NCAA Tournament 2015: Bracket Picks, Live Stream for Friday's 2nd-Round Schedule

The 2015 NCAA tournament brought about some historic excitement during Thursday's opening second-round action.

And that's not hyperbolic at all. As CBS Sports observed, five games were decided by one point.

ESPN Stats & Info added another crazy anecdote to underline how absurd this particular edition of March Madness has already been:

The question is whether Friday's action can top what transpired to tip off the round of 64. The answer is probably no, but that won't stop college basketball fans and bracket enthusiasts from tuning in to what should still be a day filled with plenty of drama.

Check out all the bracket and scheduling information below, along with full predictions and a closer look at games to be on upset alert for.

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Time (ET)	Matchup	TV	Pick
12:15 p.m.	No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 15 New Mexico State	CBS	Kansas
12:40 p.m.	No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Georgia	truTV	Michigan State
1:40 p.m.	No. 5 Northern Iowa vs. No. 12 Wyoming	TBS	Northern Iowa
2:10 p.m.	No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 12 Buffalo	TNT	Buffalo
2:45 p.m.	No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 10 Indiana	CBS	Wichita State
3:10 p.m.	No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 15 Belmont	truTV	Virginia
4:10 p.m.	No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 UC Irvine	TBS	Louisville
4:40 p.m.	No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Valparaiso	TNT	Maryland
6:50 p.m.	No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State	TBS	Oregon
7:10 p.m.	No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Robert Morris	CBS	Duke
7:20 p.m.	No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Davidson	TNT	Davidson
7:27 p.m.	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Albany	truTV	Oklahoma
9:20 p.m.	No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 16 Coastal Carolina	TBS	Wisconsin
9:40 p.m.	No. 8 San Diego State vs. No. 9 St. John's	CBS	St. John's
9:50 p.m.	No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 15 North Dakota State	TNT	Gonzaga
9:57 p.m.	No. 6 Providence vs. No. 11 Dayton	truTV	Providence

Note: Live stream coverage available via March Madness Live.

Bracket and Schedule

Upset Alerts

No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 12 Buffalo

Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins brings plenty of NCAA tournament pedigree to the round of 64, but Buffalo has become a trendy upset pick.

The two No. 12 seeds lost by a combined 10 points on Thursday, and this particular upset has happened more often than not in March Madness history.

ESPN Stats & Info notes how West Virginia's lack of outside shooting may lend to a Bulls victory:

Neither team ranks among the very elite in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive efficiency ratings, but that's mostly because the Bulls and Mountaineers both prefer an uptempo style of play.

So while Friday's game may be more of a high-scoring affair, it's unlikely either team will be too proficient from the field. The battle on the inside between Mountaineers big man Devin Williams and Bulls star Justin Moss will go a long way in determining the outcome.

Coach Bobby Hurley has done an exceptional job with this rising Buffalo program, and the experience he can relay to Bulls' floor general Shannon Evans will likely be enough to give the MAC champions the narrow edge.

Prediction: Buffalo 70, West Virginia 68

No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Davidson

A discouraging 20-point loss to VCU precedes the NCAA tournament for Davidson, but there's no denying the Wildcats have the offensive finesse to go deep.

CBSSports.com's Jon Rothstein highlights how Iowa can counter what Davidson does best in what he believes is an underrated second-round matchup:

The Wildcats execute so well offensively because they have so many perimeter threats, which has allowed them to shoot 39.7 percent from three-point range as a team. They have eight players who shoot north of 35 percent from downtown.

Such lethal marksmanship from the outside is often dangerous to lean on, an unsustainable model of success in basketball. However, Davidson has so many capable of heating up that it has a better chance of thriving with its risk-reward tactics than most.

Upperclassmen forwards Aaron White and Jarrod Uthoff figure to give the Wildcats grief on the inside and allow the Hawkeyes to gain an advantage on the glass.

The Gazette's Scott Dochterman noted how highly Wildcats coach Bob McKillop thinks of White:

Indiana Pacers scout and former college coach Matt Doherty spoke with Sports illustrated's Pete Thamel about McKillop's coaching prowess and ambitious vision for the program:

"

He's a dreamer. He was talking in our first year to alumni about being ranked in the Top 20 and playing games in Madison Square Garden that mattered. He's not afraid to dream and face his dreams. … Bob is ahead of his time. Everyone is talking about how the Spurs play—share and move the ball and don't hold it. That's how Bob has been coaching for the last 20 years.

"

What this game will boil down to is Davidson's ability to rebound defensively and minimize the misses on its frequent jump shots. Between its two biggest stars in Tyler Kalinoski and Jack Gibbs, Davidson has enough firepower to pull off this upset.

Davidson managed to win the regular-season Atlantic 10 title in its maiden year in the conference, proving it can elevate to a higher level of competition. Now the rest of the country will get to see it on Friday.

Prediction: Davidson 78, Iowa 73

No. 6 Providence vs. No. 11 Dayton

Sophomore Friars point guard Kris Dunn is among the best all-around point guards in the country.

CBS Sports analyst Doug Gottlieb has high praise for the phenom, who averages 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.8 steals per contest:

"

Cant wait to see Kris Dunn in person tomorrow. Crazy talent on film #PC

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) March 20, 2015"

Dunn alone gives Providence a big edge with the way he can create offense and score the ball, and forward LaDontae Henton has a versatile game of his own. His length on the wing will present problems for the Flyers' perimeter-heavy rotation.

But Dayton can't be counted out. It is playing this game just down the road in Columbus, Ohio, will have plenty of fans there and has Ohio State transfer Jordan Sibert as its senior leader.

Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight observed how much the venue is playing a factor into oddsmakers' perception of the game:

Coach Archie Miller's Flyers made the Elite Eight last year as an 11th seed and needed a one-point win in the first round just to get to this point. Dayton has to have a chip on its shoulder, and it managed to keep a strong offense in Boise State in check to earn the right to face the Friars.

The East may be the toughest overall region, so the winner of this game has a hard road ahead regardless. Its impending opponents likely feature some combination of Oklahoma and either Virginia or Michigan State, which will all transpire by the Sweet 16.

If either of these two teams has the goods to keep getting it done and pull off upsets from here on out, it's Dayton. However, Dunn and Providence will prove to be too much, because the Friars are simply too tough a matchup for the Flyers to handle—even with considerable home-court advantage.

Guard play is vital in March Madness, and Dunn's unique game will put Providence through to the round of 32.

Prediction: Providence 65, Dayton 60