By Eric Horowitz

FRIDAY

Will Tenneessee get past America's Team in the first round, or will the season's climax be the Vols' ruining Memphis undefeated season last month. AP

Tennessee vs. American, 12:15 p.m.

AU (who shall henceforth be referred to as "America's Team") makes its first tournament appearance. No longer will the public be ignorant of its nickname (The Eagles), or the color of its jerseys (blue.) Meanwhile, Tennessee is already printing up T-shirts with its official 2008 slogan: "Hey ... remember when we beat Memphis"

Gonzaga vs. Davidson, 12:20 p.m.

Another mid-major showdown. It will be just like watching ESPN2 on that Saturday in February when nothing else is happening and they set up televised mid-major games. Prepare yourself for a 4300-percent increase in Del Curry face time.

Miami vs. St. Mary's, 12:30 p.m.

Speaking of mid-majors, a St. Mary's win would do wonders for Gonzaga and the entire WCC. TV networks can't hype Gonzaga vs. "Anonymous WCC Team," but they can sell Gonzaga vs. "that St. Mary's team you need to watch because they'll probably make the tournament." If this keeps up, the WCC could soon have enough money flowing through it for there to be a scandal.

Drake vs. Western Kentucky, 12:30 p.m.

Sometimes when the Jazz play a cellar-dwelling team from the East, Kyle Korver lets his brother, Klayton, suit up instead of him. Nobody ever notices.

Butler vs. South Alabama, 2:45 p.m.

A lot of people out there think Butler was screwed by the tournament committee. What they don't know is that mid-majors have to fill out an application to be considered for anything higher than a No. 7 seed, and this year Butler forgot to turn it in on time.

Georgetown vs. UMBC, 2:55 p.m.

It's a monumental accomplishment for a school to reach its first NCAA tournament. That's why UMBC made sure to celebrate its inaugural berth with ... uh ... a moderately sized cake and some quiet conversation. Because every game between geographic rivals must be called the "[medium of transportation between the two cities] Series," I'll go ahead and dub this the "Baltimore-Washington Parkway Series."

Texas vs. Austin Peay, 3:00 p.m.

Here is what Texas coach Rick Barnes had to say on the challenge of playing a tournament game in Little Rock:

"We're scheduled to come play Arkansas next year, and if the fans don't treat us well, we're not going to come. You can put that out there. I'm serious. We've got enough money here we can buy our way out of it. So, they'd better be good to us."

There's nothing like invoking the massive funding of your basketball program in order to threaten a crowd into cheering for you. Austin Peay will enjoy their home game.

UConn vs. San Diego, 3:00 p.m.

The NCAA put the kibosh on UConn's tours of ESPN, but if the Huskies reach the Final Four, Jim Calhoun promises to give his team a tour of the spacious, 500 square foot Norwich public television station.

UNC vs. Mount St. Mary's, 7:10 p.m.

Here's the one problem I see for North Carolina down the road: Because they don't have anymore home games, the next time Tyler Hansbrough bloodies up his jersey there won't be another one handily hanging in the rafters. Also, the team doesn't play any defense.

Oklahoma vs. St. Joseph's, 7:10 p.m.

St. Joseph's most impressive nonconference win came against Sienna. Oklahoma went 0-5 against the top three teams in the Big 12. St. Joseph's lost to Holy Cross. Oklahoma lost to Stephen F. Austin. Three words. N-I-T.

Vanderbilt vs. Sienna, 7:20 p.m.

Because there's a law that every NCAA tournament article has to have at least one upset pick (I think it's tacked onto the Patriot Act), let's go with Sienna over Vanderbilt. Vandy can't play away from home, and the MAAC is my favorite conference with a four-letter acronym.

Mississippi State vs. Oregon, 7:25 p.m.

The Bulldogs need just five wins to give guard Ben Hansbrough a chance to play his brother in the title game. Considering that Ben has Hansbrough genes, I don't see how he could possibly be defeated unless it was by another Hansbrough.

Louisville vs. Boise State, 9:40 p.m.

The last time Boise State made the NCAA tournament was in 1994. They were a No. 14 seed. They played Louisville in the first round. As you can see, the selection committee is not real creative with first round matchups.

Indiana vs. Arkansas, 9:40 p.m.

Eric Gordon is not happy about all the games Indiana might have play before it's time for the NBA. He has predraft workouts to schedule for God's sake! Why can't the NCAA be more accommodating?

Clemson vs. Villanova, 9:50 p.m.

There's nothing duller than a No. 5 vs. No. 12 game featuring two major conference teams. The good news is that K.C. Rivers and Trevor Booker (both are beasts) will be on the floor, as well as a Villanova team taking pride in snaring the final at-large bid. Villanova students should not be answering unidentified calls from Columbus, Blacksburg and Phoenix area codes.

Memphis vs. UT-Arlington, 9:55 p.m.

After a brutal Conference USA schedule, Memphis surely has a few minor skin lacerations and maybe even a blister or two. That's what happens when you bang bodies with the likes of East Carolina and Rice.