Here’s what you need to know for Friday’s first-round games in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Thursday in the NCAA Tournament delivered a virtuoso performance by Murray State guard Ja Morant, leading his 12th-seeded team to a romp over Marquette; There were narrow escapes by higher seeds Maryland and Auburn; And the defending champion Villanova took the first step toward becoming the first repeat champion since Florida in 2005.
Friday is certain to give college basketball fans another electric dose of first-round action. Sometime after midnight, the field will be whittled to 32. Sure, we understand that Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils open their quest for the championship on Friday. So does fellow top seed and Tobacco Road neighbor, North Carolina. Their games aren’t listed here because both are destined for easy victories. Trust us.
Here’s a guide for navigating the Madness.
No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Oklahoma (12:40 p.m., truTV)
Kermit Davis earned SEC Coach of the Year honors in his first season leading Ole Miss, which was picked 14th in the conference preseason poll, but climbed to a tie for sixth. The Rebels earned their bid because of a powerful backcourt triumvirate of Breein Tyree (18.2 ppg), Terence Davis (15.1 ppg) and Devontae Shuler (10.2 ppg). Ole Miss is 35th in offensive efficiency and unflappable at the free throw line (78.5 percent). Ole Miss has lost five of seven, however, exiting the conference tournament after one game. Oklahoma is 4-8 since Jan. 28th and a 1-point underdog. The Sooners made the field on the strength of their defense (22nd in efficiency) and schedule. They stifled opponents inside-the-arc (45 percent on 2-pointers) and guard Christian James, who played on the 2016 Final Four team, leads the scoring with 14.4 points per game.
No. 4 Kansas State vs. No. 13 UC-Irvine (2:00, TBS)
Kansas State made a surprising run to the Elite 8 last season before putrid offense became too much to overcome in a 62-point effort against Loyola-Chicago in the regional final. Dean Wade, the Wildcats’ leading rebounder (6.2) and second-leading scorer (12.9) is out with a lingering foot injury. Barry Brown Jr. (14.9 ppg) paces the offense and is also one of the best perimeter defenders in the nation. Stopping opponents helped K-State share the Big 12 regular season title (fourth nationally in defensive efficiency). UC-Irvine won 30 games and swept the Big West Conference titles. The Anteaters, a four-point underdog, enter the NCAA tournament on a 16-game winning streak, propelled by the best 2-point field goal defense in the nation (40.2 percent).
No. 6 Buffalo vs. No. 11 Arizona State (4:00, TNT)
Oh, how the NCAA loves a good narrative. There’s a good one here. Bobby Hurley coached Buffalo to the NCAA tournament in 2015 and departed for Arizona State, leaving his assistant Nate Oats in charge of the Bulls. Flash forward four years and the teams meet in Tulsa – only Buffalo, from the MAC, is the higher seed, a 4.5-point favorite and owns the more recent trip to the Round of 32, returning key ingredients from a team that thrashed Arizona in the first round last year. The Bulls are 31-3 and one of only 13 teams in the top 30 nationally in offensive and defensive efficiency. Arizona State handled St. John’s in a First Four game in Dayton on Wednesday that was ragged at best. Arizona State guard Luguentz Dort (16.2 ppg) was the Freshman of the Year in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils are athletic and enjoy a brisk pace.
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 Oregon, (4:30, TBS)
Ethan Happ (17.1 ppg, 10.5 rpg) leads Wisconsin back to the NCAA tournament after the program missed last year for the first time since 1998. The Badgers finished 14-6 in the rugged Big Ten and have the nation’s third-best defense, centered around holding foes to a 44.8 effective field goal percentage (10th). Oregon is also a defensive juggernaut (17th) and earned its spot by winning the Pac-12 tournament. Dana Altman has led the Ducks into the tournament for the sixth time in seven years and they’re coming in hot, riding an eight-game winning streak. Louis King and Payton Pritchard score 12.7 points apiece to pace Oregon, which is a 2-point underdog.
No. 3 Houston vs. No. 14 Georgia State (7:20, TBS)
Kelvin Sampson returns Houston to the tournament for the second year in a row and deserves credit for reviving the once-proud program. The Cougars are 58-11 the last two years, won the American regular season championship and are top 25 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
