March Madness 2018: Early Thursday Open Thread

It’s that time, kids. Two straight days of basketball, basketball, basketball. Heartbreak, thrills, Cinderellas... we’ll see all of it over the next 40 hours or so.

The key games, from our perspective in the plains, both take place during the early window. Trae Young tries to justify the Sooners’ selection to the field in the day’s opening contest, and less than two hours later everyone here will be wildly cheering for those plucky kids who have the misfortune to attend a school which can only prepare them for menial jobs such as becoming President of the United States.

The second wave contains a pair of very interesting games, as both Loyola and South Dakota State have the talent to post upsets. I’m sure everyone will become very invested in the Iona basketball program at about 3:00, too.

This is your open thread to discuss today’s early games. The schedule, with announcer pairings, follows.

Noon shift:

• 11:15am CT, Pittsburgh - Midwest - (7) Rhode Island Rams vs (10) Oklahoma Sooners - CBS, with Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner, and Dana Jacobson
• 11:40am CT, Dallas - South - (3) Tennessee Volunteers vs (14) Wright State Raiders - TruTV with Spero Dedes, Steve Smith, Len Elmore, and Ros Gold-Onwude
• 12:30pm CT, Boise - West - (4) Gonzaga Bulldogs vs (13) North Carolina-Greensboro Spartans - TNT with Brian Anderson, Chris Webber, and Lisa Byington
• 1:00pm CT, Wichita - Midwest - (1) Kansas Jayhawks vs (16) Pennsylvania Quakers - TBS with Brad Nessler, Steve Lavin, and Evan Washburn

Afternoon shift (times approximate, tip 30 minutes after previous site game ends):

• 1:45pm CT, Pittsburgh - Midwest - (2) Duke Blue Devils vs (15) Iona Gaels - CBS with Harlan’s crew
• 2:10pm CT, Dallas - South - (6) Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs (11) Loyola (IL) Ramblers - TruTV with Dedes’ crew
• 3:00pm CT, Boise - West - (5) Ohio State Buckeyes vs (12) South Dakota State Jackrabbits - TNT with Anderson’s crew
• 3:20pm CT, Wichita - Midwest - (8) Seton Hall Pirates vs (9) North Carolina State Wolfpack - TBS with Nessler’s crew