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All times are Eastern. You can stream all games on the NCAA’s March Madness Live. (I’ll have links for each game in these posts, however.)
Schedule at a Glance
First Round Friday, Daytime
| Tip Time (ET) | Site | Region | Matchup | Channel with March Madness Live Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tip Time (ET) | Site | Region | Matchup | Channel with March Madness Live Link |
| 12:15 p.m. | Columbus | South | No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 7 Cincinnati | CBS |
| 12:40 p.m. | Columbia | South | No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 8 Ole Miss | TruTV |
| 1:30 p.m. | Tulsa | West | No. 14 Northern Kentucky vs. No. 3 Texas Tech | TNT |
| 2 p.m. | San José | South | No. 13 UC Irvine vs. No. 4 Kansas State | TBS |
| 2:45 p.m.* | Columbus | South | No. 15. Colgate vs. No. 2 Tennessee | CBS |
| 3:10 p.m.* | Columbia | South | No. 16 Gardner-Webb vs. No. 1 Virginia | TruTV |
| 4 p.m.* | Tulsa | West | No. 11 Arizona State vs. No. 6 Buffalo | TNT |
| 4:30 p.m.* | San José | South | No. 12 Oregon vs. No. 5 Wisconsin | TBS |
* = tip time is approximate
Announcers by Site
Columbia: Jim Nantz/Bill Raftery/Grant Hill with Tracy Wolfson reporting
Columbus: Brian Anderson/Chris Webber with Allie LaForce reporting
San José: Spero Dedes/Len Elmore/Steve Smith with Ros Gold-Onwude reporting
Tulsa: Brad Nessler/Steve Lavin/Jim Jackson with Evan Washburn reporting
Session 1
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12:15 p.m., Columbus (South Region) on CBS
No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes (22-11, Big Ten at-large) vs.
No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats (28-6, American automatic bid)
KenPom predicted score: Cincinnati 71, Iowa 70
Watchability rank within window: 2nd
Iowa returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since making three straight trips between 2014 and 2016. This will also be the Hawkeyes third straight appearance in a 7-vs.-10 game, winning on both previous occasions as the 7. As for Cincinnati, the Bearcats last missed the field in 2010, Mick Cronin’s fourth season. They’ve won their last two first round games, and three of their previous four.
12:40 p.m., Columbia (South Region) on TruTV
No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners (19-13, Big 12 at-large) vs.
No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels (20-12, SEC at-large)
KenPom predicted score: Oklahoma 72, Ole Miss 71
Watchability rank within window: 1st
Based on the NET, this is the closest matchup in the entire first round, with Ole Miss ranked one spot ahead of Oklahoma (36 vs. 37). The Sooners are making their second straight NCAA appearance, but they last won a tourney game in 2016 — when they reached the Final Four. As for the Rebels, they’re tied with South Carolina for the fewest NCAA bids among current SEC members (nine). Kermit Davis’ first Ole Miss squad will look to follow Andy Kennedy’s final two NCAA squads (2015 and 2016), each of which won a single game.
1:30 p.m., Tulsa (West Region) on TNT
No. 14 Northern Kentucky Norse (26-8, Horizon League automatic bid) vs.
No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders (26-6, Big 12 at-large)
KenPom predicted score: TTU 74, NKU 61
Watchability rank within window: 4th
Northern Kentucky is hoping for a bit more success in its second NCAA trip than it experienced in its first, though the Norse only lost to Kentucky by a 79-70 score in 2017’s first round. Texas Tech, meanwhile, is making its second consecutive appearance under third-year coach Chris Beard. Last season, they departed in the Elite Eight, which marked the Red Raiders’ most successful trip of the 16 they’ve made.
2 p.m., San José (South Region) on TBS
No. 13 UC Irvine Anteaters (30-5, Big West automatic bid) vs.
No. 4 Kansas State Wildcats (25-8, Big 12 at-large)
KenPom predicted score: KSU 62, UCI 56
Watchability rank within window: 3rd
Note that three Big 12 teams open their tournaments in this window.
Kansas State, making its third straight trip and 31st overall, is also coming off a 2018 Elite Eight run. On the other hand, this is only UC Irvine’s second NCAA bid ever at the Division I level. Last time, in 2015, they fell to Louisville by a 57-55 count in another 4-vs.-13 game.
Session 2
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All times are approximate.
2:45 p.m., Columbus (East Region) on CBS
No. 15 Colgate Raiders (24-10, Patriot League automatic bid) vs.
No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers (29-5, SEC at-large)
KenPom predicted score: UT 83, Colgate 68
Watchability rank within window: 4th
This will only be Colgate’s third-ever NCAA Tournament game, following a pair of consecutive first round exits in 1995 and 1996 by a Raider team anchored by center Adonal Foyle. As for Tennessee, the Volunteers are making their second straight trip and 22nd overall, though they’ll look to improve upon last season’s second round exit at the hands of eventual Final Four qualifier Loyola Chicago.
3:10 p.m., Columbia (East Region) on TruTV
No. 16 Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (27-5, Big South automatic bid) vs.
No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers (29-3, ACC at-large)
KenPom predicted score: UVa 77, G-W 55
Watchability rank within window: 3rd
Gardner-Webb is making its first Division I tournament appearance (and the Bulldogs only managed to reach the Division II tournament once during their time in that classification). Meanwhile, Virginia, already the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16, would like to avoid becoming the first No. 1 to lose to a 16 twice, as it opens its 23rd NCAA Tournament.
4 p.m., Tulsa (Midwest Region) on TNT
No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils (23-10, Pac-12 at-large, First Four winner) vs.
No. 6 Buffalo Bulls (31-3, MAC automatic bid)
KenPom predicted score: UB 82, ASU 75
Watchability rank within window: 1st
Arizona State’s First Four win over St. John’s set up a reunion in Tulsa. Current Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley took the Bulls to their first D1 tournament in 2015 before departing for the Valley of the Sun. One of his assistants, Nate Oats, then took over and has he’s since taken Buffalo to three NCAAs, with last year’s win over Arizona being the program’s first all-time. As for the Sun Devils, even though this is their second trip in a row, they’re looking for their first win in the main draw since 2009.
4:30 p.m., San José (West Region) on TBS
No. 12 Oregon Ducks (23-12, Pac-12 automatic bid) vs.
No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers (23-10, Big Ten at-large)
KenPom predicted score: Wisconsin 61, Oregon 56
Watchability rank within window: 2nd
The Pac-12 has three teams in the field (RIP #Pac1Bid), two of which tip in this window.
Both of these teams are back after missing the field in 2018. The 2017 NCAAs were both fairly successful for both, with Oregon reaching the Final Four and Wisconsin falling in the Sweet Sixteen. However, only one will be able to have dreams of matching that success by the time late afternoon rolls around in the Bay Area.
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