NCAA Tournament Preview: First Round

First off, yes I know that technically it's called the second round.  But I will continue to call the games on Tuesday and Wednesday the play-in round, and Thursday and Friday's games the first round.  I think most people are with me.  Interestingly enough, all five ACC teams in the field are playing on Friday.  So keep your clickers handy.  Here are the matchups:

#6 San Diego State vs. #11 N.C. State (12:40 p.m.)

A lot of people are favoring the Wolfpack in this matchup.  San Diego State wasn't expected to do much this year, coming off a year in which they had a #2 seed and got to the Sweet 16.  They lost their main players from last year's team to graduation.  But Steve Fisher is a terrific coach, and was able to get this team to overachieve.  They did slide a little bit towards the end of the season, but still ended up with a very nice 26-7 record.  N.C. State may be peaking at the end of the season, and comes in with a lot of confidence.  Interestingly, in the 9 categories that CBS Sports features in this matchup, San Diego State only ranks better in one category (rebounding).

#7 Florida vs. #10 Virginia (2:10 p.m.)

The Cavaliers stumbled a bit at the end of the season, but have a chance at a fresh start here.  They have a tough matchup against a Florida team that at one point was ranked in the Top 10.  Florida is a high scoring offense and heavily reliant on the 3.  They average 76 points per game, compared to Virginia's 63 points per game.  That being said, if the Cavaliers can shut down the outside shooting, they can turn this into the type of game that they want.  If I were Florida I would double Mike Scott in the low post and force either Sammy Zeglinski or Joe Harris to beat them.

#3 Florida State vs. #14 St. Bonaventure (2:45 p.m.)

Florida State is a trendy pick to make the Final Four, especially since Syracuse has one of its best players (Fab Melo) out for the rest of the season.  First they will have to deal with St. Bonaventure, which is coming off a surprising Atlantic 10 Tournament title.  The Bonnies have really come from the depths of a program coming off sanctions to respectability.  That is thanks in large part to Andrew Nicholson, who is projected to end up in the NBA.  Shut him down, and Florida State has the length to do it, and you can beat them.

#1 North Carolina vs. #16 Lamar/Vermont (4:10 p.m.)

The Tar Heels await the result of Wednesday night's play-in game to find out who they will face.  One possibility is Lamar, a team coached by Bob Knight's son Pat.  They are most noticeable for a rant that Knight had earlier this year, ripping his seniors.  Vermont is a more recognizable program, but are not nearly what they were under Tom Brennan.  North Carolina should be able to sit John Henson if they want to and still win this game by 30 points.

#2 Duke vs. #15 Lehigh (7:15 p.m.)

Duke will look to get off to a good start with an easy win in their first game.  They will take on Lehigh, a team out of the Patriot League with a solid 26-7 record.  Lehigh went 11-3 in conference, and played Michigan State to a 9 point game early in the season.  I don't expect Duke to struggle with them, but they certainly want Ryan Kelly to be healthy for them to be able to make a run in the tournament.