NCAA Tournament First Round Friday Viewers Guide: Schedule, Announcers, Lines

The first full day of action in the 2009 NCAA Tournament has ended, and most of the top seeds are still alive. #5 Illinois is the highest seed to bow out, losing to #12 Western Kentucky last night, but that was not all that surprising given the absence of Chester Frazier. (If it weren’t for my damn “system” I would have picked Western Kentucky. Oh well.)

Cal State Northridge and American U. looked they might provide some drama with strong first halves against favorites Memphis and Villanoa, but the big dogs came through in the end. That’s how most of these upset opportunities end up going — little guy hangs tough, gets everyone excited, then the favorite imposes their will in the second half — with a little guy sneaking through every now and then.

So, will Day 2 provide more drama than Day 1? It will certainly be more exciting, if for no other reason than the Gus Johnson announcing schedule includes four games today (including my upset of the first round: North Dakota State over Kansas).

It’s the NCAA Tournament, so who the hell knows. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, the complete opposite happens. The only thing for certain is the information below:

(Note: All times are ET, spreads are provided by BetUs.com and are of course subject to change, and don’t forget that you can watch all of the NCAA Tournament games online at March Madness On Demand. My picks are all based off of the 2009 NCAA Tournament bracket I published here a few days ago. Obviously once all of those picks turn out to be horribly wrong, I will stick pick the games but will not be beholden to my flawed bracket any longer.)

First Block of First Round Friday Games:

South #3 Syracuse v South #14 Stephen F. Austin

• Time: 12:15 PM
• Location: Miami
• Announcers: Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
• Point Spread: Syracuse -11 1/2
• Over-Under: 130 1/2
• My pick: Syracuse

East #8 Oklahoma State v East #9 Tennessee

• Time: 12:25 PM
• Location: Dayton
• Announcers: Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
• Point Spread: Tennessee -2 1/2
• Over-Under: 157
• My pick: Oklahoma State

Midwest #3 Kansas v Midwest #14 North Dakota State

• Time: 12:30 PM
• Location: Minneapolis
• Announcers: GUS JOHNSON and Len Elmore
• Point Spread: Kansas -9 1/2
• Over-Under: 144 1/2
• My pick: North Dakota State

West #6 Marquette v West #11 Utah State

• Time: 12:30 PM
• Location: Boise
• Announcers: Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel
• Point Spread: Marquette -4 1/2
• Over-Under: 142
• My pick: Marquette

Second Block of First Round Friday Games:

South #6 Arizona State v South #11 Temple

• Time: 2:45 PM
• Location: Miami
• Announcers: Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
• Point Spread: Arizona State -5 1/2
• Over-Under: 123 1/2
• My pick: Arizona State

East #1 Pittsburgh v East #16 E. Tennessee State

• Time: 2:55 PM
• Location: Dayton
• Announcers: Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
• Point Spread: Pittsburgh -19 1/2
• Over-Under: 148
• My pick: Pittsburgh

West #3 Missouri v West #14 Cornell

• Time: 3:00 PM
• Location: Boise
• Announcers: Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel
• Point Spread: Missouri -12 1/2
• Over-Under: 146
• My pick: Missouri

Midwest #6 West Virginia v Midwest #11 Dayton

• Time: 3:00 PM
• Location: Minneapolis
• Announcers: GUS JOHNSON and Len Elmore
• Point Spread: West Virginia -9 1/2
• Over-Under: 127 1/2
• My pick: West Virginia

Third Block of First Round Friday Games:

Midwest #1 Louisville v Midwest #16 Morehead State

• Time: 7:10 PM
• Location: Dayton
• Announcers: Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
• Point Spread: Louisville -20 1/2
• Over-Under: 131
• My pick: Louisville

Midwest #5 Utah v Midwest #12 Arizona

• Time: 7:10 PM
• Location: Miami
• Announcers: Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
• Point Spread: Utah -1 1/2
• Over-Under: 134 1/2
• My pick: Utah

Midwest #7 Boston College v Midwest #10 USC

• Time: 7:20 PM
• Location: Minneapolis
• Announcers: GUS JOHNSON and Len Elmore
• Point Spread: USC -2 1/2
• Over-Under: 135 1/2
• My pick: Boston College

East #4 Xavier v East #13 Portland State

• Time: 7:25 PM
• Location: Boise
• Announcers: Craig Bolerjack v Bob Wenzel
• Point Spread: Xavier -10 1/2
• Over-Under: 135
• My pick: Xavier

Fourth Block of First Round Friday Games:

Midwest #4 Wake Forest v Midwest #13 Cleveland State

• Time: 9:40 PM
• Location: Miami
• Announcers: Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
• Point Spread: Wake Forest -8 1/2
• Over-Under: 137
• My pick: Wake Forest

Midwest #8 Ohio State v Midwest #9 Siena

• Time: 9:40 PM
• Location: Dayton
• Announcers: Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
• Point Spread: Ohio State -3 1/2
• Over-Under: 142
• My pick: Siena

Midwest #2 Michigan State v Midwest #15 Robert Morris

• Time: 9:50 PM
• Location: Minneapolis
• Announcers: GUS JOHNSON and Len Elmore
• Point Spread: Michigan State -16 1/2
• Over-Under: 132
• My pick: Michigan State

East #5 Florida State v East #12 Wisconsin

• Time: 9:55 PM
• Location: Boise
• Announcers: Craig Bolerjack v Bob Wenzel
• Point Spread: Florida State -2 1/2
• Over-Under: 121 1/2
• My pick: Wisconsin

Enjoy the games everyone. I’ll be updating the brackets as results pour in today, and watching as much of the Gus Johnson games as possible.

Tags: 2009 NCAA Tournament, College Basketball, march madness

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