Sports

Three must-see games for Day 3 of NCAA tournament

The Post highlights three games that are must-see as the NCAA tournament hits full swing with 16 games on Thursday.

(6) Butler vs. (11) Bucknell – East Region, 12:40 p.m., truTV

The tournament darlings from Indiana go against another school that’s known for first-round surprises.

As a No. 14 seed in 2005, Bucknell stunned Kansas in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, but this year’s version is not nearly as big a Cinderella. Senior center Mike Muscala led the Bison to a 28-5 season and Patriot League championship. He will face an interior featuring Butler big man Andrew Smith.

Both teams are capable of beating Marquette (assuming the Golden Eagles get past Davidson) in the third round, and it should be a tight contest in Lexington.

(5) Oklahoma State vs. (12) Oregon — Midwest Region, 4:40 p.m. TNT

The Ducks were one of the first teams announced during the Selection Show on Sunday evening, and a collective, “huh” rang out when they were shown as a No. 12 seed.

Oregon finished the regular season with double-digit losses to Colorado and Utah, but then rolled to a Pac-12 title. But the Ducks’ tough luck extends to Oklahoma State, who now gets an extremely tricky matchup as a No. 5 seed. Freshman Marcus Smart and forward Le’Bryan Nash will try and get the Cowboys past Oregon, but it will be a battle in San Jose.

UPSET SPECIAL

(4) Michigan vs. (13) South Dakota State – 7:15 p.m., CBS

South Dakota State makes its second straight trip to the Big Dance after losing a 68-60 contest to Baylor, who would lose to eventual champion Kentucky in the Elite Eight, in the second round last year.

That experience and the senior leadership of star guard Nate Wolters will make the Jackrabbits a difficult out for Michigan, who was No. 1 at one point this season. The Wolverines ended the season on a sour note – losing to Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarters – and have the memory of last year’s second-round upset against Ohio dancing through their heads.

Michigan point guard Trey Burke may prove to be too much, but this is no normal 4-13 matchup.