NCAA First Round Viewing Guide (Friday):

I tackled Thursday's games, now here's a look at what you can expect on Friday. Games on WDBJ in Lynchburg/Roanoke will be so noted.

#3 Syracuse vs. #14 Stephen F. Austin (12:15) - The Orange were the story of last week with their 6 overtime win over Connecticut. A lot of people will be watching to see if they come out tired and exit early or make another March run.
#8 Oklahoma State vs. #9 Tennessee (12:25, WDBJ) - Tennessee is one of those teams where you never know which team is going to show up. They can play like a Top 25 team or an NIT team. Oklahoma State had a big win in the Big 12 Tourney against Oklahoma. Either one of these teams can give Pitt a scare.
#6 Marquette vs. #11 Utah State (12:30) - Marquette should be on upset alert, as they have not played well without star Dominic James. Utah State has flown under the radar all year in compiling a 30-4 record. Any team with 30 wins can not be taken lightly.
#3 Kansas vs. #14 North Dakota St. (12:30) - North Dakota State is a great story, in the tournament in their first year of Division 1 eligibility. I don't think that will be enough to beat last year's champs though.

#6 Arizona State vs. #11 Temple (2:45) - Arizona State should be a tournament dark horse with James Harden. They have a tough first round test against a hot Temple team that won the A-10 Tournament. Expect this to be one of the better games of the day.
#1 Pittsburgh vs. #16 East Tennessee State (2:55) - Oh the vaunted 1/16 game. Not much reason to watch Pitt romp in this one.
#3 Missouri vs. #14 Cornell (3:00) - The Big Red are in the Tournament for the second straight year. But they face the tough task of beating a Missouri team that has far surpassed expectations this year and is a trendy pick to surprise some people this March.
#6 West Virginia vs. #11 Dayton (3:00, WDBJ) - The Mountaineers have a very good record in recent years in March, but if they want to make another tournament run they must beat a tough Dayton Flyers team.

And the night games...

#1 Louisville vs. #16 Morehead State (7:10) - Morehead State comes in this game off the high of winning the Play-In game. But they played Louisville already this year and lost by more than 30 points. That doesn't bode well for the rematch.
#5 Utah vs. #12 Arizona (7:10) - Arizona is the favorite as a 12 seed in this game, and while many people debated their Tournament merits, they have more talent than the Utes. Still, this should be a compelling 5/12 game.
#7 Boston College vs. #10 USC (7:20, WDBJ) - This is probably the Friday game I'm looking forward to the most. I'm curious to see how BC's offense does against USC's tough defense. The Trojans had a very inconsistent year but played very well in the Pac-1o Tournament.
#4 Xavier vs. #13 Portland State (7:25) - Xavier made a good Tournament run last year, and shouldn't have any trouble in this one. But I have to admit, I don't know anything about Portland State. They did beat Gonzaga though!

#8 Ohio State vs. #9 Siena (9:40) - Siena had another good year after a nice Tournament last year. They will face a tough test in a Buckeye team that is always well-coached. I could see this one going down to the wire.
#4 Wake Forest vs. #13 Cleveland State (9:40, WDBJ) - Wake Forest has had an interesting year to say the least. They certainly have a lot of talent and can beat anybody, but have also lost to less talented teams. I could see Wake losing here or winning 3 games.
#2 Michigan State vs. #15 Robert Morris (9:50) - Michigan State always plays well in March, and I am picking them to do good things this Tournament. They shouldn't have a tough time in this one.
#5 Florida State vs. #12 Wisconsin (9:55) - Many people have Florida State as a sleeper team, but they must get by a tough Wisconsin squad that always plays good defense. This should be one of the best games of the day that is played in the 50s.

I'll try to post a First Round recap after Thursday and Friday's games.