So, if you follow the site you know that each day of the season we have a Daily Rundown, where we basically highlight the games we feel that are important and outline the impact they can have on seeding, selection, the bubble, or whatever. Going into that kind of detail at this point is pointless. The storyline for every single game is that the winning team advances to the next round and the losing team is eliminated. So, I’ll just do a quick sentence or two on each game.
Also, if you haven’t signed up for the BEAT THE PUPPET CHALLENGE, don’t bother. You won’t beat me!
THURSDAY, MARCH 20TH:
-Creighton vs Louisville – Louisville has undergone one of the biggest turnarounds in all of college basketball from a season ago. Both teams love to shoot from the outside and Creighton can be strong in the post
-High Point vs Purdue – Purdue faded down the stretch and High Point is a very talented team that didn’t always play up to their ceiling, but was seeming to do so at the end of the year
-Montana vs Wisconsin – The Grizz had a great year and beat a really good Northern Colorado team in the Big Sky Championship. Wisconsin is historically known for their defense, but can really put up points as well and won’t be easy for anyone to beat
-SIUE vs Houston – It’s SIUE’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance and it’s been fun to watch that program grow under Coach Brian Barone. They’re just way too overmatched today against a Houston team that plays better defense than almost anyone I’ve ever seen
-Alabama State @ Auburn – Alabama State had an exciting run through the SWAC Tournament and won a thriller in the First Four. Auburn played one of the toughest schedules I can ever rememeber any team playing. In fact this may be their easiest opponent of the entire season
-McNeese @ Clemson – McNeese is super talented and a popular upset pick. Clemson had a great year that followed a deep tournament run from a season ago.
-VCU vs BYU – BYU is a great offensive team and beat some really good teams in the second half of conference play. It’s been a while since they’ve won an NCAA Tournament game and they’re facing a really strong VCU team that was dominant in the Atlantic 10
-Georgia vs Gonzaga – the Zags struggled for much of the year, but were clearly playing their best ball in the last few weeks. Georgia held their own (for the most part) in a very tough SEC
-Wofford vs Tennessee – Wofford is not who most of us picked to win the SoCon Tournament, but they did and earned the right to be here. Tennessee won the SEC Tournament and had a strong claim for a #1 seed
-Arkansas vs Kansas – Arkansas didn’t have the best season, but they seemed to play well when they absolutely had to. Well, today, they absolutely have to. Kansas had a good year, but struggled away from home. Both teams have strengths and weaknesses
-Yale vs Texas A&M – I really liked this Yale team for most of the season, but while they won the Ivy League Tournament they didn’t seem as strong in the last couple weeks of the season as they had been. TAMU is very well coached and could go far.
-Drake vs Missouri – Drake plays tough defense and can find ways to score, and probably deserved a better seed. Mizzou has some great athleticism, which makes the matchup intriguing
-Utah State vs UCLA – both teams had times during the season when they looked incredible and other times when it appeared they were struggling. This is a tough one to pick
-Omaha vs Saint John’s – we love the trashcan wrestling of Omaha!! Saint John’s struggles to score at times, but they play aggressive defense that just wears teams down
FRIDAY, MARCH 21ST:
-Baylor vs Mississippi State – Mississippi State won some big games during the season and while Baylor had some good moments, they also struggled with injuries which made it difficult for them
-Robert Morris vs Alabama – Alabama loves to shoot the three and is capable of beating anyone in this tournament. Robert Morris had a really strong year in the Horizon League but is likely way overmatched today
-Lipscomb vs Iowa State – Lipscomb won the ASun and may hold their own for part of the game, but Iowa State is just too talented
-Colorado State vs Memphis – these are two teams that I was sure I’d pick to win a game in the Round of 64 until I saw they were playing each other. In the last few weeks of the season Colorado State was fantastic, and Memphis played a really strong out of conference schedule and racked up some big wins, so both can (and have) beaten really good teams
-Mount Saint Mary’s vs Duke – Do not doubt the Mount!! Well, today, I kinda am. Duke is one of the best teams in the country and while Mount Saint Mary’s played well down the stretch, won the MAAC Tournament, and won their First Four game on Wednesday, the ride is probably over
-Vanderbilt vs Saint Mary’s – Vandy was a fantastic team when they played at home and just a so-so team on the road. Saint Mary’s had a great year and many thought (myself included) they’d be seeded a little better than what they were
-North Carolina vs Ole Miss – many felt UNC should not be in the field, but they did look very impressive in their First Four win the other night. Ole Miss is certainly battle-tested and has shown they can play with and beat really good teams themselves
-Grand Canyon vs Maryland – This is a super talented Grand Canyon team that I would have picked to upset a lot of teams in the Round of 64, but I’m not sure if I can pick them to beat Maryland who is also very talented and who was playing really well down the stretch
-Norfolk State vs Florida – this is a 1 vs 16 game that will probably go the way we are all expecting it to. A good year for Norfolk State, though, who probably deserved to be seeded a little bit better
-Troy vs Kentucky – this is a dangerous Troy team that is capable of pulling an upset if their team overlooks them, and Kentucky Coach Mark Pope does not have a history of strong showings in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky won some really big games this season, but they had their challenges as well
-New Mexico vs Marquette – New Mexico was probably the strongest overall team in the Mountain West and Marquette was solid as well. This is a tough game to pick and it should be fun
-Akron vs Arizona – Akron blew through the MAC and is a solid 13 seed in this field, but I just think they are playing an Arizona team that’s both really good and not likely to overlook them
-Oklahoma vs UConn – UConn has won two straight NCAA Tournaments and that experience is not something to overlook. Oklahoma lost some really close games against really good teams throughout SEC play, but they did enough to get here and they have a chance to bounce back from that
-Xavier vs Illinois – Xavier had a nice come from behind win against Texas the other night and while they struggled for much of the year they were playing really well in the last month or so. Illinois has battled injuries and has been a little schizophrenic throughout the year looking like a Final Four team on some nights and an NIT team on others
-Bryant vs Michigan State – Bryant had a nice year in the America East but tonight they’ve got to face a Michigan State team that’s as good as anyone
-Liberty @ Oregon – this is a talented and dangerous Liberty team that I think would be most of the teams seeded on the 8, 9, 10, and 11 lines. Oregon has been wildly inconsistent all year long and they may get upset if they don’t bring their A-game
