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| SI.com's Luke Winn gives his daily forecast of the NCAA tournament. |
| Thursday, March 20 (click here for Friday's picks) |
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12:20 p.m. ET
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No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 14 Holy Cross
It's a plotline straight out of a mob flick: Tom Crean is all grown up and pulling clout, with a C-USA title to his name -- and he's ready to make mincemeat of his coaching mentor, Ralph Willard, and his band of Crusaders ... but expect less bad blood here.
Golden Eagles 68, Crusaders 61 |
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12:25 p.m. ET
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No. 8 California vs. No. 9 N.C. State
Berkeley hoops fans were handed a raw deal by the selection committee -- a 9:25 a.m. PT start and a pairing with the hottest No. 9 in the field, the Wolfpack. A Cal undergrad who fails to set an alarm could have his late-morning cobwebs compounded with news that the Bears' season is no more.
Wolfpack 75, Golden Bears 71 |
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12:40 p.m. ET
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No. 8 Cincinnati vs. No. 9 Gonzaga
The last time the Bearcats were relegated to a No. 8 seed -- in 1994 -- they lost to Wisconsin in the first round. That game took place in Utah, just as this one will. Is any of this funny? No -- it's foreboding.
Zags 58, Bearcats 56 |
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2:40 p.m. ET
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No. 5 Connecticut vs. No. 12 BYU
Blame the hacks at the selection committee, not the devout Cougars, for creating a potential scenario that will send office pools up in flames. As an unfortunate consequence, BYU is an underdog without any endearing underdog qualities. Therefore, I'm taking the favorite.
Huskies 73, Cougars 59 |
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2:50 p.m. ET
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No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Southern Illinois
Just a year ago, famed rapper Ludacris put on a Saluki jersey and, under the alias Jermaine Dearman, led Southern Illinois into the Sweet 16. It made for wonderful headlines. Dearman is back in 2003, but Missouri will not fall victim to such trickery.
Tigers 69, Salukis 64 |
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2:55 p.m. ET
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No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 South Carolina State
Moses Malone made the jump from Virginia prep star to ABA forward and was an instant success; his son, Moses Jr., chose to attend college and is now a star guard for S.C. State. Oklahoma has taken note of this, I'm sure, but is not all that worried.
Sooners 86, Bulldogs 61 |
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3:10 p.m. ET
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No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Vermont
SI.com's Alexander Wolff, a Vermont native, is boldly picking the Catamounts to knock off Arizona, which was knocked off in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament by UCLA. I wish him good luck, but cannot bring myself to follow suit.
Wildcats 79, Catamounts 59 |
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5:10 p.m. ET
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No. 4 Stanford vs. No. 13 San Diego
The Cardinal's Josh Childress, he of the lanky build and substantial afro, and the Toreros' Jason Keep, he of the behemoth frame and tattoo-covered arms, are both characters you'd expect to find in a streetball video game. Expect San Diego to pull off a real-life upset, though, sans computer assistance.
Toreros 72, Cardinal 70 |
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7:10 p.m. ET
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No. 7 Memphis vs. No. 10 Arizona State
Time for trivia. Q: Who was the Ole Miss coach on the losing end of the Valparaiso-Bryce Drew miracle shot in 1998? A: Rob Evans, the current Sun Devil skipper. And where was that game played? In Oklahoma City, just like this one. Stave off the nightmares, Rob.
Tigers 80, Sun Devils 69 |
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7:10 p.m. ET
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No. 4 Illinois vs. No. 13 Western Kentucky
For the second straight season, the winner of the Big Ten tournament -- which ends after the selection committee has done much of their bracketing -- was handed a No. 4 seed. The Illini weren't particularly elated about being sent to the West Regional, either, so I won't joke about it.
Illini 75, Hilltoppers 64 |
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7:20 p.m. ET
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No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 11 Central Michigan
Seven-foot CMU junior Chris Kaman is the lottery pick you haven't heard of, destined for a place in the Todd MacCulloch-Evan Eschmeyer-Joel Pryzbilla pantheon of adequate, white NBA centers. Before Kaman leaves, however, he'll help give Creighton a taste of what it's like to actually be upset in the tournament.
Chippewas 78, Blue Jays 77 |
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7:25 p.m. ET
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No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 Weber State
The over-under on Harold "The Show" Arceneaux references during this game is five. Impress your friends with this background information: Arceneaux is averaging 20.2 ppg for Beauvais in France's ProB Ligue. But know too that Weber State's new gun is Jermaine Boyette, who, it pains me to say, may key an upset of the Badgers.
Wildcats 58, Badgers 56 |
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9:40 p.m. ET
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No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Possibly the coldest tournament team right now (the Irish) are seeded in prime upset position (a 5-12 game) against a red-hot team with a high-powered offense (Horizon tourney champ UW-M). The stars are aligned, but for some reason, I can't buy into it.
Fighting Irish 85, Panthers 80 |
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9:50 p.m. ET
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No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 15 Utah State
It seems like an unlikely career move, but Roy Williams is again being mentioned for an elite job opening, this time Steve Lavin's vacated chair at UCLA. Even if the talk poses some distraction during the tournament, it's unlikely to bother the Jayhawks here.
Jayhawks 91, Aggies 62 |
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9:50 p.m. ET
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No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Colorado State
This game will face stiff competition from Kansas-Utah State for "lamest late-night pairing," but if you have the stamina to keep watching, you'll be rewarded with a mild blowout and any number of ill-advised Chris Duhon 3s.
Blue Devis 80, Rams 61 |
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9:55 p.m. ET
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No. 4 Dayton vs. No. 13 Tulsa
This has the appearance of a second-round game pitting two schools fresh off of upsets, but Dayton's A-10 tourney title run has the Flyers sitting pretty with a No. 4 seed. UD is the pick, but how much optimism can either of these schools have, when Kentucky is just two games away?
Flyers 71, Golden Hurricane 66 |
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| On to Friday's picks ...
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