12:15 p.m. — The battle for Ohio
The NCAA Tournament kicks off with No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Dayton (CBS), as these two Buckeye State schools meet in Buffalo. Ohio State is led by scrappy point guard Aaron Craft, whose jumper isn’t pretty but tenacious defense results in 2.6 steals a game. Don’t overlook the Flyers — they’ve beaten NCAA teams including Gonzaga and Saint Louis this season.
1:40 p.m. — Some “upset”
Pittsburgh may be the lower seed against Colorado (TBS), but don’t tell the oddsmakers, who have the nine-seed Panthers as six-point favorites against the Pac-12 foes. One potential reason for disparity: Colorado is playing without Spencer Dinwiddie, the team’s leading scorer (14.7) who is out for the season with a knee injury suffered in January.
2:10 p.m. — Can Harvard do it again?
The Crimson won the first NCAA Tournament game in the Ivy League school’s history last year, topping New Mexico in the first round. They’ve got another stiff test this year, facing No. 5 Cincinnati (TNT). The Bearcats rely heavily on Sean Kilpatrick for scoring, one of only two players who average double-digit scoring.
4:10 p.m. — Lambs to the slaughter
Top-overall No. 1 seed Florida should have its way with first-round “winner” Albany (TBS), but check in periodically to see if the Gators can cover the mammoth 22-point spread.
4:40 p.m. — Sparty party
Despite being seeded fourth, Michigan State appears to be the favorite to come out of the East Region. The Spartans get started against 13-seed Delaware, CAA conference champions (TNT).
7:20 p.m. — Upset alert
The first of two evening 12-seed vs. 5-seed games tips off, with first-round winner N.C. State taking on Saint Louis (TNT), then seven minutes later North Dakota State tips off against Oklahoma (TruTV). Led by ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren, N.C. State looked impressive routing Xavier and should be a popular upset pick against its Atlantic 10 opponents. North Dakota State, meanwhile, played in the obscure Summit League, but senior guard Taylor Braun leads the Bison in scoring (18.0), rebounds (5.5) and assists (4.0).
9:50 p.m. — Student vs. teacher
Manhattan coach Steve Masiello meets his former boss, Rick Pitino, when the 13th-seeded Jaspers face off with defending champion Louisville (TNT). The MAAC champions are big underdogs, but here’s a good omen: Every 10 years or so, the Jaspers knock off a high seed in the first game. In 2004, they beat Florida, and in 1995, they toppled Oklahoma.
9:57 p.m. — The nightcap
The marathon day wraps up with a West Coast matchup, fourth-seeded San Diego St. vs. 13-seed New Mexico State (TruTV). San Diego State ran off a 29-4 season in relative obscurity, but the Aztecs have beaten two tournament teams seeded higher than they are (No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Creighton). Don’t count out New Mexico State, though. The Aggies are playing in their fourth NCAA Tournament in five years, and nearly knocked off Michigan State in 2010, falling 70-67.