The slate of games today is fine, but today we also get to hear Jim Nantz and Bill Raftery announce! Kevin Harlan! Chris Webber! These will be fun games to listen to.
Will they be fun to watch? Iona/ Oregon at 2 pm is my pick for the most fun game to check out casually today, but Jon Severe (formerly of Fordham) and Sam Cassell Jr (formerly of Connecticut) can also shoot any team out of competition quickly.
Former St. John’s player/ redshirt Adonis De La Rosa will help Kent State take on the UCLA Bruins at 10 pm.
Other than that, none of these matchups jump off the page to me.
Still, given all of the open college basketball jobs (California, Washington, Illinois, Indiana, LSU, North Carolina State) it’s entirely possibly that a coach who wins a couple of games will be essentially auditioning for a new job. Which is fun to watch but not always good practice.
Sometimes, a mid-major coach just has a good roster of veterans and gets lucky. Sometimes they are brilliant and able to compete for talent at the high major level. It’s hard to parse one from the other.
Big East teams on today
Seton Hall faces Arkansas at 1:30. The Hall is a the 9 in the 8/9 matchup. Sans Isaiah Whitehead, but with Angel Delgado, can they knock off the experienced Razorbacks? If they can shoot, maybe - don’t expect many threes from Arkansas in this game.
Creighton, hobbled without Maurice Watson but effective enough to go far in the Big East Tournament, will face the Rhode Island Rams of Dan Hurley at around 4:30. It would be a good time for Justin Patton to earn his Big East Freshman of the Year award and go off on URI.
Marquette takes on South Carolina around 10 pm. Will this be a game filled with a physical beating from the Gamecocks? Or will Marquette’s ability to shoot win the day?
NCAA Tournament Games: Friday, March 17 2017 (Round of 64)
Game/ Announcers | Date | Tip Time (ET) | Network | Site |
---|---|---|---|---|
Game/ Announcers | Date | Tip Time (ET) | Network | Site |
(7) Michigan Wolverines vs. (10) Oklahoma State Cowboys | 3/17/2017 | 12:15 p.m. | CBS | Indianapolis |
Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson | ||||
(3) Baylor Bears vs. (14) New Mexico State Aggies | 3/17/2017 | 12:40 p.m. | truTV | Tulsa |
Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson | ||||
(8) Arkansas Razorbacks vs. (9) Seton Hall Pirates | 3/17/2017 | 1:30 p.m. | TNT | Greenville |
Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson | ||||
(3) Oregon Ducks vs. (14) Iona Gaels | 3/17/2017 | 2 p.m. | TBS | Sacramento |
Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude | ||||
(2) Louisville Cardinals vs. (15) Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 3/17/2017 | Approx. 2:45 | CBS | Indianapolis |
Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson | ||||
(6) SMU Mustangs vs. (11) USC Trojans | 3/17/2017 | Approx. 3 p.m. | truTV | Tulsa |
Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson | ||||
(1) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. (16) Texas Southern Tigers | 3/17/2017 | Approx. 4 p.m. | TNT | Greenville |
Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson | ||||
(6) Creighton Bluejays vs. (11) Rhode Island Rams | 3/17/2017 | Approx. 4:30 p.m. | TBS | Sacramento |
Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude | ||||
(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs. (16) UC Davis | 3/17/2017 | 6:50 p.m. | TNT | Tulsa |
Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson | ||||
(7) Dayton Flyers vs. (10) Wichita State Shockers | 3/17/2017 | 7:10 p.m. | CBS | Indianapolis |
Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson | ||||
(2) Duke Blue Devils vs. (15) Troy Trojans | 3/17/2017 | 7:20 p.m. | truTV | Greenville |
Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson | ||||
(6) Cincinnati Bearcats vs. (11) Kansas St. Wildcats | 3/17/2017 | 7:27 p.m. | TBS | Sacramento |
Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude | ||||
(8) Miami Hurricanes vs. (9) Michigan State Spartans | 3/17/2017 | Approx. 9:20 p.m. | TNT | Tulsa |
Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson | ||||
(2) Kentucky Wildcats vs. (15) Northern Kentucky Norse | 3/17/2017 | Approx. 9:40 p.m. | CBS | Indianapolis |
Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson | ||||
(7) South Carolina Gamecocks vs. (10) Marquette Golden Eagles | 3/17/2017 | Approx. 9:50 p.m. | TBS | Greenville |
Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson | ||||
(3) UCLA Bruins vs. (14) Kent State Golden Flashes | 3/17/2017 | Approx. 9:57 p.m. | truTV | Sacramento |
Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude |