First Four winners Presbyterian, Vanderbilt, Arizona and Holy Cross will round out the field of 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Now, things begin to get mad!
Sixteen games are on schedule for Friday, Mar. 22, beginning with No. 9-seed Michigan State vs. No. 8-North Carolina at 11:30 a.m. ET (ESPN2). No. 1 overall-seed South Carolina begins their expected march toward Cleveland at 2 p.m. ET (ESPN), taking on fellow South Carolinians in No. 16-seed Presbyterian. No. 3-seed LSU’s national title defense starts with a matchup against No. 14-seed Rice at 4 p.m. ET (ESPN).
Amongst all the action, here are three things to keep a closer eye on:
Will the Thundering Herd run over the Hokies?
On Thursday, it was confirmed that Virginia Tech grad center Elizabeth Kitley will miss the NCAA Tournament with a torn ACL. Kitley shared the news on Instagram.
As Eric Nemchock emphasized when highlighting four key tournament storylines, Kitley gave Virginia Tech their offensive identity. During the ACC Tournament, the Hokies were adrift without her. The question now is not whether Virginia Tech can return to the Final Four, but if they can win their first-round matchup against a sneaky-tough No. 13 seed in Marshall, the Sun Belt regular season and tournament champs who are on 10-game winning streak. The Hokies and Thundering Herd meet at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
While the Hokies have lost their identity with Kitley’s absence, the Herd are confident in theirs. Marshall runs and guns, shoot and scores. The Thundering Herd are unafraid to bomb away, taking a nation-leading 31.7 3-pointers per game. Senior guard Abby Beeman (Sun Belt Player of the Year), junior guard Aislynn Hayes and sophomore guard Sydni Scott all average more than five 3-point attempts per game. Marshall also effectively corrals their misfires from behind the arc, ranking fifth nationally in offensive rebounding via a team effort on the glass. Marshall’s relentlessness also transfers to the other side of the floor, where they swipe 13.4 steals per game. Beeman and senior guard Breanna Campbell average at least two steals per contest.
If Marshall makes this a high-paced affair, Virginia Tech will need an all-word effort from senior guard Georgia Amoore to avoid the upset.
Can Maryland continue their streak?
Maryland and head coach Brenda Frese have made every NCAA Tournament since 2011; they’ve only missed one tournament since 2004, the 2010 edition. And every time Frese’s Terps have made the tournament, they’ve won their first-round game. But, the streak is on shaky ground, as the usually high-seeded Terrapins are a No. 10 seed and enter their first-round matchup against No. 7-seed Iowa State as underdogs. The contest between the Cyclones and Terrapins tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Cyclones are coming off a trip to Big 12 Tournament title game, riding the smooth offensive stylings of freshman big Audi Crooks. The Terrapins’ season, in contrast, has lacked any momentum-generating highs. Despite the do-it-all talent of junior guard Shyanne Sellers, who leads the Terps with 15.5 points and 5.5 assists per game, the gap-filling play of grad wing Jakia Brown-Turner and some sharpshooters in sophomore guard Bri McDaniel (39.3 percent from 3) and grad wing Brinae Alexander (39.1 percent from 3), Maryland has not alchemized into the “exceeds expectations” kind of team that customarily comes from College Park. However, if Sellers is correct and the Terps are “peaking at the right time,” could a streak-extending win in Round 1 kickstart a Cinderella run?
An Aggies-Huskers late-night thriller?
Might the last game of the day be the best game of the day? Tune in for No. 11-seed Texas A&M and No. 6-seed Nebraska at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Nebraska has made a name for themselves in matchups against Iowa, first upsetting the Hawkeyes on Feb. 11 and then nearly holding off Caitlin Clark and company for the Big Ten Tournament title. The Cornhuskers surround the post scoring of junior center Alexis Markowski with shooters like freshman guard Logan Nissley (39 percent from 3), while grad guard Jaz Shelley orchestrates the action. Markowski averages a double-double of 15.9 points and 10.8 boards per game; Shelley assists 5.6 scores per game.
Texas A&M does not have a signature win comparable to Nebraska’s upset of Iowa, but the Aggies can claim a hard-fought defeat at the hands of South Carolina. Crushed by the Gamecocks during the regular season, the Aggies made it a physical, four-quarter fight in the SEC Tournament, falling by just nine points to a team that has made double-digit conference wins part of their brand. Senior guard Aicha Coulibaly turned in a career-best performance, scoring 26 points in the second half and 32 overall. For the season, she leads the Aggies with 13.2 points per game. Sophomore forward Janiah Barker also has big-game potential. Although the former top recruit has yet to explode into a superstar, she can look like one of the best players in the women’s game when everything is clicking, with her outlier, athletic gifts amplifying her refining skillset.
If A&M can generate enough offensive juice to support their consistent defensive intensity, then an upset could be in order.
Game information
No. 9-seed Michigan State (22-8) vs. No. 8-seed North Carolina (19-12)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 11:30 a.m. ET
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC
How to watch: ESPN2
No. 15-seed Maine (24-9) vs. No. 2-seed Ohio State (22-5)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 12 p.m. ET
Where: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH
How to watch: ESPN
No. 11-seed Middle Tennessee State (29-4) vs. No. 6-seed Louisville (24-9)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 1:30 p.m. ET
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA
How to watch: ESPN2
No. 16-seed Presbyterian (21-14) vs. No. 1-seed South Carolina (32-0)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC
How to watch: ESPN
No. 10-seed Richmond (29-5) vs. No. 7-seed Duke (20-11)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH
How to watch: ESPN News
No. 16-seed Drexel (19-14) vs. No. 1-seed Texas (30-4)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Moody Center in Austin, TX
How to watch: ESPNU
No. 13-seed Marshall (26-6) vs. No. 4-seed Virginia Tech (24-7)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA
How to watch: ESPN2
No. 14-seed Rice (19-14) vs. No. 3-seed LSU (28-5)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 4 p.m. ET
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA
How to watch: ESPN
No. 13-seed Portland (21-12) vs. No. 4-seed Kansas State (25-7)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 4:30 p.m. ET
Where: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS
How to watch: ESPN News
No. 9-seed Florida State (23-10) vs. No. 8-seed Alabama (23-9)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Moody Center in Austin, TX
How to watch: ESPN2
No. 12-seed Vanderbilt (23-9) vs. No. 5-seed Baylor (24-7)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA
How to watch: ESPNU
No. 12-seed Drake (29-5) vs. No. 5-seed Colorado (22-9)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS
How to watch: ESPN News
No. 10-seed Maryland (19-13) vs. No. 7-seed Iowa State (20-11)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA
How to watch: ESPN2
No. 14-seed Eastern Washington (29-5) vs. No. 3-seed Oregon State (24-7)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Gils Coliseum in Corvallis, OR
How to watch: ESPNU
No. 15-seed Norfolk State (27-5) vs. No. 2-seed Stanford (28-5)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 10 p.m. ET
Where: Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA
How to watch: ESPN
No. 11-seed Texas A&M (19-12) vs. No. 6-seed Nebraska (22-11)
When: Friday, Mar. 22 at 10:30 p.m. ET
Where: Gills Coliseum in Corvallis, OR
How to watch: ESPNU
