March Madness 2017: Day 2 preview, TV and online schedule, discussion thread

The 2017 NCAA tournament tipped off yesterday, and it was notable for its lack general drama.

Yes, Middle Tennessee State pulled off the routine 5/12 “upset,” and Vandy did a thing that caused us all to have to pause and pick our jaws up off the floor — especially as fans who have seen this before — and No. 11 Xavier beat No. 6 Maryland in an upset in name only. But the next closest thing we got was Princeton almost beating Notre Dame, and the higher seeds won the vast majority of the games.

It was mildly interesting, but not what we’ve come to hope for from March Madness. Maybe today will be better.

Here’s today’s TV schedule; all games are being streamed on NCAA.com.

Michigan/Oklahoma State is a 7/10, which isn’t the sort of matchup you typically eagerly anticipate since there’s no chance for an epic upset, but both teams like to get up and down the floor and feature excellent offenses — it’s likely to be a highly entertaining game that will hopefully set the tone for the day.

I’m also looking forward to another 7/10 matchup: Dayton and Wichita State. That game will look very different from the previous 7/10, as defense is the calling card of both. Once upon a time, our school took great pride in its defense; if you remember those days, you’ll appreciate this matchup between two of the better coaches in the country. (Also, the advanced metrics looooooove the Shockers. Perhaps we’ll see why.)

A good candidate for an upset is Creighton — kenpom.com thinks the Blue Jays are a little overseeded at a 6 and Rhode Island a bit underseeded at 11, so the Rams could be in prime position.

Discuss below. Go Cougs!