NCAA tournament: A quick look at Friday’s 16 1st-round games
NCAA tournament action continues Friday with 16 first-round games.
There will be two games in the East Region, six 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. 3 Purdue (27-7) vs. No. 14 Yale (19-11)
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
Time/TV: 2 p.m., TBS
Line: Purdue by 16
The skinny: Purdue is big and athletic, and can hit from everywhere; when it is at its best, it’s a legit national title contender. Problem: The Boilermakers haven’t been close to their best of late. They come in having split their past six games and not scoring more than 70 points in any of those matchups. That streak of not scoring more than 70 will end here. Purdue’s size should cause all sorts of problems for Yale. The Bulldogs need a big game from G Azar Swain (19.2 ppg, 89.1 percent at foul line) to keep it close.
No. 6 Texas (21-11) vs. No. 11 Virginia Tech (23-12)
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
Time/TV: 4:30 p.m., TBS
Line: Texas by 1
The skinny: Virginia Tech played itself into the NCAA field by winning the ACC tournament as a No. 7 seed. Which Hokies team shows up: The one that played high-level basketball last weekend or the one that lost six of eight during a stretch in January? The Hokies are excellent from 3-point range and also have two low-post scorers in Keve Aluma and Justyn Mutts. Defensively, the Hokies are OK, nothing more. Texas, on the other hand, can play lockdown defense at times; its perimeter defense needs to be on point in this one. The Longhorns, who come in on a three-game losing streak, have a share-the-wealth philosophy on offense; they need a solid all-around game from Timmy Allen, a Penn State transfer, to beat the Hokies.
South Region
No. 7 Ohio State (19-11) vs. No. 10 Loyola-Chicago (25-7)
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
Time/TV: 12:15 p.m., CBS
Line: Ohio State by 1
The skinny: Expect to see a lot of everyone’s favorite sister, Loyola superfan Sister Jean. The Ramblers have a new coach (Drew Valentine, 30, the youngest coach in Division I), but they play the same style they did under former coach Porter Moser. Ohio State stumbles into the NCAA tourney having lost four of its past five games. F E.J. Liddell is a genuine star, but who will step up to help him? Loyola’s defense is stout, and the Ramblers grind on you on both ends of the court. Loyola needs Lucas Williamson and/or Braden Norris to be hot from beyond the arc. Both teams will be comfortable with a slow pace.
No. 2 Villanova (26-7) vs. No. 15 Delaware (22-12)
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
Time/TV: 2:45 p.m., CBS
Line: Villanova by 15.5
The skinny: Delaware won the CAA tournament as a No. 5 seed, and the Blue Hens knocked off the Nos. 4, 1 and 2 seeds in succession to win. Well, the idea of them knocking off this No. 2 seed seems a bit far-fetched. Villanova is an elite offensive team, per kenpom.com efficiency metrics, and Delaware’s defense is nothing special. Delaware’s leading scorer is Jameer Nelson Jr., whose dad was 2-2 vs. Villanova during his career at St. Joseph’s.
No. 4 Illinois (22-9) vs. No. 13 Chattanooga (27-7)
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
Time/TV: 6:50 p.m., TNT
Line: Illinois by 8
The skinny: Illinois tied for the regular-season title in the Big Ten, but sometimes when you watch the Illini, you come away with the feeling that this team should be even better than it is. Kofi Cockburn can be a force of nature in the low post, and there are a number of talented perimeter players. But the offense bogs down at times. Chattanooga has a legit star in 6-foot-4 sophomore G Malachi Smith (20.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 spg, 50.7 percent from the field). Keep an eye on the Mocs’ Silvio de Sousa in the paint; the one-star presumed star at Kansas has had his moments this season, and if he can make Cockburn work on defense, this will be even more interesting.
No. 1 Arizona (31-3) vs. No. 16 Wright State (22-13)
Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego
Time/TV: 7:27 p.m., truTV
Line: Arizona by 22.5
The skinny: Wright State was fun to watch Wednesday night as it rolled up 93 points in beating Bryant by 11 in a First Four game. Yeah, well, Bryant ain’t Arizona. In its lone game this season against a team like Arizona, Wright State lost by 44 to Purdue. But if the Raiders’ Tanner Holden and Grant Basile can have some offensive success, this could be a game into the second half. Regardless, Wright State’s defense isn’t going to be able to handle Bennedict Mathurin and Co.
No. 5 Houston (29-5) vs. No. 12 UAB (27-7)
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
Time/TV: 9:20 p.m., TNT
Line: Houston by 8.5
The skinny: This should be a fascinating matchup of diverse styles. Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars prefer to grind it out on both ends; Andy Kennedy’s Blazers, who won the C-USA tourney as a No. 3 seed, want to run and let it fly. UAB has the perimeter shooters to make this interesting. But Houston’s physical nature as well its defensive quickness on the perimeter will cause problems. UAB absolutely needs a big game from G Jordan “Jelly” Walker. Walker was the Conference USA player of the year; he averages 20.3 points, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals, and shoots 40.6 percent from 3-point range. He is a high-volume shooter: Walker has taken 24.9 percent of UAB’s shot attempts and 39.6 percent of the 3-point attempts. If this is close late, keep in mind that Houston is not good from the line (66.9 percent, 312th nationally).
No. 8 Seton Hall (21-10) vs. No. 9 TCU (20-12)
Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego
Time/TV: 9:57 p.m., truTV
Line: Seton Hall by 1
The skinny: Neither is anything special offensively and both play solid defense. TCU does excellent work on the offensive boards, which is important because the Horned Frogs are sloppy with the ball. TCU is not a good shooting team and does most of its offensive damage in the paint. Seton Hall doesn’t shoot well, either, but the Pirates have done a good job keeping opponents off the offensive board, so that could determine the game. This will not be a thing of beauty; if you want free-flowing offense, don’t watch.
Midwest Region
No. 2 Auburn (27-5) vs. No. 15 Jacksonville State (21-10)
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.
Time/TV: 12:40 p.m., truTV
Line: Auburn by 15.5
The skinny: The campuses are about 85 miles apart; the relative talent levels, though, aren’t that close. While Auburn has struggled some down the stretch, the Tigers’ size and athleticism should carry the day. Jacksonville State, which lost by six to Alabama during the regular season, shoot 38.8 percent from beyond the arc, which is fifth nationally, and the Gamecocks hit 9.3 3-pointers per game. If the Gamecocks hit 12 or 13 3s? Well, that would make things interesting.
No. 7 USC (26-7) vs. No. 10 Miami (23-10)
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.
Time/TV: 3:10 p.m., truTV
Line: USC by 1.5
The skinny: The Trojans have a lot of length and play high-level interior defense. They’re good on the offensive boards, but are inconsistent as a whole offensively and are brutal from the line (just 66.6 percent, 321st nationally). Miami is a free-flowing offensive team and has four guys who have hit at least 36 3-pointers; each of the three starting perimeter players (Kameron McGusty, Charlie Moore and Isaiah Wong) has hit at least 45. But UM’s perimeter players also can get into the lane and cause some damage. USC needs to dominate the boards against a Miami squad that isn’t an especially strong rebounding team.
No. 6 LSU (22-11) vs. No. 11 Iowa State (20-12)
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
Time/TV: 7:20 p.m., TBS
Line: LSU by 4
The skinny: LSU’s focus is a question, as this is the Tigers’ first game without fired coach Will Wade. The Tigers also come in having lost four of their past seven. LSU 6-8 sophomore G Tari Eason is underrated nationally; can the Cyclones handle him? If they can, they will be in good shape because the Tigers struggle offensively. Iowa State opened 12-0, and included in that start were three wins over NCAA tourney teams. But the Cyclones finished four games below .500 in Big 12 play and, like LSU, they struggle at times offensively. All of Iowa State’s offense comes from its backcourt, especially Penn State transfer Izaiah Brockington.
No. 3 Wisconsin (24-7) vs. No. 14 Colgate (23-11)
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
Time/TV: 9:50 p.m., TBS
Line: Wisconsin by 8
The skinny: This basically is a home game for the Badgers, who are playing about 80 miles from their Madison campus. Colgate has won 15 in a row, and its 3-point shooting gives the Raiders hope they can pull the upset. Colgate shoots 40.3 percent from 3-point range, which is second nationally, and hits 9.9 3-pointers per game. The Raiders have five guys who can hit from beyond the perimeter and at least two need to be consistently on target against the Badgers. Wisconsin features sophomore G Johnny Davis, a first-team All-American who could wreak havoc against a Colgate defense that isn’t that good.
West Region
No. 3 Texas Tech (25-9) vs. No. 14 Montana State (27-7)
Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego
Time/TV: 1:45 p.m., TNT
Line: Texas Tech by 15
The skinny: A 10:45 a.m. local-time tip-off. Weak. Texas Tech’s defense is elite, so much so that it ranks No. 1 in efficiency in the kenpom.com ratings. Montana State has some length, but are the Bobcats physical enough to withstand the Red Raiders? Montana State’s Jubrile Belo, a 6-9, 240-pounder, needs to assert himself down low on both ends if this is to be close. One thing to watch with Texas Tech: It can have issues with turnovers.
No. 6 Alabama (19-13) vs. No. 11 Notre Dame (23-10)
Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego
Time/TV: 4:15 p.m., TNT
Line: Alabama by 4
The skinny: The Irish had to play two overtimes to get past Rutgers in a First Four game on Wednesday night, then had to fly cross-country. Are they going to have anything left? Alabama is Team Inconsistent; the Tide has beaten the likes of Gonzaga, Houston, Baylor and Tennessee, but lost to Vanderbilt, Missouri and Georgia (the Bulldogs’ lone SEC win). Alabama shoots a lot of 3-pointers (963, fifth-most nationally). The problem: The Tide doesn’t always make a lot of them (30.84 percent, 302nd nationally). If they’re falling, the Tide is hard to beat. When they’re not? Alabama goes 9-of-34 (26.5 percent) from beyond the arc and loses to Georgia. The Irish are good from 3-point range (almost 38 percent), but they beat Rutgers by crushing the physical Scarlet Knights in the paint.
No. 2 Duke (28-6) vs. No. 15 Cal State Fullerton (21-10)
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.
Time/TV: 7:10 p.m., CBS
Line: Duke by 18.5
The skinny: Duke’s young players — and there are a lot of key ones — have to play with the pressure knowing that their next loss ends coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career. Even with that kind of pressure, this one shouldn’t be that difficult. Fullerton’s perimeter defense isn’t much, and the Titans definitely are a team that wants to score in the paint. Fullerton F E.J. Anosike, a Tennessee transfer, is a big body who needs to be productive for this to remain close.
No. 7 Michigan State (22-12) vs. No. 10 Davidson (27-6)
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, N.C.
Time/TV: 9:40 p.m., CBS
Line: Michigan State by 1
The skinny: Everybody is focused on the potential second-round matchup between Coach K and Tom Izzo. Focus, instead, on this coaching matchup: Izzo vs. Bob McKillop, who never has gotten the attention he deserves. The guy is a fantastic coach and runs a fun offense to watch; his team is playing about 100 miles from its campus north of Charlotte, too. Michigan State owns a big athleticism advantage and is good from 3-point range, but the Wildcats also are dangerous from 3-point range and have a legit big man in 6-10, 250-pound Luka Brajkovic, an Austrian who was the A-10 player of the year. Michigan State has had issues with turnovers at times this season, but Davidson’s defense doesn’t force that many.
On the spot
Everyone loves the underdog, especially during March Madness. These three guys need to perform if their team is to pull the big upset.
Chattanooga G Malachi Smith: Smith, a 6-4 sophomore, was the Southern Conference player of the year. He played his freshman season at Wright State, then transferred. He was a first-team All-conference selection for the Mocs in 2020-21, too. This season, he averages 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Smith shoots 50.5 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from 3-point range and 83.2 percent from the line.
Yale G Azar Swaim: Swaim, a 6-1 senior, has had 15 20-point outings this season and has scored at least 20 in three consecutive games. He is a two-time first-team All-Ivy selection who has great range. He shoots 34.9 percent from 3-point range and hit at least five 3-pointers in a game four times this season. Swaim also is a savvy rebounder at his size, averaging 4.2 per game.
UAB G Jordan “Jelly” Walker: Walker, who is 5-11, began his career at Seton Hall, then played two seasons at Tulane before moving on to UAB before this season. It was a good move for both sides. Walker was the Conference USA player of the year and makes the Blazers’ up-tempo offense go. He averages 20.3 points, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals, and shoots 40.6 percent from 3-point range. Walker has had two 40-point outings and eight games with at least 25 points.