NCAA Tournament: Texas vs Oakland Is THE First-Round Game To Watch

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The Must Watch Game Of The NCAA Tournament Is Texas vs. Oakland

Lost in all the controversy of the teams that did and did not make it into the NCAA tournament are the actual games that will be played. As we move closer to tip-off, that will change.

When the brackets were announced, there was one game that stood out above all the rest: No. 4 Texas taking on No. 13 Oakland in the West Region. There is always that one upset game that everyone picks, which would seem to negate the whole idea of the upset, and this year the first-round game (yes, I still consider this the first-round despite what the NCAA wants to call it now) is the Texas-Oakland game.

Texas, which is miscast as a No. 4 seed, stumbled down the stretch, but the Longhorns are still very talented and very dangerous in this tournament. Oakland, which has an argument for being seeded to low at No. 13, poses a lot of problems for this Texas team, such as size inside and the ability to score with anyone in the country.

Matt Norlander from CBSSports.com lists this game among his five must-see first-round games. "Oakland's Keith Benson is a future pro with great ability and low-post savvy," Norlander wrote. "He's more than just that though: he can score with the best of the big boys."

He also calls this a "GREAT matchup."

Andy Katz from ESPN.com says that he liked Oakland a lot this season. "I like Oakland as a possible Sweet 16 team when I watched the Golden Grizzlies early in the season, but once again it's all about matchups," Katz said. "I don't like Oakland beating Texas because of the Longhorns' ability to defend on the perimeter."

While Katz doesn't like Oakland to win this particular game, to say that they are a potential Sweet 16 team is very high praise for a school that plays in the Summit League. They will give this Texas team a lot of problems because of their size and athleticism.

Oakland ranked second in the nation in both points per game (85.6) and field goal percentage (.494). They were 14th in rebounds and 17th in assists. This team is the real deal and, like Katz thought earlier this season, they can win a couple games in the tournament.

Texas does play good defense overall, but they have had lapses at times this year - namely against Nebraska, Colorado and USC.

This will be an exciting game, and I think that Oakland knocks Texas off. They are playing really well right now, which Texas isn't, and Oakland's inside presence can offset the solid Texas perimeter defense.

Check out Bleacher Report's NCAA Tournament page by clicking here.

Download the NCAA Tournament Bracket by clicking here.

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