NCAA Basketball Tournament 2018: Predictions for Friday's 1st-Round Schedule

The round-of-64 slate Friday in the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament features the introduction of a plethora of big-name programs.

North Carolina, Michigan State, Virginia and Xavier are among the headliners for the second day of the first round, but the real intrigue comes from the games with evenly-matched participants.

The pair of 7-10 and 8-9 matchups should produce plenty of excitement, while there's potential for a few double-digit seeds to create shocking upsets later in the day.

There's also the intrigue of one of the nation's top freshmen returning to lead his team to a deep run in the Big Dance before he presumably departs for the NBA.

Friday's Schedule and Predictions

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)

Nevada Bounces Back From Rough Mountain West Tournament Exit

Before suffering a brutal defeat to San Diego State in the Mountain West tournament semifinals, Nevada was seen as a surprise Sweet 16 team by some experts.

Although they can still reach the second weekend of the Big Dance, the Wolf Pack are flying under our radar more as a No. 7 seed in the South region.

For most of the regular season, Nevada dominated the Mountain West, as it went 15-3, but it lost twice to San Diego State in its last three contests.

Nevada is dangerous because it possesses four players who average over 13 points per game, with Caleb Martin leading the way with 19.1 points per game.

L.E. Baskow/Associated Press

Martin and his brother Cody are two of the players tasked with limiting the production of Texas freshman Mo Bamba, who is 100 percent despite missing the Big 12 tournament, per ESPN's Jeff Goodman:

Jordan Caroline, who put up 17.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, will be the X-factor for Nevada in containing Bamba, as his length could hamper the center's effectiveness.

Nevada should play with plenty of motivation, as it tries to prove the hiccups at the end of the Mountain West season were flukes and nothing else.

With a win Friday in Nashville, the Wolf Pack set up an intriguing contest with No. 2 Cincinnati, who will be a tough team to beat, as it rides a seven-game winning streak into March Madness.

Michael Porter Jr., Missouri Gain Steam Ahead of Clash With Xavier

One of the variables that could change the dynamic of the NCAA tournament is the play of Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr.

In a year in which the other members of his class have shined, Porter has the opportunity to have the last word, as he returns from injury to lead the Tigers to a deep run in the Big Dance.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Without Porter, the Tigers went 10-8 in the SEC and earned a No. 8 seed, but with the freshman phenom in the fold, they are a force to be reckoned with that could challenge No. 1 Xavier in the second round.

But first the Tigers must get past No. 9 Florida State, and with Porter working his way back to full strength, that should be an easy task.

Porter isn't the only member of his family ready to make an impact in March, as his brother Jontay is the team's top rebounder and third-best scorer.

Kassius Robertson and Jordan Barnett form a nice core around the Porter brothers that is going to be hard for the Seminoles to stop.

If Missouri cruises to a victory over its ACC foe, it could set the stage for Porter and Co. to challenge Xavier, who is seen by many as the weakest No. 1 seed and enters off a tough Big East tournament semifinal loss to Providence.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com. Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.