Even though CBS now allows viewers to watch every game of the tournament on-line, many of us don’t have an internet connection fast enough to stream games, nor one of those fancy TV’s that you can view your computer screen on to watch the game properly. But even if you do have the capabilities to watch any game on your wide-screen LCD, you still have to decide what game to watch. Fear not, I’m here to help (and to predict what games the less fortunate among us will be stuck with on Thursday and Friday).
First “Batch” of Games:
The first day of the first-round of the tournament is my Christmas. The night before is the only night of the year that I toss and turn and have trouble sleeping. I jump out of bed around 8 AM, and try to find ways to keep myself occupied during those grueling last few hours until the games actually start (and no, if you’re wondering, I certainly don’t go to work). When the first game tips off, it’s like opening all your presents, and then you have the next four days to enjoy them.
This year, the analogy has some special significance, because my Christmas will start off by watching an appropriately named man: Temple star Dionte Christmas. As a long-time Temple fan and former season-ticket holder, there couldn’t be a better way to kick things off. The Owls have stormed into the tournament by winning the A-10 tournament, and while they may not be the better team in their game with Michigan St., they will be the team with momentum on their side.
Temple and Michigan St. have made a habit of playing big games against each other over the past decade. I was there in 1999, when the 7th-ranked Owls beat a Michigan St. team that would go on to win the national championship, on two Pepe Sanchez free throws with no time on the clock. Coincidentally, I was also there in 2001, when the Spartans topped a Lynn Greer-led Temple team in the Elite 8, the last time Temple was in the tournament.
My favorite part about Temple getting into this tournament is that senior Mark Tyndale will get to play in at least one tourney game before he graduates. He’s been an absolute class act since he first came to school and he’s certainly earned this chance.
It will be a tough game for the Owls, but one they can win. They’ll need Christmas and Ryan Brooks hitting from the outside,
and they need to contain Drew Neitzel. Tyndale will most likely matchup with Raymar Morgan and should do a good job on the Michigan St. leading scorer. Temple is at a pretty big disadvantage in the post. Michigan St. is always physical and a great rebounding team, and Lavoy Allen and Sergio Olmos are not the strongest post-men around. They may be man-handled. Either way, Temple’s fate will be determined by Tyndale and Christmas. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tyndale will this team to a win.
Second “Batch” of Games:
None of these games jump out at you, but all are at least somewhat interesting. I think CBS will probably give us Marquette-Kentucky, partly because CBS loves to air Kentucky games. If I had my druthers, I would go for the 8-9 matchup of UNLV vs. Kent St. Both teams are coming off conference tournament triumphs and are quality teams that have flown under the radar all season. I’m interested to see Kent St. in action. They beat some tough mid-major schools, with wins over Illinois St., George Mason, and St. Mary’s. The Pitt-Oral Roberts game would also be worth a look. Hard to imagine Pitt getting beat here, considering the way they’ve been playing, but Oral Roberts has a strong program and a strong team.
Third “Batch” of Games:
At this point, all of you suckers out there will be home from work and have some time to catch up on all the highlights before settling in for what might be the best game of the first round: USC vs. Kansas St. Of course, this one jumped right out immediately when it was announced on Selection Sunday because it’s O.J. Mayo vs. Michael Beasley, two of the top freshmen, and overall players, in the country. No doubt, the next time these two guys play each other will be in the NBA.
As great as those two guys are, the game’s attraction doesn’t wholly depend on them. USC forward Davon Jefferson is a freakish athlete and center Taj Gibson is a shot-blocking menace, despite only being 6’9″. For Kansas St., their second-option, Bill Walker, can be electrifying in his own right. This is a game chock-full of big-time talent and, if nothing else, will spell the end to the brief, whirlwind college career of either Beasley or Mayo.
Fourth “Batch” of Games:
For the final round of games, you basically have two options: West Virginia-Arizona or Notre Dame-George Mason. My money is on CBS going with the Notre Dame game because apparently they have a large fan base or something like that. Also, they can beat the “George Mason was in the Final Four two years ago” storyline into a bloody pulp.
It is an intriguing matchup, and I’ll be interested to see if Luke Harangody just abuses George Mason down low, but I’d 
rather check out the WVU-‘Zona game. This Zona team is fun to watch. Jerryd Bayless is another freshman that you can look for on an NBA team somewhere next season. He’s a combo guard that can score any way he wants: shoot from long-range, take it to the rim, stop on a dime to hit a mid-range jumper. His teammate, Chase Budinger, can also light it up and he’s also one of the best red-headed athletes to come along in a while.
As for West Virginia, it’s amazing how well they’ve transitioned to Bob Huggins after the departure of John Beilein and his esoteric system. The Mountaineers only lost one game all year to a team that is not in this tournament (interestingly, it was Huggins former team, Cincinnati, who crushed WVU) and notched wins over Pitt, UConn, and Marquette. Forward Joe Alexander has emerged as a star for the team, and he’ll try to keep pace with Bayless and Budinger.
