Yesterday’s schedule looked awesome and was mostly a dud. Today’s schedule? Less exciting than yesterday, which clearly means it’s going to be insanity. I’ll rank the games you need to watch:
1) 5:15 PM (8) North Carolina vs (1) Kansas CBS: Let’s start with the obvious: Roy Williams was the head coach at Kansas. He then went back to North Carolina and took the head coaching job there. Fun to write about, matters little for the game itself, which has the potential to be a thriller. North Carolina is the worst possible matchup for Kansas, as they like to spread the floor and have the kind of perimeter oriented big men that can pull Jeff Withey away from the basket. But can the Tar Heels get enough stops to slow down the Jayhawks?
2) 9:40 PM (7) Creighton vs (2) Duke TBS: I actually think that Creighton has a pretty good shot at knocking off the Blue Devils, too. Gregory Echenique will allow the Bluejays to go one-on-one in the post against Mason Plumlee, which will keep Duke from getting some of those open threes. But will Doug McDermott be able to score against Ryan Kelly? That’s a question that some NBA scouts well be looking to get answered as well.
3) 7:40 PM (13) La Salle vs (12) Ole Miss tru TV: Ole Miss has Marshall Henderson, and you never quite know what he’s going to end up doing during a game. La Salle? They have four really talented guards and they like to spread the floor to take advantage of that quickness. Ramon Galloway is a stud. There should be plenty of threes taken in this up-and-down affair.
4) 7:10 PM (15) Florida Gulf Coast vs (7) San Diego State TBS: I may be crazy, but I actually think that FGCU has a chance to win this game, as they probably match up better with SDSU than with Georgetown. Here’s the only issue: the Eagles are going to want to turn this game into an up-and-down game, and there’s not player at the college basketball level that is better in ‘pick-up’ style games that Jamaal Franklin. It would be pretty cool to see a No. 15 seed make the Sweet 16 thought.
MORE: The best photos from Saturday’s games
5) 2:45 PM (9) Temple vs (1) Indiana CBS: This will be worth it simply to watch Khalif Wyatt go up against Victor Oladipo. It also should be noted that Fran Dunphy is as good as any coach in the country at diagramming a game-plan to take down a more talented team. All he does is pull off upsets.
6) 12:15 PM (10) Iowa State vs (2) Ohio State CBS: The Cyclones are just a fun team to watch. They spread the floor, they push the ball, they fire up threes and they are indifferent on defense. I think the Cyclones have a tough time, however. Ohio State has bee going small recently, and that takes away some of Iowa State’s mismatches on the perimeter.
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7) 8:40 PM (7) Illinois vs (2) Miami (FL) TNT: Illinois goes through these stretches where their threes start dropping and they look awesome. They also go through stretches where those threes don’t drop and they look awful. Miami is big and they can defend. It’s not a good matchup for the Illini. That said, the Big Ten (besides Wisconsin) has looked awesome this far. Can that continue?
8) 6:10 PM (11) Minnesota vs (3) Florida TNT: Minnesota rolled over UCLA on Friday night. That was a UCLA with a lame-duck head coach and a roster full of players that didn’t exactly care anymore. What happens when the Gophers play a Florida team that is one of the best in the country?
Schedule
12:15 PM (10) Iowa State vs (2) Ohio State CBS
2:45 PM (9) Temple vs (1) Indiana CBS
5:15 PM (8) North Carolina vs (1) Kansas CBS
6:10 PM (11) Minnesota vs (3) Florida TNT
7:10 PM (15) Florida Gulf Coast vs (7) San Diego State TBS
7:40 PM (13) La Salle vs (12) Ole Miss tru TV
8:40 PM (7) Illinois vs (2) Miami (FL) TNT
9:40 PM (7) Creighton vs (2) Duke TBS
You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.