March Madness TV Schedule 2015: Full Round 2 Viewing Info and Teams to Watch

Nothing in sports generates more chaos than March Madness' second round. Thursday and Friday each consist of 16 games, quickly slicing the field of 64 in half.

Unless you own three TVs in the same room, keeping tabs on every matchup will prove nearly impossible.  

Texas and Butler will collide on Thursday afternoon, but another No. 6 vs. No. 11 contest in SMU vs. UCLA kicks off 25 minutes later. Fans will go insane trying to view it all, so let's highlight some specific schools whose opening bouts merit attention.

Take special consideration for these two squads on Thursday. 

Thursday, March 19
Friday, March 20
Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
12:15 p.m.	No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Northeastern	CBS
12:40 p.m.	No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 UAB	truTV
1:40 p.m.	No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Georgia State	TBS
2:10 p.m.	No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 15 Texas Southern	TNT
2:45 p.m.	No. 6 Butler vs. No. 11 Texas	CBS
3:10 p.m.	No. 6 SMU vs. No. 11 UCLA	truTV
4:10 p.m.	No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 11 Ole Miss	TBS
4:40 p.m.	No. 7 VCU vs. No. 10 Ohio State	TNT
6:50 p.m.	No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 16 Lafayette	TBS
7:10 p.m.	No. 8 Cincinnati vs. No. 9 Purdue	CBS
7:20 p.m.	No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 13 Harvard	TNT
7:27 p.m.	No. 5 Utah vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin	truTV
9:20 p.m.	No. 8 N.C. State vs. No. 9 LSU	TBS
9:40 p.m.	No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Hampton	CBS
9:50 p.m.	No. 5 Arkansas vs. No. 12 Wofford	TNT
9:57 p.m.	No. 4 Georgetown vs. No. 13 Eastern Washington	truTV
Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
12:15 p.m.	No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 15 New Mexico State	CBS
12:40 p.m.	No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Georgia	truTV
1:40 p.m.	No. 5 Northern Iowa vs. No. 12 Wyoming	TBS
2:10 p.m.	No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 15 Belmont	TNT
2:45 p.m.	No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 10 Indiana	CBS
3:10 p.m.	No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 15 Belmont	truTV
4:10 p.m.	No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 UC Irvine	TBS
4:40 p.m.	No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Valparaiso	TNT
6:50 p.m.	No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State	TBS
7:10 p.m.	No. 1 Duke v s. No. 16 Robert Morris	CBS
7:20 p.m.	No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Davidson	TNT
7:27 p.m.	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Albany	truTV
9:20 p.m.	No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 16 Coastal Carolina	TBS
9:40 p.m.	No. 8 San Diego State vs. No. 9 St. John's	CBS
9:50 p.m.	No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 15 North Dakota State	TNT
9:57 p.m.	No. 6 Providence vs. No. 11 Dayton	truTV

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Teams to Watch

Ohio State (vs. VCU)

Those searching for an unadventurous lower seed to support will flock to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Despite entering their Round 2 showdown against No. 7 Virginia Commonwealth as the No. 10 seed, the Big Ten school is favored by four points, according to Odds Shark. 

Punished for their 10 losses, culminating in a 24-point rout against Wisconsin and 76-67 defeat to Michigan State, the Buckeyes still deserve better. They're No. 22 in KenPom.com's team efficiency ratings, ahead of No. 30 VCU. 

ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI), via ESPN Stats & Info, designated the Buckeyes as much higher than a No. 10 seed.

None of this is hidden knowledge. According to ESPN Fantasy Sports, everyone is treating Ohio State as the favorite.

It also has the hallmark of many successful tournament clubs: a superstar guard. NBA fans just tuning into college hoops should pay close to attention to D'Angelo Russell, a potential top-five draft pick averaging 23.0 points per game through five March slates.

The freshman leads the team in scoring (19.3 points per game) and rebounding (5.6), while placing second in assists (5.1) and steals (1.6) behind senior Shannon Scott. A huge showing from Russell should overcome VCU, and he'd even make things interesting in a probable third-round loss to Arizona.

Then again, VCU can make this all moot by catching fire behind the three-point line. Shaka Smart's club has won five straight and danced on the big stage before, but the Rams don't score nearly as efficiently as the Buckeyes.

Eastern Washington (vs. Georgetown)

Michael Albans/Associated Press

In order to pull off an improbable upset, a heavy underdog must exploit the random variance of March Madness' single-elimination format. No. 13 Eastern Washington wouldn't upend No. 4 Georgetown in a best-of-seven series, but it can strike once with the perfect storm of shooting.

The Eagles drained 335 three-pointers all year, more than all but three schools in the nation. With 337 makes from downtown during three fewer games, Davidson represents the tournament's most prolific attacker from behind the arc.

Eastern Washington also boasts an efficient 40.3 three-point percentage, so Jim Hayford's squad isn't heaving up shots with reckless abandon. Maximizing gains from long range is paramount to erasing the gap behind a superior team. 

Another pivotal weapon is pace. Forcing the methodical Hoyas out of their element will enhance the volatility of a faster contest. According to KenPom.com, the Eagles rate No. 24 in adjusted tempo, and the Hoyas trail far behind at No. 183. 

Hayford endorsed his style of play to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post: 

"

We play attack basketball. We like to push tempo. We play downhill. We go at you. I think it’s a fun form of basketball of play. ... Our guys are fearless. That’s how we went into Indiana and snapped their 42-game non-conference winning streak. We’ve got huge respect for Georgetown. We’re going to respect them, but we don’t fear them.

"

Going back to KenPom.com, Georgetown also ranks No. 21 in overall team efficiency, with Eastern Washington all the way down at No. 137. Averaging 70.7 points per game, it's no offensive slouch either.

As noted in NCAA.com's preview, the Hoyas ensured victory all season by climbing slightly above that scoring benchmark:

"

If Georgetown can reach 72 points, the game may be out of reach for EWU. The Hoyas are averaging 70.7 points per game -- the third-highest average by any Hoya team since John Thompson III took over head coaching duties (averaged 73.5 ppg in 2009-10, and 71.0 last season) -- and Georgetown is 14-0 when scoring 72 or more points this season.

"

To be clear, Georgetown is the rightful favorite, and Eastern Washington is a high-risk upset selection. Not every game, however, will fold according to plan, and the Eagles have the blueprint to generate chaos.

Also working in Eastern Washington's favor, it will play a few hours from home in Portland, Oregon, creating a favorable environment for a Cinderella upset.