2013 NCAA Tournament

[bukie]

Let the games begin.

 

Tuesday, Mar. 19 (First-round games from Dayton)

Both games: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

North Carolina A&T vs. Liberty, 6:30 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Middle Tennessee State vs. Saint Mary's, 9 p.m. ET (TruTV)

 

Wednesday, Mar. 20 (First-round games from Dayton)

Both games: Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Clark Kellogg (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter)

LIU-Brooklyn vs. James Madison, 6:30 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Boise State vs. La Salle, 9 p.m. ET (TruTV)

 

Thursday, Mar. 21 (Second-round games from Lexington, San Jose, Salt Lake City and Auburn Hills)

Valparaiso vs. Michigan State, 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Rachel Nichols)

Bucknell vs. Butler, 12:40 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Allie LaForce)

Wichita State vs. Pittsburgh, 1:40 p.m. ET (TBS) (Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb/Jamie Maggio)

New Mexico State vs. Saint Louis, 2:10 p.m. ET (TNT) (Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner/Marty Snider)

Winner of Middle Tennessee State/Saint Mary's vs. Memphis, 2:40 p.m. ET (CBS) (Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols)

Davidson vs. Marquette, 3:10 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Eagle/Spanarkel/LaForce)

Southern vs. Gonzaga, 4:10 p.m. ET (TBS) (Dedes/Gottlieb/Maggio)

Oregon vs. Oklahoma State, 4:40 p.m. ET (TNT) (Anderson/Bonner/Snider)

Winner of North Carolina A&T/Liberty vs. Louisville 6:50 p.m. ET (TBS) (Eagle/Spanarkel/LaForce)

South Dakota State vs. Michigan, 7:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols)

Belmont vs. Arizona , 7:20 p.m. ET (TNT) (Dedes/Gottlieb/Maggio)

California vs. UNLV , 7:27 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Anderson/Bonner/Snider)

Missouri vs. Colorado State, 9:20 p.m. ET (TBS) (Eagle/Spanarkel/LaForce)

Akron vs. VCU, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) (Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols)

Harvard vs. New Mexico, 9:50 p.m. ET (TNT) (Dedes/Gottlieb/Maggio)

Montana vs. Syracuse, 9:57 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Anderson/Bonner/Snider)

 

Friday, Mar. 22 (Second-round games from Philadelphia, Kansas City, Dayton and Austin)

Albany vs. Duke, 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller/Lewis Johnson)

Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin, 12:40 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Marv Albert/Steve Kerr/Craig Sager)

Temple vs. N.C. State, 1:40 p.m. ET (TBS) (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/Tracy Wolfson)

Pacific vs. Miami, 2:10 p.m. ET (TNT) (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski/Otis Livingston)

Cincinnati vs. Creighton, 2:45 p.m. ET (CBS) (Harlan/Elmore/Miller/Johnson)

Winner of Boise State/La Salle vs. Kansas State 3:10 p.m. ET (TruTV) Albert/Kerr/Sager)

Winner of LIU-Brooklyn/James Madison vs. Indiana, 4:10 p.m. ET (TBS) (Nantz/Kellogg/Wolfson)

Colorado vs. Illinois, 4:40 p.m. ET (TNT) (Brando/Gminski/Livingston)

Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown, 6:50 p.m. ET (TBS) (Harlan/Elmore/Miller/Johnson)

Iona vs. Ohio State, 7:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Nantz/Kellogg/Wolfson)

Villanova vs. North Carolina, 7:20 p.m. ET (TNT) (Albert/Kerr/Sager)

Northwestern State vs. Florida 7:27 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Brando/Gminski/Livingston)

Oklahoma vs. San Diego State, 9:20 p.m. ET (TBS) (Harlan/Elmore/Miller/Johnson)

Iowa State vs. Notre Dame, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) (Nantz/Kellogg/Wolfson)

Western Kentucky vs. Kansas, 9:50 p.m. ET (TNT) (Albert/Kerr/Sager)

Minnesota vs. UCLA, 9:57 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Brando/Gminski/Livingston)

[Smack]

What's the lowest seed you guys have advancing past the Round of 64? I really like the 11 seeds this year in terms of upsets. Maybe even Oregon as a 12.

[Andy]

What's the lowest seed you guys have advancing past the Round of 64? I really like the 11 seeds this year in terms of upsets. Maybe even Oregon as a 12.

I picked Bucknell and the MTSU/St. Mary's winner (I'm predicting MTSU), but those are literally the only two lower seeds I have winning. I'm very unnerved by this.

 

I also picked Illinois to beat Miami and UNC to beat Kansas and go to the Elite 8.

[bukie]

Going by KP, the 11 seeds are particularly underseeded this year. Except Bucknell.

[SouthSideRyan]

Going by KP, the 11 seeds are particularly underseeded this year. Except Bucknell.

 

I filled out a KP bracket last night, Indiana's bracket is by far the worst by that measure. Illinois is the worst KP team projected to win a game.

[bukie]

Did I mention I love that bracket?

 

EDIT: Really, though, the worst 2, the worst 3, the worst 6, the worst 10, the worst 11...sure, they got the toughest 14 and 15, but, I mean, wow.

[bukie]

And on IU's half of the bracket, they get the worst 8, worst 9, worst 5, worst 12, worst 13. Coupled with a weak crop of 16s overall this year and IU gets one of the play-ins, there's no excuse for IU not to make the Final Four from that bracket.

[bukie]

Add in that Illinois is the lowest 7 seed in KP, and the East has the lowest 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 seeds by KP.

[bukie]

And I'm going to be really disappointed when Illinois loses to Colorado Friday.

[Banedon]

Fun for me to see Boise St make the tourney, even if it's via a play-in game.

[Formerly Snayke]

Anyone think Pitt can take Gonzaga? That's my reflexive first guess.

[Andy]

Anyone think Pitt can take Gonzaga? That's my reflexive first guess.

They absolutely can. But I stopped betting on Jamie Dixon teams in March a long time ago.

[Exile on Waveland]

Anyone think Pitt can take Gonzaga? That's my reflexive first guess.

 

They seem tailor-made to give Gonzaga problems. They're big, physical, and pound the crap out of the offensive board (fourth highest offensive rebounding percentage in the nation). In short, they're Pittsburgh. That is Gonzaga's biggest weakness, to the point even Mark Few yesterday admitted his team had struggled with physicality at times.

[Magnetic Curses]

And I'm going to be really disappointed when Illinois loses to Colorado Friday.

 

i just have to think that illinois will overperform in the tourney, i think groce will have them fired up. but that is extreme wishful thinking.

 

a huge bonus was playing in the brutal big ten all year, against well-disciplined, well-coached, and very deliberate teams. i don't think there's a chance that colorado is a better defensive team than most of the teams we played this year in the big ten.

 

we could easily lose, but we could beat them handily while controlling the game.

[Formerly Snayke]

Anyone think Pitt can take Gonzaga? That's my reflexive first guess.

They absolutely can. But I stopped betting on Jamie Dixon teams in March a long time ago.

 

Yeah, I'm torn. They have the offense to keep up with Gonzaga along with the defense to slow them down, but it feels like they should be much better.

[UMFan83]

Yikes...I was looking at ESPN's Pickcenter, and for each team that have top 5 similar teams (since 2000).

 

Michigan's 5 most similar teams:

 

2012 Missouri (2 seed that lost in first round)

2009 Florida (lost in 3rd round of NIT)

2001 Ohio State (5 seed lost in first round)

2007 West Virginia (won NIT)

2012 South Dakota St. (last year's version of the team we play in the first round....14 seed that lost in the first round)

 

Those 5 teams have a combined 3 NCAA Tournament appearances (2 at-large) and 0 NCAA Tournament wins....yay

[Old Style]

Just for fun I used http://www.whatifsports.com to predict each tournament game and my Final Four ended up as Memphis, Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Colorado with Gonzaga beating Colorado in the championship game. Other great results were Iona over Ohio State, Pacific over Miami, Northwestern State over Florida, South Dakota State over Michigan, and Belmont over Harvard to go to the Sweet Sixteen.

[bukie]

SI's Luke Winn has 4 B1G teams in his Elite 8, and he has MSU being upset by Valpo.

[illiniguy]

SI's Luke Winn has 4 B1G teams in his Elite 8, and he has MSU being upset by Valpo.

I hope that happens. Roger Powell being there and all.

[Guest]

Nate Silver's Predictions

[UMFan83]

Gregg Doyle has Ohio State beating Michigan in the National Championship game. In his predictions Michigan beats Indiana to get to the game, and Illinois bows out in the E8 vs. IU

[snoodmonger]

Boy I am not sold on tOSU as NC caliber team.

[XZero771679666304]

Boy I am not sold on tOSU as NC caliber team.

 

 

Neither am I. I've been skeptical of them all year, and the Big Ten tournament didn't do as much as one might expect to change that.

 

I can easily see them losing their second game, and give them little chance of advancing beyond the sweet sixteen. If ND/ISU don't put them down, UNM will.

[OleMissCub]

Tourney teams ranked by top alum from each school

 

http://extramustard.si.com/2013/03/18/ncaa-tournament-famous-alumni/

[rawaction]

I love that Galifinakas went to NC State. Also love that Hefner love that Hef got a double major degree in 2.5 years at Illinois as much as u guys tease about oladipo.