Ranking Thursday's Games

[Crimson's Ghost]

16. (16) Austin Peay 18-17 vs. (1) Kansas 30-4 4:00 TNT

The number one team in this tournament isn't even going to bat an eye at a team barely over .500. One thing going for Austin Peay, the best chant in the tournament. "The Fly is open, let's go Peay!"

15. (16) Florida Gulf Coast 21-13 vs. (1) North Carolina 28-6 7:20 TBS

FGCU isn't the same, they aren't "Dunk City" this season, so for that alone, it really takes away the luster from this game. Carolins is gonna cruise.

14. (16) Hampton 21-10 vs. (1) Virginia 26-7 3:10 TruTV

I think you are catching on, a 16 seed isn't beating a number one - at least today anyway. Virginia is just going to suck the life out of this game as they do every game.

13. (14) Buffalo 20-14 vs. (3) Miami 25-7 6:50 TNT

I'm not incredibly high on Miami, I'm really not. They have some good guard, and I like their coach, but they don't scream top 12 team in the country to me. Having said that, this isn't a very good Buffalo team. A good MAC team could've pulled an upset, just not this one.

12. (13) Stony Brook 26-6 vs. (4) Kentucky 26-8 9:40 CBS

See, I'm mad at the selection committee for this one. Kentucky is under-seeded, the 3 seed Texas A&M has? Well that's Kentucky's. Because Stony Brook can play, they have the kind of team that could shock someone, but they aren't going to shock an angry Kentucky team.

11. (9) UConn 24-10 vs. (8) Colorado 22-11 1:30 TNT

I just think UConn is going to throttle Colorado. I could be way off base, but I didn't even think twice on this one filling out my bracket. The Huskies kind of found a rhythm last week, and for whatever reason they always play well this time of year. They underachieved this season, but they have a talented roster. I just can't get excited about Colorado for whatever reason. I know the 8 and 9 games should be good, but I don't see it here.

10. (12) Yale 22-6 vs. (5) Baylor 22-11 2:45 CBS

Yale's first ever bid, and perhaps some magic can happen. We all know the 5 seed has trouble putting away a quality 12. Is Yale a quality team? They seem pretty good, but their real advantage is the game being so close to home. They'll bring fans, but the locals will start to cheer for Yale if an upset starts to brew, and that's when it can get tricky for Baylor. By the way, the Bears lost early last year as well.

9. (13) UNC Wilmington 25-7 vs. (4) Duke 23-10 12:15 CBS

First game of the day. From a viewers standpoint, this one is always exciting knowing you'll be watching basketball for four consecutive games. The great thing here is, everyone that isn't a Duke fan is against them since nobody likes Duke. So we as Americans, can stand against the Blue Devils in unison.

8. (9) Butler 21-10 vs. (8) Texas Tech 19-12

Just kind of a "meh" matchup to me. Butler is so-so after watching them a few times this year, but they are one of those programs that can do special things in this month. Texas Tech is basically here after surviving being the little brother to all the really good Big 12 teams. Might turn out to be a good one, but the matchup on paper isn't wowing me at the moment.


7. (13) Iona 22-10 vs. (4) Iowa State 21-11 2:00 TBS

This was my upset pick of the day, so I'm pretty excited for this one. Iona can really, really score. So can Iowa State, so this will be up and down kind of game that will have high entertainment value. AJ English is one of the leading scorers in the country, and they were the team that knocked out everyone's darling: Monmouth. Don't sleep on the Gaels.

6. (14) Fresno State 25-9 vs. (3) Utah 7:27 TruTV

I think Utah is a good team, and they probably win this one. I'm still not ready to write off Fresno State for one main reason. They are the champions of the Mountain West, which is a pretty good league. It was a down year for sure, but that's the type of league that it's champion is seeded so low. Fresno may be better than what meets the eye.

5. (12) Little Rock 29-4 vs. (5) Purdue 26-8 4:30 TBS

I think Purdue should have at least been on the 4 line as a seed, so this is an unfortunate draw for them. We've known all year long that if Little Rock won their league, they would be a team that could pull an upset. You just don't win 29 games on accident. If you are looking for a 12/5 that could actually happen, I think this is it. Don't get me wrong, I really like this Purdue team and they have superior size. They could put this one away, but playing in Denver against a team like this is a tough draw.

4. (9) Providence 23-10 vs. (8) USC 21-12 9:50 TBS

This should be a good one to watch. Providence has a dynamic duo of Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil that stacks up with almost anyone. USC is just a solid team with five guys averaging between 11-13 points a game. This is the type of 8/9 game that excites me, mainly for the star power of Kris Dunn.

3. (12) Chattanooga 29-5 vs. (5) Indiana 25-7 &:10 CBS

Sort of like Purdue, Indiana gets paired against a mid-major that has won ALOT of games already. I feel like a good number of people are calling this upset, so it's definitely one to pay attention to while you are watching the games. Indiana doesn't play defense, so that can be a problem sometimes.

2. (11) Gonzaga (26-7) vs. (6) Seton Hall 25-8

You have Gonzaga's big guys going up some talented Seton Hall guards. Two different styles, but two good teams. It's the last game of the day, and it'll be an exciting one.


1. (11) Wichita State 25-8 vs. 6. Arizona 25-8 9:20 TNT

I can't even describe how excited I am for this game. I know Wichita skated into the tournament, but dig a little deeper, and you would understand this is a good team, a real good one. They lost some games early, but they were without all-world point guard Fred vanVleet. Since that 5-5 start, they have been 20-3, and resembled the team we all thought they were. Arizona is solid, don't get me wrong, but this isn't an overly talented Sean Miller squad. He's done a tremendous job this year getting the most out of this team, but they are very susceptible losing to a veteran Shockers' team.

[peytonsaturday]

Took the Shockers to make it to elite 8. Great minds think alike.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Vanvleet and Baker have won a lot of games, they are better guards than Arizona.

[konjo78]

Not surprised dunk is struggling. ACC was pretty overrated by committee. Duke should be a 6 seed at best, probably 7 would be where i would of put them