Yahoo Finance March Madness: The complete schedule for Saturday's first-round games
The second day of the first round of the NCAA tournament comes on a Saturday. That's a departure from previous years where the first Saturday of the tournament marked the beginning of the second round. Here's your TV viewing guide for the East and West Region games on Saturday. The first of 16 games tips off at just past Noon ET. All times listed below are Eastern and odds are provided by BetMGM.
Afternoon games
No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Georgetown (East)
Colorado -6, O.U 138.5
12:15 p.m., CBS
Georgetown got into the tournament by winning the Big East title. Colorado lost the Pac-12 tournament title game to Oregon State. The Buffs are the second-best free throw shooting team in the country (83 percent).
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 13 UNC Greensboro (East)
Florida State -10, O/U 144.5
12:45 p.m., TruTV
Greensboro won every game in the Southern tournament by eight points or more. Florida State shoots 39 percent from behind the three-point line but has lost three of its last five games.
No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 14 Eastern Washington (West)
Kansas -10.5, O/U 146.5
1:15 p.m., TBS
The Jayhawks get back big man David McCormack but will be without leading rebounder Jalen Wilson because of a positive COVID-19 test. Eastern Washington has gone 13-1 over its last 14 games.
No. 8 LSU vs. No. 9 St. Bonaventure (East)
LSU -1, O/U 143.5
1:45 p.m., TNT
St. Bonaventure has a six-man rotation and is one of the better defensive teams in the country. LSU has future NBA players in Cameron Thomas and Trendon Watford and averages over 80 points per game. This may be the best first-round game of the tournament.
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Texas Southerm
Michigan -26, O/U 142.5
3 p.m., CBS
Michigan shouldn’t have to stress too much even without Isaiah Livers. Texas Southern beat Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday to advance to Saturday’s first-round game.
No. 5 Creighton vs. No. 12 UC Santa Barbara (West)
Creighton -7, O/U 138.5
3:30 p.m., TruTV
Creighton shoots over 56 percent from inside the arc and beat UConn in the semifinals of the Big East tournament. The Gauchos have lost just once since back-to-back losses against UC Irvine on Dec. 27 and 28.
No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Iona (East)
Alabama -16.5, O/U 146.5
4 p.m., TBS
The Crimson Tide are aiming to be the first school since Florida in 2009 to win the football and men’s basketball national titles in the same year. Iona’s tournament bid means Rick Pitino is coaching in his first NCAA tournament since his final season at Louisville in 2017.
No. 6 USC vs. No. 11 Drake (West)
USC -6, O/U 135
4:30 p.m., TNT
USC freshman Evan Mobley is a potential top-five pick in the 2021 NBA draft. Mobley averages nearly 17 points and over 8 rebounds per game. Drake survived some long scoring droughts to come back and hang on to beat Wichita State in a play-in game Thursday night.
Evening games
No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Grand Canyon (West)
Iowa -14.5, O/U 144.5
6:25 p.m., TBS
Iowa’s Luka Garza averages nearly 24 points and nine rebounds a game. How much will Grand Canyon coach Bryce Drew use center Asbjorn Midtgaard on him defensively? Midtgaard averaged nearly a double-double this season.
No. 7 UConn vs. No. 10 Maryland (East)
UConn -3.5, O/U 128.5
7:10 p.m., CBS
Maryland got into the tournament with the most losses (13) of any at-large team. UConn won its final four games of the regular season and five in a row overall before losing to Creighton in the Big East tournament.
No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 13 Ohio (West)
Virginia -7, O/U 130.5
7:15 p.m., TruTV
Virginia has spent much of the past week in quarantine after a postive COVID-19 test forced the Cavaliers out of the ACC tournament. Before that, UVA had won three straight games after a three-game losing streak. Ohio has lost just once in its last 10 games and all but one of those wins have been three or more possessions.
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Missouri (West)
Oklahoma -1, O/U 138.5
7:25 p.m., TNT
Oklahoma will be without No. 2 scorer De’Vion Harmon after he tested positive for COVID-19. Both of thee teams were ranked in the top 10 at some point this season before stumbling toward the finish line. And the winner is rewarded with a likely game against Gonzaga in the second round.
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 Norfolk State (West)
Gonzaga -33.5, O/U 154.5
9:20 p.m., TBS
Norfolk State blew a 16-point halftime lead before retaking the lead and hanging on to beat Appalachian State on Thursday night in a play-in game. The undefeated Zags shouldn’t have much issue with the Spartans.
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 UCLA (East)
BYU -4, O/U 138.5
9:40 p.m., CBS
UCLA beat Michigan State in overtime on Thursday night and gets a BYU team that has lost six games this season. Three of those losses came to Gonzaga. Both teams lost to USC this season.
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 14 Abilene Christian (East)
Texas -9, O/U 139.5
9:50 p.m., TruTV
The Longhorns have won five straight games and were Big 12 tournament champions. Abilene Christian has lost just twice since 2021 started and is the best team at forcing turnovers in the country.
No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 VCU (West)
Oregon -5, O/U 137.5
9:57 p.m., TNT
The Ducks had won six consecutive games before losing to in-state rival Oregon State in the Pac-12 tournament. VCU blocks a lot of shots and forces a lot of turnovers.
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