NCAA Brackets 2017: Updated Schedule and Predictions for Friday's Round 1 Games

The first full day of competition in the NCAA tournament was underwhelming, as upsets were scarce and so were last-second finishes.

If there was one team that rescued the day, it was NCAA newcomer Northwestern. The Wildcats were making their first appearance in the tournament and built a 15-point second-half lead over Vanderbilt. However, the Commodores would not have it and mounted a major comeback. Late in the second half, Vanderbilt came all the way back to take a one-point lead with 18 seconds to go.

However, disaster ruined the Vanderbilt comeback and gave Northwestern a second chance. As Bryant McIntosh dribbled the ball upcourt following the Riley LaChance layup, the guard was fouled by Matthew Fisher-Davis, who thought his team was still down by a point.

McIntosh hit both free throws and Northwestern regained the lead and won the game 68-66 when Vanderbilt missed two subsequent opportunities and the Wildcats added a free throw.

Northwestern head coach Chris Collins was thrilled for his team but sympathetic to Fisher-Davis. 

"You feel for players," Collins said after the game (h/t Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times). "Especially after the kind of game he had. He was tremendous today."

Basketball fans are hoping that kind of finish can be duplicated several times Friday.

Matchup	Time (ET)	Location	Pointspread	Prediction
Michigan (7) vs. Oklahoma State (10)	12:15 p.m.	Indianapolis	Michigan -2.5	Michigan
Baylor (3) vs. New Mexico State (14)	12:40 p.m.	Tulsa, Oklahoma	Baylor -12.5	Baylor
Arkansas (8) vs. Seton Hall (9)	1:30 p.m.	Greenville, South Carolina	Arkansas -1	Seton Hall
Oregon (3) vs. Iona (14)	2 p.m.	Sacramento, California	Oregon -14.5	Iona*
Louisville (2) vs. Jacksonville State (15)	2:45 p.m.	Indianapolis	Louisville -19.5	Louisivlle
SMU (6) vs. USC (11)	3:10 p.m.	Tulsa, Oklahoma	SMU -6.5	USC
North Carolina (1) vs. Texas Southern (16)	4 p.m.	Greenville, South Carolina	UNC -26.5	Texas Southern*
Creighton (6) vs. Rhode Island (11)	4:30 p.m.	Sacramento, California	Even	Creighton
Kansas (1) vs. UC-Davis (16)	6:50 p.m.	Tulsa, Oklahoma	Kansas -23.5	UC-Davis*
Dayton (7) vs. Wichita State (10)	7:10 p.m.	Indianapolis	Wichita State -6.5	Dayton
Duke (2) vs. Troy (15)	7:20 p.m	Greenville, South Carolina	Duke -20	Duke
Cincinnati (6) vs. Kansas State (11)	7:27 p.m.	Sacramento, California	Cincinnati -3.5	Cincinnati
Miami (8) vs. Michigan State (9)	9:20 p.m.	Tulsa, Oklahoma	Miami -2	Michigan State
Kentucky (2) vs. Northern Kentucky (15)	9:40 p.m.	Indianapolis	Kentucky -20	Northern Kentucky*
South Carolina (7) vs. Marquette (10)	9:50 p.m.	Greenville, South Carolina	South Carolina -1.5	Marquette
UCLA (3) vs. Kent State (14)	9:57 p.m.	Sacramento, California	UCLA -18.5	UCLA
*- Cover point spread but lose game.

Duke begins its tournament run when it meets Troy in Greenville, South Carolina, at 7:20 p.m. ET. The Blue Devils have been playing their best basketball of the year, as they are coming off a four-day run at the ACC conference tournament that earned them the championship.

The second-seeded Blue Devils are powerful and filled with confidence. Luke Kennard is averaging 20.1 points per game and is connecting on 49.9 percent of his shots from the field. Jayson Tatum and Grayson Allen are right behind, with marks of 16.9 and 14.1 points per night, respectively. 

They also have Mike Krzyzewski working the sidelines, and that gives the Blue Devils an even better chance to win. College basketball has a tendency to lionize head coaches who have been in their position for years and years, but Krzyzewski's ability to inspire his team and come up with the right sets at the proper moment is stellar.

Krzyzewski has been leading the Duke program since 1980-81.

The Blue Devils are 20-point favorites over Troy, according to OddsShark, and the Blue Devils are playing well enough to cover the big spread.

The 15th-seeded Troy Trojans are clearly in over their heads. The Trojans don't have the size or strength to compete with Duke for 40 minutes, and they rank 106th and 178th in rebounds and points allowed per game, respectively, per ESPN.

The Trojans rolled to the Sun Belt conference tournament title, and they are led by Jordon Varnado, who is averaging 16.5 points per game and connecting on 52.6 percent of his shots from the field. Teammate Wesley Person is adding in 14.8 points per game and is shooting 81.5 percent from the field.

Troy may be able to hang around for the first 10 minutes, but Duke will roll and cover the spread.

The matchup between sixth-seeded Cincinnati and 11th-seeded Kansas State in Sacramento could be one of the day's best.

The Bearcats are 3.5-point favorites over the Wildcats, per OddsShark, who were victorious over Wake Forest in their First Four game earlier this week.

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

Cincinnati was an impressive 29-5 during the season, and the Bearcats can turn up the defensive pressure and choke their opponents. They allow 60.5 points per game, and that ranks fourth in the nation, per ESPN.

That defensive skill should help the Bearcats take control when the game is on the line. Cincinnati is led by guard Jacob Evans, who is averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game and shooting 47.1 percent from the field. Junior forwards Kyle Washington and Gary Clark are both averaging in double figures, 13.1 and 10.7 points per night, respectively, and both are shooting better than 50 percent.

Kansas State is relying on its Big 12 pedigree to see it through in this game. The Wildcats finished 8-10 in the conference during the regular season, but there is a sense of toughness to this team that should allow them to stay close.

Forward Wesley Iwundu is averaging a team-high 12.9 points per game, while guard Kamau Stokes is averaging 11.9 points and leading the team with 4.2 assists.

This game should be tight and somewhat low-scoring, and the Bearcats will use their defensive pressure to secure the win and the cover in the late going.

Miami and Michigan State may put on one of the best shows of the day when the eighth-seeded Hurricanes meet the ninth-seeded Spartans in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 9:20 p.m.

Tom Izzo's Spartans are traditionally one of the toughest teams in college basketball, and it's not unusual for Michigan State to peak at tournament time.

That was not the case a year ago, when many expected Michigan State to be a Final Four team but lost in the first round. The Spartans have struggled with youth, inexperience and poor decision-making through much of the season, but Izzo's team went through a gauntlet of a schedule this year and is steeled for tough competition.

The Spartans are two-point underdogs to the Hurricanes, per OddsShark, and that is welcome news to Izzo's charges. The Spartans are led by freshman sensation Miles Bridges, who is averaging 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Freshman forward Nick Ward is averaging 13.7 ppg and is shooting 58.3 percent from the field.

Miami can also check the toughness category when filling out its season-long report card, but the Hurricanes come into the tournament having lost three of their last four games. Guard Davon Reed is averaging a team-high 15.0 points per game, while Ja'Quan Newton is scoring 13.4 points per game.

Look for the battle-tested Spartans to earn a hard-fought victory behind the sharp play of Bridges and Ward.