March Madness: Eight Best Men’s NCAA Tournament Games of First Weekend
A popular 12-over-5 upset pick, former Cinderella turned into hunted favorite, Will Wade’s return and more to watch Thursday and Friday.
The NCAA men’s tournament bracket is finally out! After a few big surprises during the selection show, the field of 68 is set, and now the countdown is on until Thursday for wall-to-wall action of the most dramatic sporting event in the world. Which games should you have circled on your calendars? Here’s a look at the eight best Round of 64 matchups you won’t want to miss.
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No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 12 James Madison Dukes, Friday, 9:40 p.m. ET
This will be a very popular 12-over-5 upset pick, with the 31-win Dukes matching up with a Wisconsin team that showed some cracks down the stretch. While the Badgers did make a deep run in the Big Ten tournament highlighted by a win over the Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin did lose eight of 11 before that tournament run to slip out of a top-four protected seed. Can the Dukes pull the upset? If they do, a potential second-round date with Duke would be all kinds of fun.
Related: South Region Breakdown: Top Two Seeds Houston and Marquette Have Strong Cases
No. 8 Florida Atlantic Owls vs. No. 9 Northwestern Wildcats, Friday, 12:15 p.m. ET
The FAU storyline has been a big one all season in college basketball. In some ways, nothing the Owls could have done in the regular season would have mattered: Since the moment FAU’s core announced plans to return from last year’s Final Four team, a second deep March run has been the standard. But how will Florida Atlantic balance not being Cinderella this time? The Owls have a tough road, starting with Boo Buie and Northwestern in Brooklyn. Buie is the type of player who can single-handedly win a tournament game or two, and that might be necessary given the Wildcats’ injury issues.
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Related: East Region Breakdown: Auburn Could Stand in UConn’s Way
No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. No. 12 McNeese State Cowboys, Thursday, 7:25 p.m. ET
Will Wade, he of “strong-ass offer” fame, is back in the NCAA tournament, completing the first year of his rehabilitation tour at McNeese State with a trip to the Big Dance. Gonzaga, which last missed the second weekend of the Dance a decade ago, won’t be an easy team to pick off, but McNeese won’t be intimidated from a talent standpoint. If they can handle Graham Ike on the interior, the Cowboys might have a chance to pull the upset.
Related: Midwest Region Breakdown: Can Purdue Finally Break Through?
No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 13 Samford Bulldogs, Thursday, 9:55 p.m. ET
Kansas has been circled as a potential vulnerable top-four seed due to the Jayhawks’ injury woes. Stars Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. are believed to be ready for the NCAA tournament, but who knows how healthy the two actually are and what amount of rust they might need to shake off. Playing against a Samford team that presses all 40 minutes and is very disruptive might be an uncomfortable first-round game.
Related: March Madness: Forty Things to Watch in the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament
No. 6 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 11 New Mexico Lobos, Friday, 3:10 p.m. ET
Looking for a mid-major darling to fall in love with? Meet the Lobos, who snuck into the Big Dance by ripping through the Mountain West tournament over the weekend. They did so by beating three NCAA tournament teams in three days, including the hyper-physical San Diego State Aztecs in the Mountain West title game. The Lobos’ explosive guards Jaelen House and Donovan Dent could be a problem for Clemson, which struggles defensively especially in the backcourt. And House could easily be a darling of the Big Dance thanks to his fiery nature and dogged defensive work. This one should be fun.
Related: West Region Breakdown: North Carolina Earns Last No. 1 Seed But Has Hard Path
No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies, Thursday, 7:10 p.m. ET
Oakland’s the perfect high-variance team to throw into a single-elimination game. The Golden Grizzlies take a ton of threes and have played well against top competition, including a win over the Xavier Musketeers and close calls against the Ohio State Buckeyes and Illinois Fighting Illini. Kentucky will be a popular choice to win the title thanks to its explosive offense, and a blowout here would only add fuel to that fire. But don’t be surprised if Greg Kampe’s team at least makes this one a game.
No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. No. 11 NC State Wolfpack, Thursday, 9:40 p.m. ET
America fell in love with NC State star big man DJ Burns Jr. during the Wolfpack’s dream run to the ACC tournament championship. Can the Pack’s Cinderella story continue in the Big Dance? The next challenge is Texas Tech, a team that finished the season with big wins over the Baylor Bears and BYU Cougars to build some momentum into the Big Dance. The Red Raiders are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation and will be a tough cover for Kevin Keatts’s bunch.
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 13 Charleston Cougars, Friday, 7:35 p.m. ET
This might be the highest-scoring game of the first round, with KenPom projecting a 93–82 final for a whopping 175 points scored. Both teams love to push the pace, and Alabama has proven it can absolutely torch teams from smaller conferences in the regular season (see its five 100-plus-point explosions in nonconference play). Can Pat Kelsey’s team slow down the Tide and finally break through in the Big Dance?