis: Davis is one of five senior starters for the Catamounts, who don’t figure to be overwhelmed by the surroundings against Arkansas. Davis averages 17.2 points and 5.7 rebounds, and absolutely needs to hit a few from the perimeter; he shoots 42.3 percent from 3-point range.
South Dakota State G Baylor Scheierman: The guy is a stat-sheet stuffer; he averages 18.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Scheierman also hits 47.3 percent from 3-point range for a team that hits a nation’s-best 44.9 percent from beyond the arc. He needs to get his in all three areas against Providence.