NCAA Tournament Schedule 2014: When, Where to Watch 1st and 2nd-Round Games
With the NCAA tournament bracket officially set, the next week is about to feature a ton of basketball games, as the first- and second-round matchups will be starting up.
The Big Dance will officially get started on Tuesday with the first-round play-in games. After that, there will be 32 games in the second round and plenty of basketball to stay focused on, as there are bound to be a number of exciting finishes and surprising upsets.
Below is a look at the schedule for the first and second rounds, followed by a preview of a couple of the big games to watch for.
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You can view the official NCAA bracket here.
Schedule
| Tue, March 18 | (16) Albany vs. (16) Mt. St. Mary's | 6:40 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Tue, March 18 | (12) NC State vs. (12) Xavier | 9:10 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Wed, March 19 | (16) Cal Poly vs. (16) Texas Southern | 6:40 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Wed, March 19 | (11) Iowa vs. (11) Tennessee | 9:10 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (11) Dayton vs. (6) Ohio State | 12:15 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (15) American vs. (2) Wisconsin | 12:40 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (9) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Colorado | 1:40 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (12) Harvard vs. (5) Cincinnati | 2:10 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (14) Western Michigan vs. (3) Syracuse | 2:45 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (10) BYU vs. (7) Oregon | 3:10 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (16) Albany/Mt. St. Mary's vs. (1) Florida | 4:10 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (13) Delaware vs. (4) Michigan State | 4:40 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (10) Saint Joseph's vs. (7) Connecticut | 6:55 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (15) Wofford vs. (2) Michigan | 7:10 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (12) NC State/Xavier vs. (5) Saint Louis | 7:20 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (12) North Dakota St. vs. (5) Oklahoma | 7:27 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (15) Milwaukee vs. (2) Villanova | 9:25 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (10) Arizona State vs. (7) Texas | 9:40 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (13) Manhattan vs. (4) Louisville | 9:50 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (13) New Mexico St. vs. (4) San Diego State | 9:57 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (14) Mercer vs. (3) Duke | 12:15 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (11) Nebraska vs. (6) Baylor | 12:40 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (10) Stanford vs. (7) New Mexico | 1:40 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (16) Weber State vs. (1) Arizona | 2:10 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (11) Iowa/Tennessee vs. (6) Massachusetts | 2:45 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (14) LA-Lafayette vs. (3) Creighton | 3:10 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (15) Eastern Kentucky vs. (2) Kansas | 4:10 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (9) Oklahoma State vs. (8) Gonzaga | 4:40 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (9) George Washington vs. (8) Memphis | 6:55 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (16) Cal Poly/Texas Southern vs. (1) Wichita State | 7:10 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (11) Providence vs. (6) North Carolina | 7:20 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (12) Stephen F. Austin vs. (5) VCU | 7:27 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (16) Coastal Carolina vs. (1) Virginia | 9:25 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (9) Kansas State vs. (8) Kentucky | 9:40 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (14) North Carolina Central vs. (3) Iowa State | 9:50 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (13) Tulsa vs. (4) UCLA | 9:57 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels vs. No. 11 Providence Friars
Date: Friday, March 21
Time: 7:20 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Anything can happen in the NCAA tournament, which is why the North Carolina Tar Heels need to be careful in their matchup against the Providence Friars.
The Tar Heels have been the definition of an inconsistent team this season, taking down teams like Duke, Louisville and Michigan State while losing to UAB, Wake Forest and Miami. But things have started to get a little better lately, as they've gone 12-2 in their last 14 games.
Thanks to a strong finish in the Big East, the Friars were able to punch a ticket, winning six of their last seven games, including the Big East championship. They don't do a ton well but they do a great job of getting to the line and shooting 78.1 percent from the free-throw line, the second-best mark in the NCAA.
This game will depend on which Tar Heels team we see, but if they can continue to play well down low and avoid getting into foul trouble, they should be in good shape.
No. 7 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 10 Arizona State Sun Devils
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
While a No. 7 vs. No. 10 matchup doesn't sound like the most exciting game in the world, this game intrigues me, as we have two very different teams going against each other.
The Texas Longhorns have some solid wins this year over teams like Iowa State, Kansas and Baylor, but they've struggled lately, going 3-5 in their last eight games.
While they aren't the most efficient team offensively, they thrive down low with a big frontcourt. They average 41.8 rebounds per game, ranking fourth in the nation.
Since taking down the Arizona Wildcats, the Arizona State Sun Devils have been limping into the Big Dance, going 2-5, including a loss in overtime to Stanford and another loss to Utah. While Texas has the strong frontcourt, the Sun Devils have two great guards in their backcourt in Jahii Carson and Jermaine Marshall, who average a combined 33.6 points per game.
At the same time, the Sun Devils also have a big man of their own in Jordan Bachynski, who averages 11.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game, while shooting 54.3 percent from the floor.
While Texas has the higher seeding, the Sun Devils might just be the better team, so the Longhorns could be on upset alert in the second round.
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