The next game to tip-off is American vs. Wisconsin at 12:40 p.m. Analysts have pointed out that American has a Princeton-style offense and a solid defense. The Badgers are of course known for a good defense and an OK offense, although it is actually pretty good this year. Either way, that game probably won't be too fun to watch because of a slow pace and blowout possibilities.
Pittsburgh vs. Colorado should be a good game, just because it is an 8 vs. 9 tossup and Pitt tends to play tight games. Harvard vs. Cincinnati should be good today, too. Harvard pulled a 3-14 upset last year by beating New Mexico. The Bearcats struggle offensively so it could be hard for them to pull away from the Crimson. Harvard plays solid 'D' and has five scorers in double figures so it will be hard to contend with. That game is also a classic 12 vs. 5 matchup that tends to have a decent number of upsets. Syracuse vs. Western Michigan could be interesting. Which Orange will show up? The one that lost five of seven games down the stretch or the one that soundly beat FSU in the regular-season finale? The Broncos turn the ball over a lot, so Syracuse tends to feast on teams that are careless with the ball. Saint Joseph's vs. Connecticut is another game to watch. The Hawks have played great ball down the stretch, winning the Atlantic 10 tournament championship over VCU. They are senior-laden so that usually helps in the Big Dance. The Huskies feature one of the top players in the country in Shabazz Napier. N.C. State vs. Saint Louis is another 12 vs. 5 matchup that could be an upset. N.C. State beat Syracuse in the ACC tournament and played Duke tough for a long time in the tournament semifinals. Those efforts helped the Wolfpack sneak in the tournament. They made the most of it by beating Xavier in the first round Tuesday and now face a struggling Saint Louis squad that has lost four of five. The Wolfpack's T.J. Warren was the ACC player of the year averaging around 24 ppg. The Billikens are known for great defense so how will they handle Warren? Will State show any fatigue? Will Saint Louis show rust? Got to love those 12 vs. 5 matchups. Oklahoma vs. North Dakota State is another one. The Sooners and Bison both score at an impressive clip so there should be plenty of scoring. The Sooners don't play good defense and NDSU averages the most points in the country. NDSU also has one of the best players in the tournament no one has heard of in Taylor Braun. Upset potential in this one. New Mexico State vs. San Diego State might be worth watching just to see NMSU center Sim Bhullar. He is 7-foot-5, 355 pounds. Wow. Can he give the Aztecs some trouble in the middle of the paint?
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