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The new additions to the Big East are 2-0, with Creighton and Butler winning. Meanwhile, Villanova played a tough game against North Carolina but lost, and Georgetown (again) suffered the upset of the first round (whoops, "second" round) of the Tournament, losing to Florida Gulf Coast. And yes, that's the same FGCU St. John's defeated in November.
By the law of syllogism, St. John's has finally defeated Georgetown. Right? Right?!
12:15 #5 VCU (27-8) vs #4 Michigan (27-7) Auburn Hills, MI CBS
Can VCU speed up Trey Burke and battle tested Michigan? Sure, and they won't like the results. Mitch McGary and crew will take care of Juvonte Reddic and company.
2:45 #6 Memphis (31-4) vs #3 Michigan State (26-8) Auburn Hills, MI CBS
Memphis' athletes goes against one of the most well-regarded coaches of the NCAA Tournament, Tom Izzo. Expect to see Memphis forced to play in the half court, which takes away their athletic advantage.
5:15 #8 Colorado State (26-8) vs #1 Louisville (30-5) Lexington, KY CBS
Colorado State has had trouble containing quick guards. Louisville's guards Peyton Siva and Russ Smith (and Kevin Ware) are among the quickest in the country. This could be a pounding.
6:10 #14 Harvard (20-9) vs #6 Arizona (26-7) Salt Lake City, UT TNT
Good matchup between the talented Siyani Chambers and the shooting prowess of Laurent Rivard and the scoring talents of Mark Lyons and Nick Johnson. The Wildcats also have a lot of size; hard to see Harvard pulling off a second upset.
7:10 #12 Oregon (27-8) vs #4 St. Louis (26-6) San Jose, CA TBS
This could be the game of the day, with Oregon trying to get up and down the court, and St. Louis trying to make the game a grind; but even when the game is a grind, Oregon has athletes and size to battle Dwayne Evans and Cody Ellis. If Oregon can contain Mike McCall and Kwamain Mitchell, they'll have a chance. Dominic Artis' minutes were limited against Oklahoma State, with backup Jonathan Loyd finishing the game.
7:45 #6 Butler (27-8) vs #3 Marquette (24-8) Lexington, KY CBS
This also could be the game of the day. Marquette needed a last-second shot to knock off a well-coached Davidson team. The Golden Eagles get another set of talented well-coached team in Brad Stevens' Butler Bulldogs. Expect Marquette to fall behind, expect a low-scoring ball game, and expect to see many different attempts to get the other team off-balance in what will be a conference matchup next year.
8:40 #9 Wichita State (27-8) vs #1 Gonzaga (32-2) Salt Lake City, UT TNT
Gonzaga struggled to separate from Southern, with the exception of a stretch in the beginning of the second half that made the difference. Cleanthony Early and Malcolm Armstead will get buckets; Gonzaga should be on upset watch.
9:40 #12 California (21-11) vs #4 Syracuse (27-9) San Jose, CA TBS
Syracuse got a good matchup against Montana - a solid team missing one of their best big players. California is a different animal, with good coaching and some size. Syracuse shouldn't sleep on them.