NCAA Tournament 2015: Round of 64 Schedule and Predictions for Top Teams

Go to the NCAA tournament bracket and round of 64 armed to the teeth with information or don't go at all.

It's an ultimatum, yes, but one would-be bracket pool-winner must heed this like the honks of an incoming train because the last thing anyone wants to do is be the person who picked just one-quarter of the Sweet 16 teams.

If we were to compare building a bracket to building a franchise in any sport, the round of 64 would represent the building blocks—the Stephen Currys, Andrew Lucks and maybe Jahlil Okafors.

It's important to get these right to be competitive later, so let's take a look at the schedule and some top teams in danger.

Key Tournament Information

Dates: March 17–April 6

Channels: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV

Live Stream: March Madness Live

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• Download the Printable Bracket

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2015 NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Schedule

Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
Fri., March 20
Thurs., March 19
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
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. 12 Buffalo	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 vs. 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

Predictions for Top Teams 

Arkansas

The Arkansas Razorbacks are one of the top teams in action on Thursday in danger of taking a nosedive out of the proceedings.

At first glance, there doesn't appear to be an issue. The Razorbacks ended the season winners in two of three games, rank 19th in ESPN.com's Rating Percentage Index (RPI) rankings and average 78 points per game, which ranks 16th in the nation.

Some of the players didn't even know of Wofford until the bracket reveal, as ESPN's Anish Shroff points out:

Here's the thing—the Wofford Terriers aren't pushovers.

As far as the classic "12th seed over fifth" rule goes, they fit the bill quite well. The Terriers rank a respectable 48th in RPI and feature a contrasting play style that could give the Razorbacks fits.

Wofford likes to slow games down with a ball-control offense and allow senior Karl Cochran (14.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists per game) to go to work.

The saving grace for Arkansas in what figures to be a close game is sophomore Bobby Portis, a forward who looks like a first-round NBA draft choice while leading the team in scoring (17.5 PPG) and rebounds (8.6 per game).

Portis isn't a stranger to taking games over, as his 26 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field in a recent win against Tennessee show. The Razorbacks will need a similar performance from him to advance.

Prediction: Arkansas 72, Wofford 68

Maryland

The Maryland Terrapins are one of the hotter upset picks in the round of 64 this year for many reasons.

While a No. 12 ranking in RPI is great, head coach Mark Turgeon's team went just 5-4 against the RPI top 50 and comes into the contest against Valparaiso with a stunning lack of momentum after laying an egg against Michigan State late in their Big Ten tournament encounter.

As advanced stats recorded by ESPN Stats & Info show, Maryland is the likeliest No. 13 seed to take a dive this year:

The main problem is the matchup issues the Crusaders present.

While Maryland touts the explosive Dez Wells, Valparaiso counters with Alec Peters, who leads the team in scoring (16.7 PPG) and rebounds (6.8 per game).

The Crusaders are not just an experienced bunch, either. Kenpom.com indicates they're a defensive stalwart ranking 29th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Most of the credit goes to senior Vashil Fernandez, who stands at 6'10" and 245 pounds and averages a stunning 3.0 blocks per game.

Such defensive effort is a nightmare for a team such as Maryland, which won't be able to drive and ditch at will to facilitate offense. It will show on the court in the round of 64.

Prediction: Valparaiso 70, Maryland 66

Xavier

Xavier is the upset special through no major fault of its own. 

No, Ole Miss is the problem for the Musketeers. The Rebels put on a show in the First Four and established a huge wave of momentum sure to carry over into their contest with Xavier on Thursday.

See, Ole Miss looked like a team on the ropes ready to throw in the towel when down 17 points at halftime to BYU.

Then the Rebels exploded for 62 second-half points—led by Stefan Moody and his 26—securing a four-point win. It shouldn't be a major shock considering the Rebels rank 16th in adjusted offensive efficiency at kenpom.com.

It won't be a surprise to Xavier either, but it is a major concern. Many, including CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, have the Musketeers losing:

It's not just the fact that Xavier doesn't have a star to go blow for blow with Moody. It's the fact that the team has had an identity crisis all year long, losing to the likes of Auburn, UTEP, Long Beach State and DePaul.

Against an Ole Miss team already adjusted to the stage and enjoying momentum—not to mention the obvious ability to pour it on whenever—Xavier is in serious trouble.

Prediction: Ole Miss 74, Xavier 72

Stats and info are courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.