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It's still difficult for me to believe that we're here. I remember some Q&A I did with a blog on this here network, can't remember what about, really, where I predicted that a season that ended with a winning record and an NIT berth would be a success. I still feel like that's true, but we aren't talking about no NIT crap, are we. It's game day again, and this is maybe the best game day there is.
The full schedule for Thursday is below. NC State and St. Louis are set for a 7:20 p.m. ET tip, which means the Wolfpack is guaranteed to make the round of 56.
Archie's Dayton Flyers kick off the slate against Ohio State at 12:15. The Archie factor aside, after the support the Pack got from the Dayton fans in attendance on Tuesday, the Flyers have easily become my third-favorite team in this tournament. (Nebraska being No. 2, obvs.)
If you are home or sick or fake sick or partially kinda mostly sick but also partially fake sick, make sure to have a glance at Oregon-BYU. I've been hype about the lower half of the West Region since the bracket came out, because there are a bunch of good offenses and a bunch of mediocre defenses in there. Oregon and BYU are the poster children--the Ducks rank 13th in offensive efficiency and 93rd in defensive efficiency, while the Cougars are 28th and 99th, respectively. Both like to push tempo, and Pomeroy is predicting a game in the 80s. If you like points, you will not want to miss this one.
Thursday's Game Schedule
| Region | Game | Venue | Time | TV | Announcers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South | Dayton Flyers (11) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (6) | First Niagara Center (Buffalo, NY) | 12:15p | CBS | Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Allie LaForce |
| West | American University Eagles (15) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (2) | BMO Harris Bradley Center (Milwaukee, WI) | 12:40p | truTV | Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Lewis Johnson |
| South | Pittsburgh Panthers (9) vs. Colorado Buffaloes (8) | Amway Center (Orlando, FL) | 1:40p | TBS | Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Kristine Leahy |
| East | Harvard Crimson (12) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (5) | Spokane Memorial Arena (Spokane, WA) | 2:10p | TNT | Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jaime Maggio |
| South | Western Michigan Broncos (14) vs. Syracuse Orange (3) | First Niagara Center (Buffalo, NY) | 2:45p | CBS | Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Allie LaForce |
| West | BYU Cougars (10) vs. Oregon Ducks (7) | BMO Harris Bradley Center (Milwaukee, WI) | 3:10p | truTV | Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Lewis Johnson |
| South | Albany Great Danes/ Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (16) vs. Florida Gators (1) | Amway Center (Orlando, FL) | 4:10p | TBS | Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Kristine Leahy |
| East | Delaware Blue Hens (13) vs. Michigan State Spartans (4) | Spokane Memorial Arena (Spokane, WA) | 4:40p | TNT | Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jaime Maggio |
| East | Saint Joseph's (PA) Hawks (10) vs. Connecticut Huskies (7) | First Niagara Center (Buffalo, NY) | 6:55p | TBS | Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Allie LaForce |
| MidWest | Wofford Terriers (15) vs. Michigan Wolverines (2) | BMO Harris Bradley Center (Milwaukee, WI) | 7:10p | CBS | Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Lewis Johnson |
| MidWest | North Carolina State Wolfpack/Xavier Musketeers (12) vs. Saint Louis Billikens (5) | Amway Center (Orlando, FL) | 7:20p | TNT | Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Kristine Leahy |
| West | North Dakota State Bison (12) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (5) | Spokane Memorial Arena (Spokane, WA) | 7:27p | truTV | Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jaime Maggio |
| East | Milwaukee Panthers (15) vs. Villanova Wildcats (2) | First Niagara Center (Buffalo, NY) | 9:25p | TBS | Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Allie LaForce |
| MidWest | Arizona State Sun Devils (10) vs. Texas Longhorns (7) | BMO Harris Bradley Center (Milwaukee, WI) | 9:40p | CBS | Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Lewis Johnson |
| MidWest | Manhattan Jaspers (13) vs. Louisville Cardinals (4) | Amway Center (Orlando, FL) | 9:50p | TNT | Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Kristine Leahy |
| West | New Mexico State Aggies (13) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (4) | Spokane Memorial Arena (Spokane, WA) | 9:57p | truTV | Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jaime Maggio |