NCAA Tournament game previews, tipoff times, TV channels for Thursday, March 16
East Region
At Buffalo, N.Y.
No. 1 seed Villanova vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s
Time/TV: 6:10 p.m. on CBS
What to watch: Mount St. Mary’s got the NCAA Tournament off to fun start with a one-point victory over New Orleans. The reward? A date with the overall No. 1 seed and defending champion on a short turnaround. Josh Hart and company should have no problem extending the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament winning streak.
Prediction: Villanova 84-62
No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech
Time/TV: about 8:40 p.m. on CBS
What to watch: The Badgers looked a like a national title contender for most of the season but have lost their shooting touch of late. Still, this is an under-seeded team with Final Four veterans in Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig. The Hokies make their first NCAA appearance since 2007, but coach Buzz Williams got there five times in six seasons at Marquette.
Prediction: Wisconsin 69-64
At Orlando, Fla.
No. 5 Virginia vs. 12 UNC Wilmington
Time/TV: 11:40 a.m. on truTV
What to watch: The first upset alert is here. Last season as a No. 13 seed, the Seahawks led Duke at halftime before falling by eight. UNCW averages 85.2 points per game and faces a Virginia team that controls tempo. The Cavaliers are in the NCAA field for a fourth straight year, matching the school record from 1981-84.
Prediction: Virginia 75-64
No. 4 Florida vs. No. 13 East Tennessee State
Time/TV: about 2:10 p.m. on truTV
What to watch: Defense is the key for the Gators, who guard the perimeter well. Opponents shoot only 30.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Bucs are a veteran and high scoring team, averaging 79.9 points, and coach Steve Forbes has NCAA Tournament experience at Tennessee and Wichita State.
Prediction: East Tennessee State 70-69
West Region
At Salt Lake City
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 South Dakota State
Time/TV: 1 p.m. on TBS
What to watch: Jackrabbits forward Mike Daum is the nation’s second leading scorer at 25.3 points and has a 51-point this season. Gonzaga isn’t a great shooting team but the Zags rank fourth nationally in points per possession thanks greatly to one of the nation’s top guards in Nigel Goss-Williams.
Prediction: Gonzaga 90-74
No. 8 Northwestern vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt
Time/TV: about 3:30 p.m. on TBS
What to watch: The coaching sons game. Chris Collins’s dad, Doug, was an NBA coach. Chris has the Wildcats in the first NCAA Tournament in program history. Bryce Drew, part of the Drew coaching family led by dad Homer, had Vanderbilt playing well down the stretch. The Commodores were 9-11 at one point this season.
Prediction: Northwestern 68-66
No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 VCU
Time/TV: 6:20 p.m. on TBS
What to watch: Half of Saint Mary’s hails from Australia, including center and scoring leader Jock Landale. One thing that hasn’t changed in the coaching transition from Shaka Smart to Will Wade at VCU is the tenacious defense. Opponents have to find a way to solve the Rams’ pressure.
Prediction: VCU 81-75
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 15 North Dakota
Time/TV: about 8:50 p.m. on TBS
What to watch: First NCAA appearance for North Dakota, the Big Sky champion. Guard Quinton Hooker is the top guy at 19 points per game. Arizona is riding high into the postseason, and have the look of a team about to make a deep run.
Prediction: Arizona 91-77
At Buffalo, N.Y.
No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Princeton
Time/TV: 11:15 a.m. on CBS
What to watch: Don’t put the Fighting Irish at the line. They lead the nation in free throw percentage at 81 percent. Bonzie Colson is Notre Dame’s do everything forward, averaging a double-double. The Tigers roll into the tournament on an 18-game winning streak, including two in the first Ivy tournament.
Prediction: Notre Dame 77-71
No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Bucknell
Time/TV: about 1:45 p.m. on CBS
What to watch: The Mountaineers rebound and press as well as any team in the country. But they’ll have to get to Bucknell shooters. The Bison shoot 54.6 percent on twos and 37.7 percent on threes. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins didn’t like how his team played in the Big 12 Tournament. An upset looms if the Mountaineers don’t make some adjustments.
Prediction: West Virginia 87-76
At Orlando, Fla.
No. 6 Maryland vs. No. 11 Xavier
Time/TV: 5:50 p.m. on TNT
What to watch: Xavier needed time to adjust to guard Edmond Sumner’s torn ACL. This is coach Chris Mack’s seventh NCAA appearance in eight years at Xavier. Maryland started 20-2 but has lost six of its last 10, but in Melo Trimble have a player who can take over a game.
Prediction: Xavier 72-68
No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast
Time/TV: about 8:20 p.m. on TNT
What to watch: Florida Gulf Coast shoots 50.2 percent from the floor but the Eagles will be challenged by Florida State’s size, especially 6-10 freshman Jonathan Isaac. The Seminoles have beaten seven ranks teams this season but are 4-4 in their last eight games.
Prediction: Florida State 71-63
South Region
At Milwaukee
No. 4 Butler vs. No. 13 Winthrop
Time/TV: 12:30 p.m. on TNT
What to watch: Winthrop’s Keon Johnson, a 5-7 guard, is the Big South player of the year and averages 22.5 points. Butler went 3-0 against the current top two RPI teams, Villanova and Arizona. But the Bulldogs bring a two-game losing streak into the tournament.
Prediction: Butler 80-68
No. 5 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Middle Tennessee State
Time/TV: about 3 p.m. on TNT
What to watch: Great turnaround season for the Golden Gophers, who went from eight victories last season to 24 this year. Minnesota got a tough draw in the Blue Raiders, who pulled off the shocker last season by beating Michigan State. This Middle Tennessee State scores inside the three-point arc extremely well.
Prediction: Middle Tennessee State 67-64
Midwest Region
At Milwaukee
No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 Vermont
Time/TV: 6:27 p.m. on truTV
What to watch: The Catamounts bring a 21-game winning streak into the tournament, their last loss at Butler on Dec. 21. Big Ten champion Purdue was stung in the first round by Arkansas-Little Rock last year. The Boilermakers have one of the top players in the tournament in Caleb Swanigan, who averages 18.7 points and 12.6 rebounds.
Prediction: Purdue 74-64
No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 12 Nevada
Time/TV: about 8:57 p.m. on truTV
What to watch: Coach Eric Musselman’s Wolf Pack is led by Missouri State transfer Marcus Marshall, who averages 19.8 points. Nevada will have its hands full with Iowa State shooters like Monte Morris, Deonte Burton, Naz Mitrou-Long and Matt Thomas.
Prediction: Iowa State 83-77
Blair Kerkhoff: 816-234-4730, @BlairKerkhoff
This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 5:55 PM with the headline "NCAA Tournament game previews, tipoff times, TV channels for Thursday, March 16."