Preview Roundups
March 16, 2018
Providence at Texas A&M 12:15 PM ET
Providence advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season, and the 10th-seeded Friars will meet No. 7 seed Texas A&M in the West Region on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. Providence finished in a three-way tie for third in the Big East before playing in three straight overtime games in the conference tournament, including a loss to Villanova in the championship game on Saturday.
Cal St. Fullerton at Purdue 12:40 PM ET
After reaching the Sweet 16 of last year's NCAA Tournament, Purdue has bigger plans this time around. The second-seeded Boilermakers head to Detroit on Friday to take on 15th-seeded Cal State Fullerton in the East Region's first round of the Big Dance.
Marshall at Wichita St. 1:30 PM ET
Wichita State begins its journey in the NCAA Tournament as a fourth seed when it meets No. 13 Marshall on Friday in the first round of the East Region in San Diego. The Shockers, who lost to Houston 77-74 in the American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals Saturday, boast a veteran team which reached the Sweet 16 in 2015 and 2016 before losing to Kentucky in the second round in 2017.
Georgia St at Cincinnati 2:00 PM ET
Cincinnati has made a habit of long winning streaks en route to winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament, and the Bearcats look to keep rolling as their journey in the Big Dance begins Friday against Georgia State in the South Region at Nashville, Tenn. The second-seeded Bearcats enter the NCAA Tournament with seven straight wins, including a 56-55 triumph over Houston in Sunday’s conference title game, to give the program back-to-back 30-victory seasons for the first time.
Lipscomb at North Carolina 2:45 PM ET
North Carolina begins defense of its NCAA Tournament title as the No. 2 seed in the West Region when it meets 15th-seeded Lipscomb in Friday's first round at Charlotte, N.C. The Tar Heels, who are coming off a 71-63 loss to Virginia in the AAC Tournament championship game Saturday, are trying for their seventh national championship after defeating Gonzaga 71-65 in 2017 and losing in the 2016 title game to Villanova 77-74 on a last-second shot.
Butler at Arkansas 3:10 PM ET
Tenth seed Butler and No. 7 Arkansas find themselves in the same region of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, only this time with much different seeds. The Bulldogs and Razorbacks, who will meet Friday in the first round of the East Region at Detroit, were eliminated by eventual champion North Carolina last season in the South Region.
Murray St. at West Virginia 4:00 PM ET
West Virginia takes its pressing defense into a fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance when it takes on No. 12 seed Murray State in the first round of the East Region on Friday in San Diego. The fifth-seeded Mountaineers, who were knocked out in the Sweet 16 by Gonzaga last season, utilized their frenetic style to force 16.5 turnovers per game - 10th-most in the country - and record a turnover margin of plus-five, third nationally.
Texas at Nevada 4:30 PM ET
Texas overcame a ton of adversity to get back to the NCAA Tournament. The 10th-seeded Longhorns' reward is trying to stop seventh-seeded Nevada's high-powered offense in the first round of the South Region in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday.
Kansas State at Creighton 6:50 PM ET
Marcus Foster was the leading scorer at Kansas State his freshman and sophomore years, but the senior shooting guard will be up against his former team when eighth-seeded Creighton plays the No. 9 Wildcats in the first round of the South Region on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. Foster transferred to Creighton after the 2014-15 season and last week was named first-team all-Big East for the second straight year.
Bucknell at Michigan St 7:10 PM ET
Michigan State starts its drive for an eighth Final Four appearance under coach Tom Izzo when it faces Bucknell in a first-round contest in the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region on Friday in Detroit. The Spartans, the region's No. 3 seed, won the Big Ten Conference regular-season title but had their 13-game winning streak snapped by Michigan in the league tournament semifinals, while the 14th-seeded Bison won the regular-season and tournament titles in the Patriot League.
Texas Southern at Xavier 7:20 PM ET
Xavier was on the cusp of its first-ever Final Four last season as a No. 11 seed, and Chris Mack's squad hopes it can finally break through that glass ceiling after securing a No. 1 seed for the first time in school history in 2017-18. The Musketeers begin what they hope is another deep run with a first-round matchup Friday in the West Region against 16th-seeded Texas Southern in Nashville, Tenn.
Charleston at Auburn 7:27 PM ET
Auburn let an otherwise sensational season get away from it down the stretch - and has little time to regroup as it prepares to face Charleston in an NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first-round game Friday in San Diego. Fourth-seeded Auburn was stunned by Alabama in the SEC Tournament and will take nothing for granted against the No. 13-seed Cougars, who won the Colonial Athletic Association title for their fifth tournament appearance.
MD Baltimore County at Virginia 9:20 PM ET
Top-seeded Virginia kicks off its pursuit of a national championship against Maryland-Baltimore County in the first round of the South Region on Friday at Charlotte, N.C. The Cavaliers are the clear No. 1 team in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament after capturing the ACC championship on Saturday, while the 16th-seeded Retrievers got into the tournament after a buzzer-beater win in the America East title game.
Syracuse at Texas Christian 9:40 PM ET
Jamie Dixon's first shot at coaching his alma mater resulted in a NIT championship run, while his second year at the helm of TCU resulted in the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 seasons. The sixth-seeded Horned Frogs seek their first win in the Big Dance since Dixon's senior season at the school Friday when they meet No. 11 seed Syracuse in first-round action of the Midwest Region in Detroit.
Florida State at Missouri 9:50 PM ET
Missouri survived an early season injury to heralded freshman Michael Porter Jr. to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013, but there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the team entering the event. The eighth-seeded Tigers will try to take care of business on the floor when they face No. 9 seed Florida State on Friday in the first round of the West Region in Nashville, Tenn.
New Mexico St. at Clemson 9:57 PM ET
Clemson is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven seasons, heading into a first-round matchup in the Midwest Regional on Friday in San Diego against No. 12 seed New Mexico State. The fifth-seeded Tigers, who finished tied for third place in the rugged ACC, stumbled down the stretch by losing three games in a row before winning three of its final five games before succumbing to Virginia in the conference semifinals.