The 2019 NCAA Tournament begins in earnest Thursday.
Reigning national champion Villanova will be in action along with Michigan, the runner-up from a year ago, while Belmont and Murray State open the NCAA Tournament as trendy upset picks.
There’s Kansas and Michigan State to provide some blue-blood flavor, and Murray State’s Ja Morant and Marquette counterpart Markus Howard some star power. There’s the big-name coaches such as Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim and the under-appreciated in Wofford’s Mike Young.
» SIGN UP: Bradley's Bracket Fiasco
What more could you want on the first real day of the dance? Here are five topics for the day:
PITINO CONSPIRACY: There is plenty of intrigue as the first round gets going Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa, with a matchup in the East Region between seventh-seeded Louisville and No. 10 seed Minnesota — the school coached by Richard Pitino , the son of disgraced Cardinals coach Rick Pitino.
The younger Pitino dismissed any notion that the NCAA Tournament selection committee made the matchup on purpose, perhaps to sell tickets or drive television ratings.
HOT-SHOT ALERT: The best one-on-one matchup of the entire tournament could come Thursday when Howard and the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles face Morant and No. 12 seed Murray State. Howard was the Big East player of the year while most NBA mock drafts have Morant going in the top five.
MID-MAJOR WATCH: Nevada returned the Martin twins, Cody and Caleb, along with star forward Jordan Caroline from last year's Sweet 16 team. Together, they powered the Wolf Pack to a 29-4 record and share of the regular-season Mountain West crown. First up for them is Florida, which forces turnovers by the dozen and feature a resurgent Jalen Hudson.
Two other mid-majors that could make March noise are Wofford and New Mexico State. The No. 7 seed Terriers, winners of 20 straight, open against No. 10 seed Seton Hall in Jacksonville, Florida, and the No. 12 seed Aggies go for their 31st win against No. 5 seed Auburn in Salt Lake City.
TIGER TROUBLES: Third-seeded LSU still won't have coach Will Wade on the sideline for his role in a wiretap scandal when the Tigers face No. 14 seed Yale in Jacksonville. Tony Benford will be in charge against the Ivy League champions, who have one of the nation's most electric offenses.
KANSAS MARCH: Once the nation's No. 1 team, Kansas is down to one last chance to win a title ring. The Jayhawks failed to win a piece of the Big 12 regular-season title for the first time in 15 years, then lost to Iowa State in the conference tournament final. The fourth-seeded team in the Midwest Region opens against Northeastern in Salt Lake City.
TODAY'S GAMES: All times Eastern.
12:15 p.m., CBS: Louisville (20-13) vs. Minnesota (21-13)
12:40 p.m., TruTV: LSU (26-6) vs. Yale (22-7)
1:30 p.m., TNT: Auburn (26-9) vs. New Mexico State (30-4)
2 p.m., TBS: Florida State (27-7) vs. Vermont (27-6)
2:45 p.m., CBS: Michigan State (28-6) vs. Bradley (20-14)
3:10 p.m., TruTV: Maryland (22-10) vs. Belmont (27-5)
4 p.m., TNT: Kansas (25-9) vs. Northeastern (23-10)
4:30 p.m., TBS: Marquette (24-9) vs. Murray State (27-4)
6:40 p.m., TNT: Nevada (29-4) vs. Florida (19-15)
7:10 p.m., CBS: Kentucky (27-6) vs. Abilene Christian (27-6)
7:20 p.m., TBS: Villanova (25-9) vs. Saint Mary's (22-11)
7:27 p.m., TruTV: Gonzaga (30-3) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (21-13)
9:20 p.m., TNT: Michigan (28-6) vs. Montana (26-8)
9:40 p.m., CBS: Wofford (29-4) vs. Seton Hall (20-13)
9:50 p.m., TBS: Purdue (23-9) vs. Old Dominion (26-8)
9:57 p.m., TruTV: Syracuse (20-13) vs. Baylor (19-13)
About the Author
