Previews, tip times and TV channels for Sunday’s NCAA Tournament games
EAST REGION
At Charlotte, N.C.
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Virginia, 11:10 a.m. (CBS)
A rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 game when the fourth-seeded Spartans prevailed over the top-seeded Cavaliers. The good news for Virginia, in its Round of 64 win over Belmont on Friday, was the play of Justin Anderson, who had 15 points in 26 minutes. He didn’t score in the ACC tournament after missing the previous eight games.
▪ Pick: Virginia 61-59
At Columbus, Ohio
No. 11 Dayton vs. No. 3 Oklahoma, 5:10 p.m. (TNT)
With its victory over Providence, the Flyers kept alive the streak of at least one victory in the Round of 64 for teams that came through the play-in games. Dayton takes on an Oklahoma team that won its first NCAA game since 2009, beating Albany 69-60.
▪ Pick: Oklahoma 75-70
At Seattle
No. 5 Northern Iowa vs. No. 4 Louisville, about 8:40 p.m. (TBS)
The Cardinals gutted out a victory over UC Irvine, while Northern Iowa won impressively over Wyoming. It was the Panthers’ first NCAA victory since beating top-seeded Kansas in 2010. Missouri Valley player of the year Sean Tuttle had 14 points and nine rebounds for Northern Iowa.
▪ Pick: Northern Iowa 55-52
MIDWEST REGION
At Omaha, Neb.
No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 2 Kansas, 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
The NCAA Tournament brings together teams that haven’t met since 1993. Point guards Fred VanVleet of Wichita State and Frank Mason of Kansas were the key figures in the teams’ Friday victories. Kansas’ leading scorer Perry Ellis ended his Wichita Heights High career as the school’s career scoring leader.
▪ Pick: Kansas 64-61
At Columbus, Ohio
No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 4 Maryland, about 7:40 p.m. (TNT)
The Mountaineers got guard Juwan Staten and Gary Browne back for the NCAA Tournament. They had been out a few weeks with injuries. Staten finished with 15 against Buffalo on Friday. Maryland held off Valparaiso with freshmen guard Melo Trimble and Jared Nickens making seven of the Terps’ nine three-pointers.
▪ Pick: Maryland 68-62
WEST REGION
At Omaha, Neb.
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 1 Wisconsin, about 6:45 p.m. (truTV)
Ducks coach Dana Altman, the former Creighton coach, looks for a little hometown magic against the top-seeded Badgers. Oregon’s Joe Young was sensational late in the first half against Oklahoma State on Friday and finished with 27 points. Wisconsin knocked the Ducks out of the last year’s tournament in this round.
▪ Pick: Wisconsin 85-77
SOUTH REGION
At Charlotte, N.C.
No. 8 San Diego State vs. No. 1 Duke, about 1:40 p.m. (CBS)
Dwayne Polee knocked down five of seven three-pointers in leading the Aztecs past St. John’s on Friday. The 76-64 victory was an encouraging performance offensively by San Diego State, which stands 305th in the nation in scoring at 61.8 points per game. Duke brushed off Robert Morris and at least one fan is pulling for the Blue Devils to go all the way. The one remaining perfect bracket after Friday’s games — of the 11.57 million submitted to ESPN — had Duke winning the title.
▪ Pick: Duke 70-60
At Seattle
No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 2 Gonzaga, 6:10 p.m. (TBS)
The Hawkeyes and Aaron White were jaw-dropping good against Davidson. White scored 13 straight points early in the second half on his way to 26 points as Iowa won its first NCAA game since 2001. Kyle Wiltjer scored 23 for offensively-efficient Gonzaga against North Dakota State.
▪ Pick: Gonzaga 84-78
To reach Blair Kerkhoff, call 816-234-4730 or send email to bkerkhoff@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BlairKerkhoff.
This story was originally published March 21, 2015 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Previews, tip times and TV channels for Sunday’s NCAA Tournament games."