NCAA Tournament TV Schedule 2014: Where to Watch the First Four Games

Scott PolacekMar 18, 2014

While the country anxiously awaits the round of 64 in the NCAA tournament that begins Thursday, the Big Dance actually kicks off on Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton with the First Four games.

There will be two games each day, with the winners joining the round of 64.

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Here is a look at the schedule and broadcast information for the First Four games. Keep in mind that every game throughout the NCAA tournament will be live streamed at NCAA.com/march-madness-live.

Date	Time (ET)	Team	Team	TV
Tuesday, March 18	6:40 p.m.	Albany	Mount St. Mary's	truTV
Tuesday, March 18	9:10 p.m.	Xavier	North Carolina State	truTV
Wednesday, March 19	6:40 p.m.	Cal Poly	Texas Southern	truTV
Wednesday, March 19	9:10 p.m.	Iowa	Tennessee	truTV

Now that we know what the schedule looks like, let’s dig into a discussion about the stars to watch in the First Four games.

Semaj Christon, Xavier

Al Behrman/Associated Press

Semaj Christon led his Xavier Musketeers to victories over the likes of Creighton and Cincinnati this year and feels more battle-tested as a result of playing in the Big East.

Said Christon, according to the Associated Press: “I just think the league is more physical, bigger and stronger. Other than that, every night you're going to have a tough game, home or away.”

Christon finished the season against that stronger competition with nightly averages of 17.1 points, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals behind 47.7 percent shooting from the field and 38.3 percent shooting from behind the three-point line.

His lateral quickness makes him a formidable defender, and he has no trouble blowing past almost any opponent off the dribble and finishing at the rim when he gets there. If the Musketeers are going to beat North Carolina State, Christon needs to be a major factor.

T.J. Warren, North Carolina State

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Much of the discussion in the ACC this year centered on superstars like Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood of Duke, Marcus Paige of North Carolina and C.J. Fair of Syracuse.

However, it was actually T.J. Warren of North Carolina State who took home the conference player of the year award behind nightly averages of 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 52.5 percent shooting from the field.

Warren is a walking mismatch at 6’8” who can take the ball to the rim off the dribble, shoot from mid-range or post up smaller defenders.

The Wolfpack are capable of beating some of the best teams in the country when Warren gets going, as they proved against Syracuse in the ACC tournament, via ESPN College Basketball:

Looking forward, Xavier doesn’t really have anyone on the roster who can be expected to shut Warren down.

If Warren leads the Wolfpack to the round of 64, the Saint Louis Billikens will likely be waiting. The Billikens are a formidable defensive team, but Warren is one of the most talented players in the entire country.

Don’t be surprised when North Carolina State is in the round of 32 thanks to Warren’s excellence.

Roy Devyn Marble, Iowa

JIM SLOSIAREK/Associated Press

Roy Devyn Marble made some recent history for the Iowa basketball team this season, as its official Twitter page pointed out:

Marble averaged 17.3 points, 3.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds a game this year behind 42.8 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent shooting from behind the three-point line. Much like Warren, he is something of a walking mismatch at 6’6” because he is often too quick off the dribble for larger forwards and too physical for smaller guards.

Iowa struggled down the stretch of the regular season, but Marble will lead his team to a victory over Tennessee in the First Four matchup.

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