NCAA Tournament Schedule 2014: Key 2nd-Round Matchups to Watch

The silence you will hear on Thursday and Friday is the result of corporations all over the country shutting down because everyone has called in sick to watch the afternoon NCAA tournament games. 

Watching games is easier now than ever, as they are spread across four different networks to avoid having to interrupt one game for another, so planning your schedule around matchups has become more critical. 

Fortunately, we have the solution for you. We have selected the absolute must-see games from the second round of the tournament and provided an explanation of why it is imperative to watch. That's coming up after the entire 2014 NCAA tournament schedule. 

2014 NCAA Tournament Schedule

Date	1st Round	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
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
Date	2nd Round	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
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.	truTV	March Madness Live
Fri, March 21	(12) Stephen F. Austin vs. (5) VCU	7:27 p.m.	TNT	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
Date	3rd Round	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
Sat, March 22	3rd Round TBD	Noon	CBS	March Madness Live
Sat, March 22	3rd Round TBD	2:30 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Sat, March 22	3rd Round TBD	5:30 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Sat, March 22	3rd Round TBD	6 p.m.	TNT	March Madness Live
Sat, March 22	3rd Round TBD	7 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Sat, March 22	3rd Round TBD	7:30 p.m.	truTV	March Madness Live
Sat, March 22	3rd Round TBD	8:30 p.m.	TNT	March Madness Live
Sat, March 22	3rd Round TBD	9:30 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Sun, March 23	3rd Round TBD	Noon	CBS	March Madness Live
Sun, March 23	3rd Round TBD	2:30 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Sun, March 23	3rd Round TBD	5:30 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Sun, March 23	3rd Round TBD	6 p.m.	TNT	March Madness Live
Sun, March 23	3rd Round TBD	7 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Sun, March 23	3rd Round TBD	7:30 p.m.	truTV	March Madness Live
Sun, March 23	3rd Round TBD	8:30 p.m.	TNT	March Madness Live
Sun, March 23	3rd Round TBD	9:30 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Date	Regional Semifinals	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
Thu, March 27	Regional Semifinal TBD	7 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Thu, March 27	Regional Semifinal TBD	7:15 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Thu, March 27	Regional Semifinal TBD	9:30 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Thu, March 27	Regional Semifinal TBD	9:55 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Fri, March 28	Regional Semifinal TBD	7 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Fri, March 28	Regional Semifinal TBD	7:15 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Fri, March 28	Regional Semifinal TBD	9:30 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Fri, March 28	Regional Semifinal TBD	9:55 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Date	Regional Finals	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
Sat, March 29	Regional Final TBD	6 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Sat, March 29	Regional Final TBD	8:30 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live
Sun, March 30	Regional Final TBD	2:10 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Sun, March 30	Regional Final TBD	4:55 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live
Date	National Semifinals	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
Sat, April 5	National Semifinal TBD	6 p.m.	TBS, TNT, truTV	March Madness Live
Sat, April 5	National Semifinal TBD	8:30 p.m.	TBS, TNT, truTV	March Madness Live
Date	National Championship	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
Mon, April 7	National Championship TBD	9:10 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live

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Key Games to Watch

No. 12 Harvard vs. No. 5 Cincinnati (March 20, 2:10 p.m. ET)

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Everyone's favorite upset special in the NCAA tournament is the No. 12 vs. No. 5 game. There were three of them last year, which calls into question how much of an upset it can really be. 

This year, Harvard is getting all the love as the No. 12 vs. No. 5 upset over Cincinnati. ESPN Insider Jay Bilas (subscription required) expects the Crimson to win, citing their all-around depth as the biggest reason:

"

The Crimson have a good bench and great balance, with Wesley Saunders, Siyani Chambers and Laurent Rivard leading the four-time Ivy champions to a showdown against the smashmouth defense of Cincinnati. The Bearcats have one of the great scorers in the field in Sean Kilpatrick and an excellent defensive and rebounding team. Still, the Crimson move on behind their terrific secondary breaks.

"

Cincinnati is more battle-tested than Harvard, having defeated quality opponents such as Memphis, Louisville and Connecticut during the regular season. But the tournament is all about matchups, not resumes. 

Harvard has six players averaging at least 9.3 points per game, and five of those players are shooting at least 44 percent from the field. Cincinnati is so dependent on Sean Kilpatrick's 20.7 points per game that one bad night will doom the Bearcats. 

If you want an early upset, this is the game to watch. 

No. 13 Delaware vs. No. 4 Michigan State (March 20, 4:40 p.m. ET)

Nate Shron/Getty Images

Based on expert picks, Michigan State is an overwhelming favorite to make the Final Four out of the West Region. 

Eight of 10 college basketball analysts on CBSSports.com have picked the Spartans to play in Texas on April 5. No other team is on more than six brackets.

With such overwhelming support for the Spartans, why make it a point to watch them play a game against a Delaware team that lost nine games during the regular season?

My mind wanders to the 2006 Michigan State team, which entered the tournament as a No. 6 seed going up against a little-known George Mason team. The Spartans lost that game by 10 points. 

This year's Michigan State team is better than the one eight years ago, but Delaware is a formidable foe that can give Tom Izzo's club fits, especially if Keith Appling isn't playing his best. 

The Fightin' Blue Hens are an excellent scoring and rebounding team, averaging 79.5 points and 36.5 rebounds per game. They have three players averaging at least 18.1 points per game and five averaging at least 11 points per game. 

Devon Saddler, Davon Usher and Kyle Anderson all shot at least 35 percent from three-point range. 

You shouldn't expect the upset in this game, but Delaware has the ability to keep it close until the end. 

No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. No. 8 Gonzaga (March 21, 4:40 p.m. ET)

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

This is one of the most frustrating games to figure out, as both Oklahoma State and Gonzaga are so inconsistent from half to half and game to game. 

Once the darling of the tournament, Gonzaga hasn't made it past the first weekend since 2009. The Bulldogs won the West Coast Conference tournament again, but they own only two wins against RPI top-50 teams (both against BYU). 

The Cowboys started the year as a Top 10 team in the AP Top 25 but dealt with a rash of injuries and inconsistent play from everyone, including Marcus Smart. Then came the ugly incident with Smart at Texas Tech, which seemed to be rock bottom for the team. 

Oklahoma State ended the year winning five of its last seven games, including a victory over Kansas on March 1. 

If you are looking for a sleeper to make a run to the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight, Oklahoma State is playing its best basketball at the right time.

But never underestimate a quality Gonzaga team coached by Mark Few in March. This game has the potential to be the best of the weekend. 

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