Friday’s First Round Gameday Guide: March Madness Preview, Picks & Analysis

Friday marks Day 2 of the Round of 64 with 16 games on the slate, as was Thursday. These games will take place all over the country, starting at 12:15 pm ET with Kentucky and Santa Clara, continuing until the 10:10 pm ET game between Miami (FL) and Missouri.

There’s a lot of upset potential on this slate, including Santa Clara, Akron, UNI, UCF, and perhaps even Furman. There are several injuries, but the most notable is Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, who’s out for the season with a knee injury. Additionally, UCLA hopes to have Tyler Bilodeau and Donovan Dent on the court. 

With that said, here’s the full slate of action for Friday, March 20. Be ready, I have a feeling we’ll see some upsets. 

Friday’s First Round Locations & Schedule

Below is a list of today’s games sorted by location, tip-off time, and tv channel. 

Games at Enterprise Center (St. Louis, Missouri)

Arena Stats (entering day): 144.5 ppg

• No. 7 Kentucky (, ) vs. No. 10 Santa Clara – 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview
• No. 2 Iowa State (, ) vs. No. 15 Tennessee State – 2:50 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview
• No. 2 Purdue (, ) vs. No. 15 Queens – 7:35 p.m. ET (truTV) | Preview
• No. 7 Miami (FL) (, ) vs. No. 10 Missouri – 10:10 p.m. ET (truTV)| Preview

Games at Benchmark International Arena (Tampa, Florida)

Arena Stats (entering day): 154 ppg

• No. 5 Texas Tech (, ) vs. No. 12 Akron – 12:40 p.m. ET (truTV) | Preview
• No. 4 Alabama (, ) vs. No. 13 Hofstra – 3:15 p.m. ET (truTV) | Preview
• No. 8 Clemson (, ) vs. No. 9 Iowa – 6:50 p.m. (TNT) | Preview
• No. 1 Florida (, ) vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M – 9:25 p.m. ET (TNT) | Preview

Games at Viejas Arena (San Diego, California)

Arena Stats (entering day): 153.1 ppg

• No. 1 Arizona (, ) vs. No. 16 Long Island – 1:35 p.m. ET (TNT) | Preview
• No. 8 Villanova (, ) vs. No. 9 Utah State – 4:10 p.m. ET (TNT) | Preview
• No. 5 Saint John’s (, ) vs. No. 12 UNI – 7:10 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview
• No. 4 Kansas (, ) vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist – 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview

Games at Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Arena Stats (entering day): 144 ppg

• No. 3 Virginia (, ) vs. No. 14 Wright State -1:50 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
• No. 6 Tennessee (, ) vs. No. 11 Miami-Ohio – 4:25 p.m. ET (TBS) | Preview
• No. 7 UCLA (, ) vs. No. 10 UCF – 7:25 p.m. ET (TBS) | Preview
• No. 2 UConn (, ) vs. No. 15 Furman – 10:00 p.m. ET (TBS) | Preview

Santa Clara vs. Kentucky Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: Santa Clara, the alma mater of NBA legend Steve Nash, is back in the tournament for the first time in three decades. This is a team that moves the ball around, averaging more than 16 assists per game and ranking 22nd in offensive efficiency (123.7). They’ll take on Kentucky and Otega Oweh, a team that’s 38th in offensive efficiency. This is a potential upset spot, but to do so, Santa Clara will have to slow down Oweh, who’s coming off one of his worst performances of the season, scoring just 10 points. 

Akron vs. Texas Tech Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: Akron is loaded with veteran talent, boasting six seniors and three juniors. Tavari Johnson is their leading scorer with 20.1 points per game and shoots 37.3% from beyond the arc. Akron may be a lower seed, but it can score in droves, ranking 54th in offensive efficiency (118.8). As a team, they shoot 38.5% from beyond the arc. Of course, Texas Tech is the team that’s favored and rightfully so. They shoot 39.3% from beyond the arc, which is fourth in the country. This team is loaded with scoring talent, but they’re without their star, JT Toppin. Now, it’s up to Christian Anderson to lead the way. We’ll see if Akron can take advantage of Toppin not being on the court. 

Long Island vs. Arizona Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: I’ll have Long Island credit where it is due in that their head coach is Rod Strickland, who’s one of the better guards in college basketball history, going 19th overall in the 1988 NBA Draft. So, props to him and his team, but Arizona is loaded with NBA-ready talent, like Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, Motiejus Krivas, and even Jaden Bradley. 

Wright State vs. Virginia Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: A No. 3 seed, I still feel like Virginia is underrated. They’re 27th in offensive efficiency (122.5) and 16th in defensive efficiency (95.9). They’re led by Belgium freshman Thijs De Ridder and his 15.5 points per game. He’s also leading the team in rebounds with 6.2. Coming out of the Horizon League, Wright State is 48th in the country in 3-point shooting at 36.1%. Virginia is holding teams to 30.9% from beyond the arc (33rd) and 68.4 points per game (39th). 

Iowa State vs. Tennessee State Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: Props to Tennessee State for getting into the tournament as a No. 15 seed and their first appearance since 1994, but they’re running into a brick wall here. The Tigers are 173rd in offensive efficiency (109.1) and 212th in defensive efficiency (110.9). Now, they have to deal with Iowa State, a team that’s not only 20th in offensive efficiency (123.8), but also fourth in defensive efficiency (91.4). Not only that, but they’re fourth in the country in extra scoring chances with 7.1 per game. 

Hofstra vs. Alabama Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: No team in the country averages more points per game than Alabama, with its 91.7 points. In fact, no other team is even above 90. That said, like years past, they also allow a ton of points, surrendering  83.5 per game, which is 352nd in the nation. As for Hofstra, they’re inside the top 100 in offensive and defensive efficiency, and they hold teams to just 67.6 points per game (27th). We’ll see if they can slow down Labaron Philon and a team with six players scoring in double digits. Keep in mind, they have a player of their own in Cruz Davis, who averages 20.2 points per game. 

Utah State vs. Villanova Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: Villanova is coming off an upset loss to Georgetown in the Big East Tournament. Duke Brennan averages 12.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Their leading scorer, Tyler Perkins, averages 13.7 per outing. However, they’ll do battle with a team that’s even better offensively than they are in Utah State. Mason Falslev was the Mountain West Player of the Year, and MJ Collins is the go-to 3-point shooter, making 2.3 per game. This will be a fantastic matchup. 

Miami-Ohio vs. Tennessee Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: Miami (OH) heads into this game coming off a win over SMU in the First Four, 89-79. Eian Elmer had 23 points, and Brant Byers added 19 more. Miami (OH) is a great team offensively, ranking 61st in offensive efficiency (117.7), 21st in 3-point shooting (37.6%), and 2nd in 2-point shooting (61.4%). As for Tennessee, they’re not near those numbers. Still, they’re going to have a hard time getting by a duo of Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie. They average 18 and 17.5 points per game, respectively. 

Iowa vs. Clemson Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: Clemson is 21st in defensive efficiency (97.3), a nd they’ll need that to come in handy against an Iowa squad that has one of the best pure shooters in the country, Bennett Stirtz. He’s averaging 20 points per game and shooting 37.6% from beyond the arc and 59.7% on 2-point shots. Clemson doesn’t have a player like that. In fact, only two players average double-digit points, and the leading scorer is RJ Godfrey at 11.9. 

UNI vs. Saint John’s Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: St. John’s is coming off a Big East Tournament win, but UNI is coming off a Missouri Valley title. UNI is the type of team that could get under an opponent’s skin, because they hold teams to under 29% shooting from beyond the arc, are 24th in defensive efficiency (98.2), and are one of the slowest teams in the country, ranking 362nd in possessions (65.3). That said, St. John’s has Zuby Ejiofor, who’s averaging 16.3 points per game, but he’s had 20 or more in four of his last five games. On top of that, St. John’s is looking to avenge a Round of 32 loss last season. 

UCF vs. UCLA Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: UCLA heads into this game with injury concerns to two key players, Tyler Bilodeau and Donovan Dent. They’re expected to play “this week,” but does that mean Friday? We’ll have to wait and see. Bilodeau averages 17.6 points per game. If they’re both on the court, UCLA is a tough team to beat offensively. That said, UCF won’t go away quietly. They have four players averaging 11.7 points or better, including Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks. 

Queens vs. Purdue Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: Purdue is coming off a Big Ten Tournament win, and now, they’ll take on Queens, who are in their first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament. Queens won the ASUN Tournament, beating Central Arkansas. Queens has a lot of talent, with six players averaging double-digit points, but of course, this is a massive step up in talent,t and Purdue is clicking at the right time. I expect Braden Smith to play a massive role for them this tournament, especially by dishing the ball. He’s had nine assists or more in each of his last five games. 

Cal Baptist vs. Kansas Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: Kansas has Darryn Peterson, who could very well be the No 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He’s averaging 19.8 points per game and is shooting 38.4% from beyond the arc. That said, Kansas is coming off a dreadful performance against Houston, scoring just 47 points. Cal Baptist is 192nd in offensive efficiency (107.8), but they can be pesky on defense, ranking 52nd in defensive efficiency (101.9) and holding opponents to just 29.7% shooting from beyond the arc, which is sixth-best in the country. 

Furman vs. UConn Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: The Paladins are coming off a Southern Conference Tournament title, beating ETSU, 76-61. On the flipside, UConn lost to St. John’s by 20 in the Big East Tournament title game. Furman is outclassed here, but they have a freshman, Alex Wilkins, who’s extremely talented, averaging 17.7 points and 4.7 assists per game. Of all the No. 2 vs. No. 15 games, this one has the most upset potential, as UConn hasn’t been playing especially well lately, but I’m not sure Furman can stop Tarris Reed Jr., Alex Karaban, Solomon Ball, and more.

Missouri vs. Miami-Florida Game Odds & Notes

Game Notes: The Hurricanes enter this game with a 25-8 record. I say that because, last season, they were the worst team in the ACC, finishing 7-24. They lost to Virginia in the ACC Tournament, but took down Louisville, 78-73. This is a great team, ranking inside the top 38 in offensive and defensive efficiency. They have Mail Reneau, who averages 18.8 points per game. They take on a Missouri team that’s led by Mark Mitchell and his 18.3 points per game. These teams are fairly even across many categories, including rebounds, turnovers, and shooting percentage.  

Photo Credit: AP/George Walker IV