With the first half of Second Round action under our belts, it's time to look ahead to Friday and the next leg of the long and tumultuous journey to the Championship.
Day 3 brought a few close calls, as the Fab-less Syracuse Orangemen barely held their own against a tough looking UNC Asheville squad, and Harvard almost gave the Vanderbilt Commodores a run for their money.
Here's a list of all the games Friday, March 16th that you won't want to miss. Be sure to read up on the in-depth the Associated-Press previews.
12:15 p.m. — Texas vs. Cincinnati (-2.5)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With six freshmen, Texas coach Rick Barnes planned on the Longhorns needing more than one year to come of age.
He didn't figure to use that as an excuse to miss out on the NCAA tournament. Read the complete preview here.
12:40 p.m. — San Diego State vs. North Carolina State (-2.5)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — San Diego State coach Steve Fisher calls the NCAA tournament "the greatest sports spectacle known to man."
North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried calls it "the greatest show on Earth."
Check back on Friday afternoon. Odds are one of them won't be quite so entranced with the whole 68-team shindig. Read the complete preview here.
1:40 p.m. — Creighton vs. Alabama (-1.5)
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Alabama coach Anthony Grant says his team's identity is its defense.
It's how the Crimson Tide (21-11) earned a trip to their first NCAA tournament since 2006 and what they will rely on against Creighton Friday at the Greensboro Coliseum. It should be an intriguing eight-versus-nine matchup featuring teams with contrasting styles and strengths. Read the complete preview here.
2:10 p.m. — Virginia vs. Florida (-3.5)
OMAHA, Neb. — Virginia will put its pack-line defense on display for the nation on Friday against a Florida team well-suited for attacking it.
"Our two systems are definitely going to clash," Virginia's Sammy Zeglinski said. "They like to get up and down the court and shoot quick in the shot clock and we like to play the half-court game and run some clock. We're going to impose our game plan, and they'll try to do the same. Should be interesting." Read the complete preview here.
2:45 p.m. — Saint Bonaventure vs. Florida State (-6.5)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The St. Bonaventure Bonnies insist they feel no pressure with nothing to lose and everything to gain in the NCAA tournament.
Memories of a painful loss a year ago still haunt the 10th-ranked Florida State Seminoles who have no intention of overlooking anyone. Read the complete preview here.
3:10 p.m. — Belmont vs. Georgetown (-4)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Belmont coach Rick Byrd remembers his players' wide-eyed looks, their innocent expressions, their sense of awe.
Six years ago, the Bruins were NCAA tournament rookies.
Strangers in a strange land. Read the complete preview here.
4:10 p.m. — Vermont vs. North Carolina (-16.5)
GREENSBORO, N.C. — John Henson says he's improving from a wrist injury and sounds eager to return to for North Carolina's NCAA tournament opener.
Coach Roy Williams isn't quite so sure whether the two-time Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year is ready to snatch rebounds in traffic or swat shots to start the fast break. Read the complete preview here.
4:40 p.m. — Norfolk State vs. Missouri (-21.5)
OMAHA, Neb. — Marcus Denmon was asked to pick the high point of the season, and the Missouri guard had plenty of options: Big wins over Illinois and California, that dramatic win over rival Kansas and an in-season tournament title in the Tigers' own backyard.
None of them compared to their impressive run to a Big 12 tournament title last weekend. Read the complete preview here.
6:50 p.m. — Saint Louis vs. Memphis (-3)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — First, Memphis lost a home game. Then the players lost a piece of their identities.
Frustrated with the way his team played in a loss to UTEP last month, coach Josh Pastner took the players' names off the backs of their jerseys, in addition to depriving them of any practice garb that said Memphis on it. Read the complete preview here.
7:15 p.m. — Lehigh vs. Duke (-12)
GREENSBORO, N.C. — To beat Duke, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks are going organic.
Or so says senior forward Jordan Hamilton.
"We're well aware of Duke's history and the prestige that follows their program," Hamilton said. "But we kind of remove all the hype surrounding it and I think that we're able to approach it from a more sort of organic perspective – approach it as just another game." Read the complete preview here.
7:20 p.m. — Ohio vs. Michigan (-5.5)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Michigan coach John Beilein says there's treasure in losses if players look for it beyond their disappointment.
The Wolverines have put that approach into practice. Instead of wallowing after getting thumped by rival Ohio State, they went back to work. Read the complete preview here.
7:25 p.m. — Purdue vs. Saint Mary's (-2)
OMAHA, Neb. — No one is more excited about Purdue's NCAA tournament game against Saint Mary's than Robbie Hummel.
The Boilermakers' star is right back where he wants to be after missing the tournament the past two years because of two anterior cruciate ligament tears in his right knee. Read the complete preview here.
9:40 p.m. — Long Island vs. Michigan State (-20)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – They have three players from San Antonio, two from Canada, two from Maryland and a guard from Massachusetts whose basketball roots will stay forever green.
"Celtics all the way," Michael Culpo said.
But make no mistake, the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds are a New York team, a melting pot of talent with the city's street smarts and swagger to back it up. Read the complete preview here.
9:45 p.m. — Xavier vs. Notre Dame (-2.5)
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Notre Dame entered conference play struggling to find some confidence after a frustrating start to the year that included losing their best player to injury.
Xavier was trying to regroup, too, though more from an ugly brawl with a rival in December that threatened to derail the entire season. Read the complete preview here.
9:50 p.m. — South Florida vs. Temple (-3)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Getting his Bulls to turn off the TV and go to bed has been the biggest challenge for South Florida coach Stan Heath during the NCAA tournament.
That's about to change.
The 12th-seeded Bulls followed up a 65-54 win over California in Dayton, Ohio, by flying Thursday to Nashville for a quick turnaround for their second-round game against fifth-seeded Temple in the Midwest Region on Friday night. Read the complete preview here.
9:55 p.m. — Detroit vs. Kansas (-14.5)
OMAHA, Neb. — Bill Self knows better than most that matchups dictate success in the NCAA tournament.
The coach of second-seeded Kansas led his team to the top line of the bracket the past two seasons, only to run into mid-major wonders – Northern Iowa as the top overall seed two years ago and VCU last season – that created agonizing matchup problems for the Jayhawks. Read the complete preview here.
Click here to see the updated bracket.
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