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The NCAAs are never the same without NC State involved, but the first two days are still a couple of the best sports days of the year. As a lead-in to the Thursday slate, Notre Dame and Rutgers went to double overtime in Dayton last night, which I hope is an omen.
It feels like we’re ripe for chaos this year and that’s what I’m pulling for, hopefully with a good amount of schadenfreude in there. Speaking of which, the Tar Heels are up this afternoon, and that means that we’re all big Marquette fans beginning at 4:30.
There are three 5-12 games today and I’m also curious how Providence, which won a preposterous number of close games during the regular season, plays in the tournament. The Friars are easily the most over-seeded team in this thing and KenPom only has them as a two-point favorite over South Dakota State.
Please feel free to discuss the day’s action below.
Thursday’s Schedule
| Day | Time (ET) | Game | Location | Network | Commentary Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Time (ET) | Game | Location | Network | Commentary Team |
| Thur | 12:15 p.m. | (11) Michigan vs. (6) Colorado State | Indianapolis | CBS | Ian Eagle / Jim Spanarkel // Jamie Erdahl |
| Thur | 12:40 p.m. | (13) South Dakota State vs. (4) Providence | Buffalo | truTV | Brad Nessler / Brendan Haywood // Evan Washburn |
| Thur | 1:45 p.m. | (9) Memphis vs. (8) Boise State | Portland | TNT | Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas // Andy Katz |
| Thur | 2 p.m. | (16) Norfolk State vs. (1) Baylor | Fort Worth | TBS | Brian Anderson / Jim Jackson // Allie LaForce |
| Thur | 2:45 p.m. | (14) Longwood vs. (3) Tennessee | Indianapolis | CBS | Eagle / Spanrkel // Erdahl |
| Thur | 3:10 p.m. | (12) Richmond vs. (5) Iowa | Buffalo | truTV | Nessler / Haywood // Washburn |
| Thur | 4:15 p.m. | (16) Georgia State vs. (1) Gonzaga | Portland | TNT | Catalon / Lappas // Katz |
| Thur | 4:30 p.m. | (9) Marquette vs. (8) North Carolina | Fort Worth | TBS | Anderson / Jackson // LaForce |
| Thur | 6:50 p.m. | (12) New Mexico State vs. (5) UConn | Buffalo | TNT | Nessler / Haywood // Washburn |
| Thur | 7:10 p.m. | (15) Saint Peter's vs. (2) Kentucky | Indianapolis | CBS | Eagle / Spanrkel // Erdahl |
| Thur | 7:20 p.m. | (12) Indiana vs. (5) Saint Mary's | Portland | TBS | Catalon / Lappas // Katz |
| Thur | 7:27 p.m. | (9) Creighton vs. (8) San Diego State | Fort Worth | truTV | Anderson / Jackson // LaForce |
| Thur | 9:20 p.m. | (13) Vermont vs. (4) Arkansas | Buffalo | TNT | Nessler / Haywood // Washburn |
| Thur | 9:40 p.m. | (10) San Francisco vs. (7) Murray State | Indianapolis | CBS | Eagle / Spanrkel // Erdahl |
| Thur | 9:50 p.m. | (13) Akron vs. (4) UCLA | Portland | TBS | Catalon / Lappas // Katz |
| Thur | 9:57 p.m. | (16) Texas Southern vs. (1) Kansas | Fort Worth | truTV | Anderson / Jackson // LaForce |
(With thanks to Turner/CBS Sports for the info.)