Preview Roundups
March 21, 2013
Valparaiso at Michigan St 12:15 PM ET
Playing in the Big Ten conference, Michigan State didn't have to look far to find stiff competition. When the Spartans make their 16th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, they won't have to travel too far to find their next opponent, either. Third-seeded Michigan State will make the trek to The Palace of Auburn Hills, where they'll face 14th-seeded Valparaiso on Thursday in the second round of the Midwest Region.
Bucknell at Butler 12:40 PM ET
Sixth-seeded Butler will meet No. 11 Bucknell in an East Regional second-round matchup on Thursday in Lexington, Ky. The mid-major battle features a pair of 6-11 centers in the paint. Mike Muscala leads the Bison with 19 points and 11.2 rebounds, ranking 28th and fourth in the nation, while the Bulldogs counter with Andrew Smith (11.1, 5.7). If Smith can hold the Patriot League’s Player of the Year in check, traditional giant-killer Butler will likely avoid an upset.
Wichita St. at Pittsburgh 1:40 PM ET
Wichita State earned its second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth despite losing its final two regular-season games and dropping the Missouri Valley Conference final, The ninth-seeded Shockers, who will face eighth-seeded Pittsburgh in the second round of the West Region on Thursday, will vie for their first tournament victory since 2006.
New Mexico St. at Saint Louis 2:10 PM ET
Saint Louis will have its hands full with red-hot New Mexico State freshman Sim Bhullar when the teams meet Thursday in the second round of the Midwest Region at San Jose, Calif. The fourth-seeded Billikens learned their fate at a Best Buy store in Secaucus, N.J., mere hours after winning their first Atlantic 10 tournament title in Brooklyn. Saint Louis is 24-3 since coach Rick Majerus passed away in December.
St. Mary's at Memphis 2:45 PM ET
Memphis has lost only once in the last 25 games, but the talented Tigers are somewhat unproven with a 1-3 record against NCAA Tournament teams. Sixth-seeded Memphis gets a chance to start showing it belongs as a contender when it plays Saint Mary’s in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Thursday at Auburn Hills, Mich. The Tigers’ losses to NCAA entrants Virginia Commonwealth, Louisville and Minnesota were all before Dec. 16 and Memphis went unbeaten in Conference USA after that.
Davidson at Marquette 3:10 PM ET
Marquette might be the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament's East Region, but the Golden Eagles are in tough against an experienced No. 14-seeded Davidson squad in Friday's second-round meeting in Lexington, Ky. The Wildcats, the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament champions, are making their second straight appearance in the Big Dance and their fifth in the last eight seasons. Marquette is making its eighth straight appearance, including Sweet 16 runs the past two years.
Southern at Gonzaga 4:10 PM ET
Gonzaga celebrates its first 1 seed in program history with a second-round West Regional game against 16th-seeded Southern University on Thursday in Salt Lake City. The Zags have won a school-record 31 games and are bullish about making a Final Four run after landing the top seed in the West. Gonzaga is making its 15th straight appearance, fourth-best nationally. Southern is in the tourney for the eighth time, and the first since 2006.
Oregon at Oklahoma St. 4:40 PM ET
Oregon won the Pac-12 tournament over the weekend but that effort only earned the Ducks a No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region, where they’ll take on fifth-seeded Oklahoma State on Thursday in San Jose, Calif. Oregon hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 2008, when it lost its opener to Mississippi State. The Cowboys are returning to the tournament for the first time since 2010, when they lost their opener to Georgia Tech.
No.Carolina A&T at Louisville 6:50 PM ET
Louisville comes into the NCAA Tournament as the consensus favorite after winning 10 straight games by an average of 15.6 points. The Cardinals begin their quest for a third national title against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion North Carolina A&T in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Thursday at Lexington, Ky. Louisville reached the Final Four last season and came back with a deep, balanced group to win the Big East.
Denver at Maryland 7:00 PM ET
Third-seeded Denver and second-seeded Maryland will try to move one step closer to Madison Square Garden when they square off Thursday in College Park, Md., in the second round of the NIT. The Pioneers advanced by edging No. 4 seed Ohio 61-57 at home Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Terrapins earned a comfortable 86-70 victory at home over seventh-seeded Niagara.
South Dakota State at Michigan 7:15 PM ET
Michigan enjoyed tremendous success at home this season and begins its pursuit of a Final Four berth just miles from campus. The Wolverines will travel to nearby Auburn Hills to host Summit League champion South Dakota State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Coach John Beilein's team makes its fourth trip in six years to the Big Dance and matched its No. 4 seed from a season ago, when Michigan was upset by Ohio in the second round.
Belmont at Arizona 7:20 PM ET
Arizona’s season has played like a country music song, so it’s fitting that the sixth-seeded Wildcats will meet No. 11 seed Belmont on Thursday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Regional in Salt Lake City. Belmont, a private school located in Nashville, earned its sixth NCAA Tournament berth in the last eight seasons with a dramatic 70-68 win over Murray State in the Ohio Valley Conference title game. Arizona fell to UCLA for the third time this season in the Pac-12 semifinals.
California at UNLV 7:27 PM ET
UNLV looks to end a three-year NCAA Tournament drought as it faces California in a second-round East Regional showdown Thursday in San Jose. The fifth-seeded Rebels have failed to win a game in each of their last three trips to the Tournament, including a 68-64 loss to Colorado last year. UNLV, which won the national championship in 1990 under Jerry Tarkanian and lost to Duke in the Final Four in 1991, has advanced to the Sweet 16 just once since then.
Missouri at Colorado St. 9:20 PM ET
Two of the nation's top rebounding teams square off on Thursday when eighth-seeded Colorado State takes on ninth-seeded Missouri in the Midwest Region in Lexington, Ky. Overall No. 1 seed Louisville - and a rabid partisan crowd - likely awaits the winner. The Rams and Tigers are both strong in the post, as Missouri ranks second in the nation in rebounding (41.4) and Colorado State is fourth (40.4).
Akron at VCU 9:45 PM ET
Fifth-seeded Virginia Commonwealth will take on No. 12 Akron on Thursday in an NCAA Tournament second-round South Regional matchup in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Rams lost to St. Louis 62-56 in the Atlantic-10 tournament final Sunday, but will head to their third straight Big Dance. The teams had a memorable meeting Dec. 29, 2011, when Akron led by as many as 20 points and 12 in the second half before the Rams forced overtime. Darius Theus' layup with one second remaining gave VCU a 76-75 victory.
Harvard at New Mexico 9:50 PM ET
New Mexico coach Steve Alford said 29 victories and a second consecutive Mountain West Conference tournament title - accomplished against the second-toughest schedule in the nation - warranted at least a No. 2 seed. The Lobos will settle for a No. 3 in the West Regional and will open their NCAA Tournament against No. 14 seed Harvard on Thursday in Salt Lake City. The Lobos roar into the NCAAs off a 63-56 victory at UNLV in the MWC title game Saturday.
Montana at Syracuse 9:57 PM ET
Syracuse, which received an at-large bid and the No. 4 seed in the East Region, will play No. 13 seed Montana on Thursday in San Jose, Calif. The Orange, who are 56-35 in 35 years at the Big Dance, were a No. 1 seed but lost to No. 2 seed Ohio State in the Elite Eight last season. Syracuse is coming off a 78-61 loss to Louisville in the Big East tournament championship game. The Grizzlies earned an automatic bid as the Big Sky tournament champion.