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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, Evening
| Tip Time (ET) | Site | Region | Matchup | Channel with March Madness Live Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tip Time (ET) | Site | Region | Matchup | Channel with March Madness Live Link |
| 6:50 p.m. | Columbus | Midwest | No. 9 Washington vs. No. 8 Utah State | TNT |
| 7:10 p.m. | Columbia | East | No. 16 North Dakota State vs. No. 1 Duke | CBS |
| 7:20 p.m. | Tulsa | Midwest | No. 14 Georgia State vs. No. 3 Houston | TBS |
| 7:27 p.m. | San José | East | No. 12 Liberty vs. No. 5 Mississippi State | TruTV |
| 9:20 p.m.* | Columbus | Midwest | No. 16 Iona vs. No. 1 North Carolina | TNT |
| 9:40 p.m.* | Columbia | East | No. 9 UCF vs. No. 8 VCU | CBS |
| 9:50 p.m.* | Tulsa | Midwest | No. 11 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Iowa State | TBS |
| 9:57 p.m.) | San José | East | No. 13 Saint Louis vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech | TruTV |
* = 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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6:50 p.m., Columbus (Midwest Region) on TNT
No. 9 Washington Huskies (26-8, Pac-12 at-large) vs.
No. 8 Utah State Aggies (28-6, Mountain West automatic bid)
KenPom predicted score: USU 68, UW 66
Watchability rank within window: 1st
The Pac-12’s regular-season champ meets the Mountain West’s co-champ (and tournament winner) in the heart of the Midwest. This will be Utah State’s 21st all-time NCAA appearance, pushing them just ahead of UNLV among current Mountain West members. But this is the Aggies’ first trip since 2011 and they last won a tourney game in 2001 (over Ohio State, host of this pod, oddly enough). Still, USU is back in Craig Smith’s first season, that’s a year better than Washington, which also earned its first bid since 2011, in Mike Hopkins’ second season in charge. Note that the Huskies have won an NCAA game in each of their prior five appearances.
7:10 p.m., Columbia (East Region) on CBS
No. 16 North Dakota State Bison (19-15, Summit League automatic bid, First Four winner) vs.
No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (29-5, ACC automatic bid)
KenPom predicted score: Duke 87, NDSU 63
Watchability rank within window: 4th
Duke, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, is in the field for the 24th straight time. And the Blue Devils will have to feel confident of opening with a win for the fifth straight tournament. As for North Dakota State, Wednesday’s win over NC Central was their second triumph in the Division I tournament in four appearances, though it can’t quite match 2014’s 12-over-5 upset victory over Oklahoma.
7:20 p.m., Tulsa (Midwest Region) on TBS
No. 14 Georgia State Panthers (24-9, Sun Belt automatic bid) vs.
No. 3 Houston Cougars (31-3, American at-large)
KenPom predicted score: UH 77, GSU 65
Watchability rank within window: 3rd
For the second season in a row, Georgia State meets the American’s regular-season champion in the first round, as the Panthers lost to Cincinnati 68-53 in a 2/15 game. However, Ron Hunter’s Panthers do have a win as a 14, having stunned Baylor Bears in 2015. This will be GSU’s fifth Division I tournament trip. Houston, on the other hand, has appeared on 20 previous occasions, though they’ve only made three trips since 1992. In fact, last season’s first round win over San Diego State marked the Cougars’ first NCAA victory since 1984’s national semifinal.
7:27 p.m., San José (East Region) on TruTV
No. 12 Liberty Flames (28-6, ASUN automatic bid) vs.
No. 5 Mississippi State Bulldogs (23-10, SEC at-large)
KenPom predicted score: MSU 71, LU 65
Watchability rank within window: 2nd
This will be Liberty’s fourth NCAA trip all-time, but its first as an Atlantic Sun member (in its first season as a member). The Flames are 0-3 in their previous three trips, the last of which came as Big South champ in 2013. Mississippi State has made 10 previous appearances, the last coming 10 years ago. The Bulldogs last won an NCAA game in 2008, however.
Session 2
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All times are approximate.
9:20 p.m., Columbus (Midwest Region) on TNT
No. 16 Iona Gaels (17-15, MAAC automatic bid) vs.
No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels (27-6, ACC at-large)
KenPom predicted score: UNC 95, Iona 70
Watchability rank within window: 4th
Iona, appearing in its 14th NCAA Tournament, leads the Metro Atlantic by some margin in that department. But the Gaels’ history pales in comparison to UNC’s, as this will be the Tar Heels’ 50th bow on the NCAA stage. Iona, in its fourth straight tournament and sixth of the decade, is looking for its first tournament win since 1980. As for the Heels, their last first round exit came all the way back in 1999.
9:40 p.m., Columbia (East Region) on CBS
No. 9 UCF Knights (23-8, American at-large) vs.
No. 8 VCU Rams (25-7, Atlantic 10 at-large)
KenPom predicted score: VCU 63, UCF 62
Watchability rank within window: 1st
Even though VCU missed last season’s NCAAs, this will be the Rams’ eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in this decade alone. However, they last won a game in 2016. On the flip side, UCF has only made four previous Division I tournament appearances, the last coming back-to-back in 2004 and 2005. However, the Knights are looking for their first-ever tournament win.
9:50 p.m., Tulsa (Midwest Region) on TBS
No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-14, Big Ten at-large) vs.
No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones (23-11, Big 12 automatic bid)
KenPom predicted score: ISU 72, OSU 68
Watchability rank within window: 2nd
Both Ohio State and Iowa State have been relatively successful in the NCAAs in recent history. The Buckeyes have only lost in the first round in three of their 13 prior appearances since the calendar rolled over to 2000 (with 2014’s one-point loss to Dayton being the last occasion), while the Cyclones have failed to make it out of round one just twice in their nine prior trips in that span. While this will be Ohio State’s second straight trip under Chris Holtmann after a pair of misses in Thad Matta’s final two seasons, last season’s Iowa State miss ended a six-year streak for the Cyclones.
9:57 p.m., San José (East Region) on TruTV
No. 13 Saint Louis Billikens (23-12, Atlantic 10 automatic bid) vs.
No. 4 Virginia Tech Hokies (24-8, ACC at-large)
KenPom predicted score: VT 69, SLU 58
Watchability rank within window: 3rd
Saint Louis is back in the NCAAs after a five-year absence, as the Billikens made it to the round of 32 (and no further) in three straight tournaments between 2012 and 2014. As for Virginia Tech, the Hokies are now on a three-year NCAA streak, though they’ve fallen at the first hurdle in each of the last two seasons. The Hokies last won a tournament game in 2007, under Seth Greenberg.
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