Let the Madness Commence! Round of 64, Thursday Front 8
Tell your boss that the rapture took you
#9 TCU Horned Frogs v #8 Ohio State Buckeyes
12:15 PM ET, 11:15 AM GTZ. CBS.
BoilerUp89: Go check out our thoughts on OSU's tournament but this is a great game to tip off the tournament. We've got ultimate chaos team TCU against a Buckeyes squad that was consistent in losing close games against good teams until 3 weeks ago when they flipped a switch. Enjoy your tournament experience, Bruce Thornton. I may not like your school, but I respect your commitment to staying and your game.
MaximumSam: I was able to finagle another day off work because somehow they had to schedule the Buckeye game at noon on a Thursday. So whatever, I'm locked in and ready to be hurt again.
AlmaOtter: I've got the next two days off of work and I'm matrimonially and therefore contractually obliged to root for the Buckeyes. Death to frogs.
Kind of...: I think we all know that they key to this game is the state of Jamie Dixon's internal organs.
Otherwise, BoilerUp89 nailed it. Ambiguous about OSU, cheering for Thornton. Maybe I've had the same feelings post-Covid before, but when I think of Thornton toiling away, I keep thinking of Jordan Murphy, who just put in WORK for Minnesota for four years, rarely getting the credit he deserved.
#13 Troy Trojans v #4 Nebraska Cornhuskers
12:40 PM ET, 11:40 AM GTZ. truTV.
BoilerUp89: Oh boy! Will Nebraska become the final power conference team to win a NCAA tournament game? Good luck, we are all counting on you. Troy got bullied by UK in the tourney last year but brought back a couple of key contributors that will look to do better in their second shot at glory.
AlmaOtter:
Kind of...: I'll be pulling for Nebraska, of course. But if they lose, I'll be ready to pile on. This is the moment, Huskers, but you have to do the thing. It's on you.
#11 USF Bulls v # 6 Louisville Cardinals
1:30 PM ET, 12:30 PM GTZ. TNT.
BoilerUp89: No Mikel Brown Jr. for Louisville which is a problem. The good news is that three point dependent Louisville won't have to adjust to the poor quality Wilson Evo Nxt ball. The Cardinals use it for their home games. Something tells me I'm underestimating USF, but even without Brown, Louisville has the type of guards that can take over a game.
AlmaOtter: South Flurrrrrrida, baby. Beat them birds. I love this matchup.
Kind of...: South Florida finished #45 in NET and #48 in WAB, right behind SMU in the latter. So they were almost at-large quality (obviously those rankings would've been lower if they had lost the American title game, as thus no real chance of an at-large). Won 11 in a row. Their losses in calendar year 2026? At Temple by one; vs. Wichita State by one in OT; vs. UAB by 3 in 2 OT. They're on a roll. They play quick. They force turnovers. And...Utah State is the only tournament team they beat all year.
The advanced numbers like Louisville, but here's a list of the NCAA teams they've beaten this year: Kentucky, SMU (x2), Miami, NC State. 3 of those 5 wins have already been eliminated.
Definitely a game where after it's over, no matter what happens, you'll be like "yeah, I should guessed that's how it was going to go."
#12 High Point Panthers v #5 Wisconsin Badgers
1:50 ET, 12:50 GTZ. TBS
BoilerUp89: High Point won 30 games, but they are so dependent on winning the turnover battle that this is a really bad matchup for them. I'll eat my words if they pull the upset but I'm more confident in the Badgers than just about every other non-1 seed today.
AlmaOtter: While I would love to pick against the Popcorn Skunks, this should be an easy one for Wisconsin. Chaos Badgers, sure. But not this.
Kind of...: I am happy that BoilerUp89 is so confident. And I appreciate him no attempting some reverse jinx stuff. But, as is tradition here, I'll spend today in mortal terror, recalling Wisconsin's MANY turnovers vs. James Madison if a 5/12 game two years ago.
#16 Siena Saints v #1 Duke Blue Devils
2:50 ET, 1:50 GTZ. CBS.
BoilerUp89: Siena is coached by Gerry McNamara, the former Syracuse player that helped Carmelo Anthony win a national championship and potential next Syracuse head coach. He's looking for his first NCAA tournament victory as a head coach, but seems destined for a big coaching career.
MaximumSam: Remember when Fairleigh Dickinson beat Purdue? I know BoilerUp89 probably doesn't, but I swear it happened. Anyways, that allowed Florida Atlantic to make the Final Four, which led coach Dusty May to eventually turn to evil and land at Michigan. Maybe Siena can do the same for Jake Diebler, without the trashy Michigan part.
AlmaOtter: Saints v Devils. Come on. What are we doing here?
Kind of...: Ugh. Never liked Syracuse or Boeheim. Don't know if I dislike McNamara or Devendorf more, but those were the top two.
'Cuse just fired Adrian Autry, do they take another swing at the Boeheim player approach?
#12 McNeese State Cowboys v #5 Vanderbilt Commodores
3:15 ET, 2:15 GTZ. truTV.
BoilerUp89: Vanderbilt had one of the best starts to the season before cooling off a bit in SEC play. Really good fundamentals and coach Mark Byington beat Wisconsin when at James Madison two years ago. The Commodores will be prepared. They will need to take care of the basketball (Vanderbilt is really good at this) as McNeese is one of those scrappy teams that excel at forcing turnovers and turning them into points.
AlmaOtter: Vandy is the lowest-seeded team in the Peach Basket (TM) and I have high hopes for them. So, yeah. Losing here would kind of be a bummer.
Fun Fact of the Day: Cornelius Vanderbilt, the scion of the Vandy family, wasn't a commodore. He wasn't in the Navy at all! In fact, he was very young yacht/ferry operator in New York, but overzealous at that. So his competitors mocked him by calling him the Commodore. Zip through another 150 years of Americana and there you are.
Kind of...: Vandy easily could've been a 4-seed, and, if you squint right, compares favorably with 3-seed Virginia. The Commodores are for real and this would be a major upset to me.
#14 North Dakota State Bison v #3 Michigan State Spartans
4:05 ET, 3:05 GTZ. TNT.
BoilerUp89: The Bison path to victory is through the three. No attempts by anyone other than their top 5 shooters. Lot of attempts by their top 5 shooters. MSU will beat them in the paint and on the glass, but if they keep the margins close there and make threes this could be a special game.
Kind of...: Fair blueprint above. Feels like the voiceover of one of those "this ragtag bunch of mercenaries has ONE shot to get out alive" sort of shows.
#13 Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors v #4 Arkansas Razorbacks
4:25 ET, 3:25 GTZ. TBS.
BoilerUp89: Arkansas is playing really good basketball right now, but much like the Big Ten tournament champion in years past, the SEC tournament champion can often stumble after a successful weekend. If I wasn't a coward, I'd pick the Rainbow Warriors to win. Hawai'i has a good defense and they have the size to matchup with anybody. This isn't your typical mid-major that can be bullied and pushed around. Arkansas is one of the chaos teams but that cuts both ways.
Kind of...: Ditto. Not picking Hawaii, but they're my pick for "likeliest 13-16 seed to spring the upset." Just a sound thing that does a lot of things well. Last game of the afternoon session. Give us some drama before we scramble for a quick dinner!
