March Madness 2015: Updated Bracket and Predictions for Friday's Round 2 Games

Thursday was a wild beginning to the 2015 NCAA tournament. If college hoops fans are lucky, Friday will be just as thrilling. On Day 1, we saw the No. 3 seed Iowa State Cyclones upset by the No. 14 UAB Blazers 60-59. Behind 21 points from Robert Brown, the Blazers pulled off the improbable win over the Big 12 conference tournament champions.

In the day's other big upset, another No. 14 seed came out on top. The Georgia State Panthers stunned the third-seeded Baylor Bears 57-56 on a last-second shot by R.J. Hunter.

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Friday's schedule has a tough act to follow. Here's a look at the games on tap and my predictions for each.

Matchup	Prediction
No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 12 Buffalo	West Virginia
No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Valparaiso	Maryland
No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 10 Indiana	Wichita State
No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 15 New Mexico State	Kansas
No. 5 Northern Iowa vs. No. 12 Wyoming	Northern Iowa
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 UC Irvine	Louisville
No. 6 Providence vs. No. 11 Dayton	Dayton
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Albany	Oklahoma
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Georgia	Michigan State
No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 15 Belmont	Virginia
No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 16 Coastal Carolina	Wisconsin
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State	Oregon
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Robert Morris	Duke
No. 8 San Diego State vs. No. 9 St. John's	San Diego State
No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Davidson	Iowa
No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 15 North Dakota State	Gonzaga

Duke Will Roll

If you're looking for the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16, it probably won't happen this year. It especially shouldn't happen to the Duke Blue Devils, who have an insane advantage over the Robert Morris Eagles on the inside.

The Eagles have just two players who stand at least 6'9" in Lionel Gomis and Stephan Bennett. Both pale in comparison to Duke's main contributors in the frontcourt when it comes to size and/or talent.

Duke's 6'11" Jahlil Okafor was recently honored as a Sports Illustrated All-American.

Marshall Plumlee is a legit 7-footer with athleticism, and the 6'9" Amile Jefferson is the team's glue guy.

In the interview below, Jefferson talks about how it's time for Duke to be at its best. 

Expect an easy win for the Blue Devils to begin the tournament.

The Hawkeyes Will Get Redemption for the State

Matthew Holst/Getty Images

The Cyclones didn't do the Hawkeye State proud on Thursday. Perhaps the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Northern Iowa Panthers will have to help save face for the state.

The No. 7 seed Hawkeyes draw the Davidson Wildcats on Friday. The fifth-seeded Panthers will battle the No. 12 seed Wyoming Cowboys. 

Iowa vs. Davidson figures to be a close contest, but the Wildcats must be hot from the outside to win. They start four guards and 6'7" freshman Peyton Aldridge. That lineup should have issues keeping the Hawkeyes off the glass. 

Iowa has a set of starting forwards and center, led by 6'9" Aaron White, that could double for an NBA frontcourt. If Iowa controls the glass, it'll control the tempo and the game.

The Panthers are locked into the potentially problematic 5-12 matchup. I see them moving past Wyoming because of their blistering defense. Northern Iowa only allowed 70-plus points three times this season. The Cowboys aren't a high-scoring bunch, as they only average 62 points per game as a team.

Northern Iowa should win a low-scoring affair and move on to the round of 32.

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