March Madness 2018: Saturday Open Thread

The first round is in the books, and hoo boy some stuff happened. Unlike some previous years, it wasn’t the quantity that got attention. The quality, on the other hand... the second round features a 10, two 11s, two 13s, and oh yeah, a 16 seed which is our cross to bear Sunday.

For entirely selfish purposes, we are all in on both Buffalo and Loyola today. Should they both win, K-State would still potentially be the top seed in the regional final in Atlanta, which is just bananacakes.

The marquee game of the day, at least in terms of close seeding, is Ohio State vs. Gonzaga. But there’s a ton of intrigue tonight, with a pair of Big 12 teams in action and a salty Houston squad getting a shot at a likely overrated Big 10 team.

This is your open thread to discuss today’s games. The schedule, with announcer pairings, follows. The game times for the second game at each site are approximate; actual tip will be 30 minutes after the end of the previous site game.

• 11:10am CT, Pittsburgh - East - (1) Villanova Wildcats vs (9) Alabama Crimson Tide - CBS, with Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner, and Dana Jacobson
• 1:40pm CT, Pittsburgh - Midwest - (2) Duke Blue Devils vs (7) Rhode Island Rams - CBS with Harlan’s crew
• 4:15pm CT, Boise - West - (5) Kentucky Wildcats vs (13) Buffalo Bulls - CBS with Brian Anderson, Chris Webber, and Lisa Byington
• 5:10pm CT, Dallas - South - (3) Tennessee Volunteers vs (11) Loyola (IL) Ramblers - TNT with Spero Dedes, Steve Smith, Len Elmore, and Ros Gold-Onwude
• 6:10pm CT, Wichita - Midwest - (1) Kansas Jayhawks vs (8) Seton Hall Pirates - TBS with Brad Nessler, Steve Lavin, and Evan Washburn
• 6:45pm CT, Boise - West - (4) Gonzaga Bulldogs vs (5) Ohio State Buckeyes - CBS with Anderson’s crew
• 7:40pm CT, Dallas - South - (3) Texas Tech Red Raiders vs (6) Florida Gators - TNT with Dedes’ crew
• 8:40pm CT, Wichita - Midwest - (3) Michigan Wolverines vs (6) Houston Cougars - TBS with Nessler’s crew