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March Madness is officially here — the 2017 NCAA tournament tipped off a couple of hours ago, so we’re just a tad late on this one, but there’s still a lot of basketball to play. So here you go!
Two of the more interesting matchups are coming down the stretch right now: the 5/12 pairings between Notre Dame and Princeton, and Virginia and UNC Wilmington. Both have been competitive — the Seahawks held a big lead early, but as Tony Bennett teams are wont to do, the Cavaliers have crawled back in for a halftime lead — and look like they’re headed for close finishes.
Here’s today’s TV schedule; all games are being streamed on NCAA.com.
2017 NCAA tournament TV schedule, Day 1
| Game | Date | Tip Time (ET) | Network | Site | Commentators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Tip Time (ET) | Network | Site | Commentators |
| (5) Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. (12) Princeton Tigers | March 16 | 12:15 p.m. | CBS | Buffalo | Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce |
| (5) Virginia Cavaliers vs. (12) UNC Wilmington Seahawks | March 16 | 12:40 p.m. | truTV | Orlando | Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn |
| (4) Butler Bulldogs vs. (13) Winthrop Eagles | March 16 | 1:30 p.m. | TNT | Milwaukee | Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington |
| (1) Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. (16) South Dakota State Jackrabbits | March 16 | 2 p.m. | TBS | Salt Lake City | Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl |
| (4) West Virginia Mountaineers vs. (13) Bucknell Bison | March 16 | Approx. 2:45 | CBS | Buffalo | Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce |
| (4) Florida Gators vs. (13) East Tennessee State Buccaneers | March 16 | Approx. 3 p.m. | truTV | Orlando | Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn |
| (5) Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. (12) Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | March 16 | Approx. 4 p.m. | TNT | Milwaukee | Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington |
| (8) Northwestern Wildcats vs. (9) Vanderbilt Commodores | March 16 | Approx. 4:30 p.m. | TBS | Salt Lake City | Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl |
| (6) Maryland Terrapins vs. (11) Xavier Musketeers | March 16 | 6:50 p.m. | TNT | Orlando | Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn |
| (1) Villanova Wildcats vs. (16) Mt. St. Mary's | March 16 | 7:10 p.m. | CBS | Buffalo | Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce |
| (7) Saint Mary's Gaels vs. (10) VCU Rams | March 16 | 7:20 p.m. | truTV | Salt Lake City | Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl |
| (4) Purdue Boilermakers vs. (13) Vermont Catamounts | March 16 | 7:27 p.m. | TBS | Milwaukee | Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington |
| (3) Florida State Seminoles vs. (14) Florida Gulf Coast Eagles | March 16 | Approx. 9:20 p.m. | TNT | Orlando | Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn |
| (8) Wisconsin Badgers vs. (9) Virginia Tech Hokies | March 16 | Approx. 9:40 p.m. | CBS | Buffalo | Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce |
| (2) Arizona Wildcats vs. (15) North Dakota Fighting Hawks | March 16 | Approx. 9:50 p.m. | TBS | Salt Lake City | Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl |
| (5) Iowa State Cyclones vs. (12) Nevada Wolf Pack | March 16 | Approx. 9:57 p.m. | truTV | Milwaukee | Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington |
Today is a day primed for upsets. Beyond the closeness of the two games finishing up now, kenpom.com has predicted these two games to be virtual toss-ups: No. 11 Xavier vs. No. 6 Maryland and No. 12 Middle Tennessee State and No. 5 Minnesota. And there are sure to be more — I particularly like No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast to shock No. 3 Florida State.
And then, of course, there’s always the opportunity for you to root for Gonzaga to be the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16. (Kenpom calls that 98 percent for the Zags, but we can dare to dream, right??)
Discuss below. Go Cougs!