Thursday’s Games
The East Region opens play with two games in Denver. The first contest is between fourth-seeded Washington State and No. 13 Winthrop. The Cougars finished third in the regular-season standings in a talent-packed Pac-10 conference. They ended their season with a loss to Stanford in the league tournament. Winthrop earned an automatic berth into the NCAA tourney by winning the Big South championship.

Thursday’s second game features No. 5 Notre Dame against No. 12 George Mason. The Irish finished second in the Big East standings, behind Georgetown, and earned victories over the likes of Pittsburgh and UConn. George Mason, which made an improbable run to the Final Four in 2006, earned a berth in this year’s tournament by winning the CAA tournament.

Thursday’s Schedule
No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 George Mason
No. 4 Washington State vs. No. 13 Winthrop

Friday’s Games

Six games are slated for Friday in the East Region.

No. 2 Tennessee kicks off the action against No. 15 American. The Vols earned the regular-season title in the SEC. They also earned a victory over Memphis, the top seed in the South Region. American is playing in its first-ever NCAA tournament.

Next up Friday is No. 7 Butler against No. 10 South Alabama. The Bulldogs won the regular-season and postseason Horizon league titles, while South Alabama, which finished second in the Sun Belt standings, received an at-large bid.

No. 11 St. Joseph’s contends with No. 6 Oklahoma in Friday’s evening session. The Hawks finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 standings, pulled an upset over Xavier in the postseason championship to impress the NCAA selection committee. The Sooners finished fifth in the Big 12 standings and lost to Texas in the postseason championship.

The No. 8-No. 9-game in the East Region will be decided between Indiana and Arkansas. The Hoosiers, who are playing in NCAA tourney with an interim coach after Kelvin Sampson stepped down amid NCAA violation allegations, finished third in the Big Ten regular-season standings before losing to Minnesota on a last-second shot in the conference tournament semifinals. Arkansas, led by new coach John Pelphrey, advanced to the SEC tournament finals, where the Razorbacks lost to Georgia.

Friday’s late game features No. 3 Louisville against No. 14 Boise State. Using a 2-3 zone, coach Rick Pitino led the Cardinals to a third-place finish in the Big East regular-season standings, including wins over Georgetown and Pittsburgh. Boise State is making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1994.

The region’s top seed, No. 1 North Carolina, takes on No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s. The Tar Heels were awarded the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed after winning the regular season and postseason ACC titles. Mount St. Mary’s advanced to the first-round game after defeating Coppin State in Tuesday’s play-in game.

Friday’s Schedule
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s
No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 9 Arkansas
No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 St. Joseph’s
No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 14 Boise St.
No. 7 Butler vs. No. 10 South Alabama
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 American

Midwest Region

Thursday’s Games

Action in the Midwest tips off with the region’s top team, No. 1 Kansas, taking on No. 16 Portland State. The Jayhawks won a share of the Big 12 regular-season crown — along with Texas — and defeated the Longhorns in the Big 12 tournament championship to win the postseason title.

In the No. 8-No. 9-game, eighth-seeded UNLV takes on Kent State. The Rebels, which advanced to last year’s Sweet 16, finished second — behind BYU — in the Mountain West standings. Kent State won both the regular-season and postseason MAC titles.

One of the most anticipated first-round matchups is between No. 6 USC and No. 11 Kansas State. The Trojans lost to UCLA in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tournament, but recorded victories over Stanford and Oregon in the regular season. Kansas State finished third in the Big 12 standings, behind Kansas and Texas. But this matchup is special because of the showdown between two of the nation’s top freshmen, O.J. Mayo, of USC, and Michael Beasley, of Kansas State.

The late game features No. 3 Wisconsin against No. 14 Cal State Fullerton. The Badgers won the Big Ten regular season and postseason crowns en route to winning 10 straight games entering the NCAA tournament. The Titans won the Big West crown.

Thursday’s Schedule
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Portland St.
No. 8 UNLV vs. No. 9 Kent St.
No. 11 Kansas St. vs. No. 6 USC
No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Cal St. Fullerton
Friday’s Games

No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 10 Davidson open action in the Midwest Region on Friday. The Bulldogs won the WCC with a 13-1 record, while the Wildcats finished 20-0 in the Southern conference.

Friday’s afternoon game features No. 2 Georgetown against No. 15 UMBC. The Hoyas, who advanced to last year’s Final Four, won their second straight Big East regular-season crown before falling to Pittsburgh to the conference tournament final. The Retrievers are making their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.

No. 4 Vanderbilt and No. 13 Siena take the court Friday evening. Vanderbilt finished fourth in the SEC standings, but recorded victories over the likes of Kentucky and Tennessee. The Saints earned an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament by winning the MAAC title, but also pulled an upset over Stanford at the start of the season.

Friday’s final game is between No. 5 Clemson and No. 12 Villanova. The Tigers finished third in the ACC standings — behind North Carolina and Duke — but advanced to the conference tournament final after defeating the Blue Devils in the semis. The Wildcats, which finished in the middle of the Big East standings, recorded victories over Connecticut, West Virginia and Pittsburgh during the season.

Friday’s Schedule
No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 Villanova
No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 Siena
No. 7 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 Davidson
No. 2 Georgetown vs. No. 15 UMBC
South Region

Thursday’s Games

The South Region opens play with No. 5 Michigan State taking on No. 12 Temple. The Spartans finished fourth in the Big Ten standings, but recorded victories over BYU and Texas during the season. The Owls won the Atlantic 10 tournament and enter the NCAA tourney having won seven straight.

The South’s afternoon contest features No. 4 Pittsburgh against No. 13 Oral Roberts. The Panthers downed Georgetown in the Big East tournament final. They also recorded a win over Duke earlier in the season. Oral Roberts won the Summit League to earn its third-straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

In other afternoon action, No. 6 Marquette takes on No. 11 Kentucky. Marquette recorded wins over Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh during the season. Kentucky, led by new coach Billy Gillispie, finished in a tie for second in the SEC standings. The Wildcats’ wins include a victory over Tennessee.

Thursday’s evening contest is between No. 3 Stanford against No. 14 Cornell. The Cardinal finished second — behind UCLA — in the strong Pac-10 conference, and advanced to the conference tournament championship, where they fell to the Bruins. Cornell won the Ivy League with a 14-0 conference record.

Thursday’s Schedule
No. 5 Michigan St. vs. No. 12 Temple
No. 4 Pittsburgh vs. No. 13 Oral Roberts
No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 11 Kentucky
No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 14 Cornell
Friday’s Games

Friday’s action begins with No. 7 Miami taking on No. 10 St. Mary’s. The Hurricanes finished fifth in the ACC standings, but pulled out victories over Clemson and Duke. The Gaels finished second in the WCC standings, behind Gonzaga. Their victories include a win over Oregon.

In afternoon action, No. 2 Texas takes on No. 15 Austin Peay. The Longhorns, which finished behind Kansas in the Big 12 standings and also fell to the Jayhawks in the conference championship, defeated the likes of Tennessee, UCLA, and Kansas throughout the season. The Governors secured their NCAA tournament berth by winning the Ohio Valley conference.

The South’s No. 8-No.9-game is between Mississippi State and Oregon. The Bulldogs won the SEC West title for the fourth time in six years, and finished second in the overall conference standings. The Ducks finished in the middle of the Pac-10 standings, but recorded wins over Stanford and Kansas State during the season.

The region’s top team, No. 1 Memphis, closes out Friday’s play against No. 16 Texas-Arlington. The Tigers dominated Conference USA, finishing 14-0 in league action and winning the postseason tournament. Memphis, 33-1, lost only one game all season, falling to Tennessee in February. The Mavericks won the Southland tournament to secure their first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament.

Friday’s Schedule
No. 1 Memphis vs. No. 16 Texas-Arlington
No. 8 Mississippi St. vs. No. 9 Oregon
No. 7 Miami (Fla.) vs. No. 10 St. Mary’s
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 15 Austin Peay
West Region

Thursday’s Games

The West Region opens play Thursday with No. 14 Georgia against No. 3 Xavier. The Bulldogs booked their trip to the NCAA tournament by putting together an improbable run to win the SEC tournament. Xavier won the Atlantic 10 regular-season crown before falling to St. Joseph’s in the conference championship.

No. 6 Purdue takes on No. 11 Baylor in afternoon action. The Bears are making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1988. The Boilermakers finished second in the Big Ten standings behind Wisconsin, a team Purdue beat twice.

Perennial tournament threat No. 2 Duke faces No. 15 Belmont in the opening round. The Blue Devils finished second — behind North Carolina — in the ACC standings, and lost to Clemson in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Duke topped the likes of the Tar Heels and Wisconsin during the season. Belmont clinched its berth in the NCAA tournament by winning the Atlantic Sun conference.

In the West’s evening action, No. 8 BYU takes on No. 9 Texas A&M. Led by its tough defense, BYU won the Mountain West regular-season crown. The Aggies had an up-and-down season en route to finishing in the middle of the Big 12 standings. But Texas A&M recorded notable victories over Texas and Kansas State.

No. 10 Arizona, who is playing the season without long-time coach Lute Olson, opens tournament action against No. 7 West Virginia. The Wildcats finished near the bottom of the Pac-10 standings, but recorded wins over the likes of UNLV, USC and Washington State. West Virginia finished in a tie for fifth in the Big East standings, but recorded victories over Pittsburgh and Connecticut.

Thursday’s action concludes in the West Region with top-ranked No. 1 UCLA taking on Mississippi Valley State. The Bruins won the Pac-10 regular-season and postseason titles en route to compiling a 31-3 record. UCLA’s only losses came against USC, Texas and Washington.

Thursday’s Schedule
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 Mississippi Valley St.
No. 8 BYU vs. No. 9 Texas A&M
No. 6 Purdue vs. No. 11 Baylor
No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 14 Georgia
No. 7 West Virginia vs. No. 10 Arizona
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Belmont
Friday’s Games
Friday’s slate features just two first-round games.

In the first contest, No. 5 Drake takes on No. 12 Western Kentucky. The Bulldogs won the Missouri Valley conference with a 15-3 league record, and a 28-4 mark overall. The Hilltoppers are making their first NCAA tournament appearance in five years after winning the Sun Belt conference tournament.

The day’s final game is between No. 4 Connecticut and No. 13 San Diego. Led by point guard A.J. Price, the Huskies finished fourth in the Big East standings and recorded wins over the likes of Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and West Virginia. The Toreros, which finished third in the WCC standings, downed Kentucky at the end of December.

Friday’s Schedule
No. 5 Drake vs. No. 12 Western Kentucky
No. 4 Connecticut vs. No. 13 San Diego

Source:local10