CHARLOTTE, NC (Sporting Alert) — The NCAA men’s DI basketball tournament continues on Friday with another packed schedule, as teams battle it out in the round of 64.
Amongst the highlighted programs on schedule for Friday are No. 1 seeds Duke and Wisconsin, while the likes of Kansas, Gonzaga and Virginia — all second seeds — are also on the live action list. Live streaming coverage of the “March Madness” tournament is available free online at NCAA.com, with TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.
NCAA.com will have Live Video Streaming and Live Box Scores on its website.
Jahlil Okafor in action for the Duke Blue DevilsIn the South Region in Charlotte, NC, Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse Duke (29-4) will take on the 16th seeded Robert Morris (20-14), as the quest for another title begins.
The Blue Devils, who have four crowns in this competition, last won the national championship in 2010.
After losing to Mercer in the early round last season, Mike Krzyzewski has warned his players about being complacent when they take the court.
Duke will be led by ACC Player of the Year Jahlil Okafor, who is averaging 17.7 points and 9 rebounds per game, while shooting an impressive 66.9 percent from the floor.
The supporting cast is also a capable one as well, with senior guard Quinn Cook, who is averaging a career-high 15.7 points per game, Justise Winslow (12.3 ppg.) and Tyus Jones (11.6 ppg.) — all expected to play their part in the national title hunt.
Northeast Conference outfits Robert Morris will make its eighth tournament appearance and the Colonials, who are on a seven game winning run, will be seeking to upset the heavy favourites Duke in the push for only their second win at the national tournament.
Robert Morris beat North Florida 81-77 in their First Four game on Wednesday night to setup this date.
The other No. 1 seed in action on Friday is Wisconsin and they face No. 16 seed Coast Carolina in the second round of the West Region.
Let the madness begin.The Badgers (31-3) have won all six of its games in March so far, including an overtime 80-69 positive result over Michigan State to add the Big Ten tournament title to their conference regular season crown.
Frank Kaminsky, who is averaging 18.2 points per game and eight rebounds per contest, will provide the main contributions for Wisconsin, which will also look to the likes of Sam Dekker, Nigel Hayes and Traevon Jackson for huge supports.
The Badgers, who are ranked 9th in the country in points allowed per game at 56.1, have won 16 of the last 17 contests.
Their only national title came in 1941, but the experts believes this year’s team has all the ingredients to go all the way and add a second championship title to their cabinet.
Coast Carolina (24-9), meanwhile, booked its place in the NCAA tournament with an 81-70 victory over Winthrop to lift the Big South championship title.
The Chanticleers have won seven of the last eight games, including three in a row, but that run is expected to end on Friday against a very superior Wisconsin side.
ACC regular season conference champion Virginia (29-3) has already put the ACC tournament semifinal defeat to North Carolina behind them and is now focusing on getting past the 15th seeded Belmont (22-10) in the East Region second round.
The Cavaliers, who are 24-18 all-time in the NCAA tournament, are ranked No. 1 in points allowed per game this season at 50.8 so them averaging 65.3 points per game shouldn’t be a problem.
Other media highlighted teams in action on Friday are Kansas and Gonzaga and they will face respective 15th seeds.
The Big 12 champions Jayhawks (26-8) take on (15) New Mexico State in the Midwest Region in Omaha, NE, while the very talented Bulldogs (32-2), who is being led by Kyle Wiltjer, open its campaign against (15) North Dakota State (23-9).
The Zags are ranked No. 1 in the country in shooting percentage from the field at 52.4 and second in rebounds per contest with 27.6.
They are also ranked sixth in assists per game at 16.5 and 10th in points per game with 79.1.
NCAA Tournament March Madness Games
Game Times (ET) Matchups and TV Channels
12:15 PM (15) New Mexico St vs (2) Kansas* CBS
12:40 PM (10) Georgia vs (7) Michigan St* truTV
1:40 PM (12) Wyoming vs (5) Northern Iowa* TBS
2:10 PM (12) Buffalo vs (5) West Virginia* TNT
2:45 PM (10) Indiana vs (7) Wichita St* CBS
3:10 PM (15) Belmont vs (2) Virginia* truTV
4:10 PM (13) UC Irvine vs (4) Louisville* TBS
4:40 PM (13) Valparaiso vs (4) Maryland* TNT
6:50 PM (9) Oklahoma St vs (8) Oregon* TBS
7:10 PM (16) Robert Morris vs (1) Duke* CBS
7:20 PM (10) Davidson vs (7) Iowa* TNT
7:27 PM (14) Albany vs (3) Oklahoma* truTV
9:20 PM (16) Coastal Carolina vs (1) Wisconsin* TBS
9:40 PM (9) St. John’s vs (8) San Diego St* CBS
9:50 PM (15) North Dakota St vs (2) Gonzaga* TNT
9:57 PM (11) Dayton vs (6) Providence* truTV
