The NCAA men’s basketball tournament round of 64 wrap up Friday with another full slate of 16 games. The second full day of action will involve the remaining two top seeds, as well as a couple of Final Four participants from a year ago.
One of those, the two-time defending champion Connecticut Huskies, will begin their long-shot quest for a three-peat from well below their accustomed position in the bracket. Also in action will be a trio of teams playing their second game of the tournament, having survived the First Four in Dayton.
Let’s get to your viewer’s guide for the day, with a few words on each contest.
No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor
Time/TV: 12:15 p.m. ET, CBS
Once again the day’s action opens with an 8-9 pairing that essentially rates as a tossup. Neither team had much success against the upper echelons of their respective conferences, although Baylor did record early non-league victories against Arkansas and St. John’s that served the Bears well in the committee room. The Bulldogs hoist a lot of treys but hit only 31.4% of them, and the Bears have the edge at the free-throw line if they can get there more often.
No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris
Time/TV: 12:40 p.m. ET, TruTV
The Crimson Tide, the highest scoring team in the field putting up 91.1 points a game, begin their quest for a second consecutive trip to the season’s final weekend. Alabama can likely afford to be cautious with key forward Grant Nelson, whose absence due to a leg injury was keenly felt in the Tide’s SEC tournament loss to Florida. It is worth noting, however, that the Colonials represent the Horizon League, whose champion a season ago produced one of the tournament’s most notable upsets when Oakland toppled Kentucky.
Make 2025 your best bracket yet: Sign up for USA TODAY’s Sports newsletter.
No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb
Time/TV: 1:30 p.m. ET, TNT
The Cyclones’ quarterfinal loss to Brigham Young in a wild shootout in the Big 12 tournament might have been a blessing in disguise, providing a couple extra days to get key guard Tamin Lipsey with second-leading scorer Keshon Gilbert out for the tournament. But they might have a harder than expected time against the Bisons, who knock down nearly 10 three-pointers a game. (Yes, we know bison is the plural for bison – just go with it.)
No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State
Time/TV: 2 p.m. ET, TBS
A lot of brackets might hinge on this one, as either of these conference champions is strong enough to advance further. The Rams are slight favorites despite their lower seed, riding a 10-game winning streak powered by high-scoring guard Nique Clifford. The Tigers have won eight in a row themselves and also have a prolific backcourt scorer in PJ Haggerty. What Colorado State lacks is a true rim protector, so well-traveled big man Dain Dainja could be a difference maker for Memphis.
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s
Time/TV: 2:50 p.m. ET, CBS
The First Four has historically been good to the Mountaineers, who now own three wins in Dayton. The run almost certainly ends here though, as about the only question for Duke is how much star Cooper Flagg will play on his bad ankle. The Blue Devils still claimed the ACC title without him and can probably manage this contest as well with him seeing limited minutes.
No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt
Time/TV: 3:15 p.m. ET, TruTV
Here we have one of the more intriguing pairings of the entire round of 64. The Gaels have become tournament regulars but its 2010 edition was the only one to crack the Sweet 16 in the expansion era. Vandy brought coach Mark Byington in from James Madison hoping to make marching in March a more frequent occurrence. Saint Mary’s will be well-rested and ready to throw its stingy defense at the Commodores, who enter the dance on a three-game skid but have battled high-level competition all season.
No. 6 Mississippi vs. No. 11 North Carolina
Time/TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, TNT
The Tar Heels’ decisive statement against San Diego State in Dayton has only temporarily quieted their detractors. They’ll silence the noise a little more if they can get by the Rebels, who earned their share of quality results in the SEC meat grinder. Ole Miss can defend with the best of them, holding Alabama to a season-low 64 points and forcing 21 turnovers in a January road win. UNC will need to continue its hot shooting from distance to keep its lack of interior depth from becoming a factor.
No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon
Time/TV: 4:35 p.m. ET, TBS
Terrapins’ fans were none too pleased with the committee on Selection Sunday as the team was sent all the way to Seattle to face an opponent that has already earned a reputation as a giant killer in its brief March Madness history. Maryland’s earlier trip to the Pacific northwest in Big Ten play didn’t go especially well either, but the young Terps have shown improvement since. The Antelopes, who took down Saint Mary’s for their first NCAA tournament win a season ago, got key guard Tyon Grant-Foster back from injury just in time for the WAC tournament.
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State
Time/TV: 6:50 p.m. ET, TNT
As long-time bracket heads well know, winning one’s major conference tournament is not always a good predictor of success in the Big Dance. But the Gators’ dominance en route to the SEC title is impossible to ignore. The Spartans claimed their third MEAC conference tournament title since 2021, though they had to survive a wild sequence against South Carolina State in the championship game to get here.
No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Troy
Time/TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS
The Wildcats are under new management with Mark Pope at the helm, but their rabid fans are still hoping to avoid déjà vu as the team enters as a No. 3 seed once again. Hoping to pull off the upset this time will be the Sun Belt champion Trojans, who look to duplicate James Madison’s feat of picking up a win in the tournament a year ago. Kentucky should have Lamont Butler, who has battled a shoulder issue for much of the season, available to facilitate its high-octane offense. Troy’s Tayton Conerway, the Sun Belt player of the year, is an accomplished floor leader in his own right.
No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico
Time/TV: 7:25 p.m. ET, TBS
This is a difficult game to predict in the sense that somebody has to win it. The Golden Eagles did not fare well against the Big East’s upper tier since the calendar turned to 2025, while the Lobos must overcome some – er – suboptimal recent history by Mountain West representatives in this event. On the plus side, the game will feature a high degree of back-court star power with the likes of Marquette’s Cam Jones and New Mexico’s Donovan Dent.
No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron
Time/TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, TruTV
This Arizona team has embodied the very definition of streaky, making the Wildcats a difficult bunch to project. There are numerous perimeter scoring options, but prolific bomber Caleb Love draws most of the attention for better or worse. The Zips, back-to-back champions in the Mid-American Conference, have several three-point options themselves who can take advantage if Arizona has a cold day.
No. 8 Connecticut vs. No. 9 Oklahoma
Time/TV: 9:25 p.m. ET, TNT
Appropriately, the two-time defending national champion Huskies headline the late-night window. They land smack in the middle of the bracket following an uneven campaign with some decent wins but some inexplicable losses. Their first challenger will be an Oklahoma team that was a somewhat controversial inclusion in the tournament’s main draw after posting a 6-12 conference mark in its first year in the SEC. UConn will need major contributions from its experienced hands like Alex Karaban to make another deep run, while the Sooners will need to take smart shots against the Huskies’ well-drilled defense.
No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Xavier
Time/TV: 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS
As the second team to emerge from the at-large pool in Dayton, Xavier next takes on the Fighting Illini, another team whose picture might appear in the dictionary beside the word streaky. Illinois will launch with no fear. This is fine when the treys are falling, but when they aren’t the team struggles to find alternate ways to score. The Musketeers don’t shy away from the long ball either but having Zach Freemantle in the middle also helps.
No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant
Time/TV: 10 p.m. ET, TBS
The Spartans are the last of the top eight seeds to take the court, and given the degree of difficulty of this region they’re more than happy for a few extra hours to gear up. Michigan State’s depth should serve the team well, and coach Tom Izzo would like to spread the minutes in this round. The lead dog for Bryant, one of six teams nicknamed Bulldogs in the field, is America East player of the year Earl Timberlake, though he gets plenty of support from backcourt mate Rafael Pinzon.
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty
Time/TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, TruTV
One of the newest members of the Big Ten contingent wraps up the first round. A season ago, the Ducks reached the second round as part of a strong showing from the erstwhile Pac-12. This year’s Oregon squad is paced by the inside out tandem of Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad. The Flames are in the dance for the sixth time overall and first since joining Conference USA. They picked up wins against Kansas State and McNeese State in the Virgin Islands prior to league play, so the Ducks should not take them lightly.