NCAA Tournament 2018: TV Schedule and Picks for 1st-Round Contests
The best two-day stretch of the sporting calendar has finally arrived.
We'll be glued to our couches as the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament round of 64 takes place across eight locations.
Almost everywhere you look in the first round, there's an intriguing individual matchup or storyline that grabs your attention, and with the start times staggered across four networks, you should have time to watch pieces of each of the 32 games.
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While we are able to make some predictions about who will thrive Thursday and Friday, there are bound to be a few underdog stories that emerge from the contests that have us raving about teams we knew nothing about before Thursday.
TV Schedule and Picks
Thursday
No. 7 Rhode Island vs. No. 10 Oklahoma (12:15 p.m., CBS)
No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 14 Wright State (12:40 p.m., truTV)
No. 4 Gonzaga vs. No. 13 UNC Greensboro (1:30 p.m., TNT)
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Penn (2 p.m., TBS)
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Iona (2:45 p.m., CBS)
No. 6 Miami vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago (3:10 p.m., truTV)
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 South Dakota State (4 p.m., TNT)
No. 8 Seton Hall vs. No. 9 NC State (4:30 p.m., TBS)
No. 1 Villlanova vs. No. 16 Radford (6:45 p.m., TNT)
No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Davidson (7:10 p.m., CBS)
No. 6 Houston vs. No. 11 San Diego State (7:20 p.m., TBS)
No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (7:27 p.m., truTV)
No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 Alabama (9:20 p.m., TNT)
No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Buffalo (9:40 p.m., CBS)
No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 Montana (9:50 p.m., TBS)
No. 6 Florida vs. No. 11 St. Bonaventure (9:55 p.m., truTV)
Friday
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Providence (12:15 p.m., CBS)
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Cal State Fullerton (12:40 p.m., truTV)
No. 4 Wichita State vs. No. 13 Marshall (1:30 p.m., TNT)
No. 2 Cincinnati vs. No. 15 Georgia State (2 p.m., TBS)
No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 15 Lipscomb (2:45 p.m., CBS)
No. 7 Arkansas vs. No. 10 Butler (3:10 p.m., truTV)
No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 12 Murray State (4 p.m., TNT)
No. 7 Nevada vs. No. 10 Texas (4:30 p.m., TBS)
No. 8 Creighton vs. No. 9 Kansas State (6:50 p.m., TNT)
No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 Bucknell (7:10 p.m., CBS)
No. 1 Xavier vs. No. 16 Texas Southern (7:20 p.m., TBS)
No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Charleston (7:27 p.m., truTV)
No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 16 UMBC (9:20 p.m., TNT)
No. 6 TCU vs. No. 11 Syracuse (9:40 p.m., CBS)
No. 8 Missouri vs. No. 9 Florida State (9:50 p.m., TBS)
No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 New Mexico State (9:57 p.m., truTV)
Star Freshmen To Take Center Stage Thursday
From start to finish Thursday, the nation's best freshmen will be on display.
Oklahoma's Trae Young, who leads the country in points and assists per game, opens the day in the spotlight, as the 10th-seeded Sooners face off against No. 7 Rhode Island.
The fans inside PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh are expected to view another standout showing from first-year players when No. 2 Duke follows Oklahoma on court.
Marvin Bagley III headlines Duke's talented freshman class that features Gary Trent Jr., Wendell Carter Jr. and Trevon Duval.
The nightcap in Pittsburgh should see Collin Sexton of No. 9 Alabama continue his terrific form from the SEC tournament against No. 8 Virginia Tech.
Although Pittsburgh gets spoiled with young talent, it isn't the only site where potential NBA Draft lottery picks play Thursday.
The pair of contests at night in Boise, Idaho, should be a showcase for the first-year players on the rosters of No. 4 Arizona and No. 5 Kentucky.
Although Kentucky doesn't contain a projected No. 1 overall pick on its roster like it has in past years, Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are worth the price of admission.
Arizona's DeAndre Ayton takes to the Taco Bell Arena hardwood last on Thursday, and he'll be worth waiting for.
The National Player of the Year contender averages 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for the fourth-seeded Wildcats, who are one of the favorites to make the Final Four out of the South region.
Friday's 16-game slate holds less volume when it comes to star freshmen, but Missouri's Michael Porter Jr. and Michigan State's Jaren Jackson Jr. should catch your attention, especially if Porter is close to 100 percent.
No. 16 Seeds Will Have to Wait Another Year For A Victory
Even with the boatload of parity we've witnessed in men's basketball this season, the drought should continue for No. 16 seeds.
Every year one of the four No. 16 seeds playing in the round of 64 gains national attention for its upset potential, and that's the role Penn fits into.
While the Quakers deserve credit for their path to the Big Dance by way of the Ivy League tournament, they'll stand no chance against the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks.
Sure, Penn is riding a wave of momentum ahead of Thursday's clash in Wichita, Kansas, but you have to remember it has been playing lesser competition since January, while Kansas fought through the Big 12.
UMBC and Radford experienced thrilling conclusions to their respective conference tournaments to get into the Big Dance, but Virginia and Villanova are going to be too much to handle as they march ahead with lofty goals in mind.
In fact, if you're looking for a potential upset of a No. 1 seed, Texas Southern might be the best team to do so.
Although they have a record below .500, the Tigers are battle-tested after going on the road for their first 13 nonconference games to play the best power-conference and mid-major teams.
Texas Southern's big-game experience was on display Wednesday in the First Four, as it controlled the contest against fellow No. 16 seed North Carolina Central.
Xavier comes into the tournament hobbling off a Big East tournament semifinal loss to Providence, and it is seen as the weakest of the four top seeds.
We're not saying an upset is going to happen, because that would be irresponsible to suggest, but look for Texas Southern to get a run in the spotlight for the first 10 or 15 minutes.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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