2010 NCAA Tournament Round One Viewer’s Guide

If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past 23 years, it’s how to watch first round games in the NCAA Tournament. The next two days are literally among my favorite of the entire year, so I’ve come to understand how to make the most out of the first 32 games of the Tournament.

I think I owe it to the readers of the Pinkie to try to impart some of that knowledge for their own viewing enjoyment for the Thursday games. Let’s take a look at the games of the day and how you should approach watching them if you get to sit on your couch all day and watch basketball.

Early Games (Game to be shown in Louisville in bold)
Florida (10) vs. BYU (7) – 12:20 pm
Old Dominion (11) vs. Notre Dame (6) – 12:25 pm
Robert Morris (15) vs. Villanova (2) – 12:30

OK, two pretty watchable games here. We’ll be stuck with just live look-ins of the ND/ODU and RM/’Nova games and watching the Florida game all the way through. I think there’s a chance BYU turns their game into a laugher, which would send us to the Notre Dame game, which I anticipate being close.

The Play

Get your lunch situation squared away before tip-off, tune in to CBS and get your computer up and running with March Madness on Demand with the Notre Dame-BYU game. Keep an eye on the ‘Nova game in case the Wildcats don’t show up, but there shouldn’t be much to watch there.

If you have to work, I recommend getting close to a TV if possible or getting MMOD on the Florida game. Then, take your lunch at halftime so you can head to a place with a good TV set up to see the finishes of all three games.

Afternoon Session
Murray State (13) vs. Vanderbilt (4) – 2:30 pm
North Texas (15) vs. Kansas State (2) – 2:40 pm
Sam Houston St. (14) vs. Baylor (3) – 2:45 pm
St. Mary’s (10) vs. Richmond (7) – 2:50 pm

This time slot is where the best games seem to always happen and these games set up for that. We are lucky enough to get the Murray/Vandy game in our area, because I think this is the best game of the bunch.

The spacing also will be good here, because the Vandy game will start at 2:30 exactly since it’s the first game at its site. The other games are the second game at their sites, so will likely start a little later than the scheduled time. This means that we will get to watch the entire Vandy/Murray game, then a good chunk of the end of the closest of the other three games.

The Play

This one’s not too tough. Tune into the Vandy/Murray game on TV and enjoy. You can turn on MMOD as well, but I just don’t think it will be worth distracting yourself. Keep an eye on the scores of the other games and adjust if necessary.

If you’re working, go with MMOD and head home as early as possible because you might have a chance of making it home in time for the end of one of these games.

Mid-Afternoon
UTEP (12) vs. Butler (5)

This is a bit unfortunate, because this West Coast game is typically a high seed versus a low seed. This year, a pretty good game will be going on out west while we are in the dark back east.

The Play

The only choice here, unless you have Direct TV, is MMOD. If the game is still going on at 7 when CBS resumes coverage, they might break in and show the game.

Evening Session
Northern Iowa (9) vs. UNLV (8) – 7:10 pm
East Tennessee St. (16) vs. Kentucky (1) – 7:15 pm
Washington (11) vs. Marquette (6) – 7:20 pm
Ohio (14) vs. Georgetown (3) – 7:25 pm

Things change a bit for me when my ‘Cats are on. The other games become pretty insignificant until the outcome is decided.

The Play

Non-’Cats fans are trapped watching UK all the way through, but I obviously would have it no other way. I’m hoping UK can handle ETSU so I can start to think about potential good games between Marquette and Washington and UNLV and Northern Iowa.

Late Session
Lehigh (16) vs. Kansas (1) – 9:30 pm
Wake Forest (9) vs. Texas (8) – 9:35 pm
Montana (14) vs. New Mexico (3) – 9:40 pm
San Diego St. (11) vs. Tennessee (6) – 9:45 pm

Another case of good luck for Louisville viewers. I think Tennessee/SDSU is the best matchup and it’s the game we get to watch.

The Play

Tune in to the Tennessee/SDSU game on CBS and get the Wake/Texas game going on MMOD. CBS will break in with coverage if the Wake/Texas game is close late, they will interrupt Tennessee/SDSU coverage and return just in time for hopefully another close finish.

What a day it’s going to be tomorrow. Enjoy it, because there are no two days like Thursday and Friday.