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Tourney Preview: The first day of the Round of 32 is LOADED

Today’s schedule is so awesome that, instead of doing an actual preview, I’m just going to rank the games:

1. 12:15 PM (5) Virginia Commonwealth vs (4) Michigan CBS: No team in the country is better when it comes to forcing turnovers than VCU, as they lead the nation in defensive turnover percentage. But Michigan leads the country is protecting the ball, meaning that they have the lowest turnover percentage of anyone. These two styles go up against each other Saturday afternoon as the only game on in the time slot. Michigan has faced a press once this season, when they beat Arkansas by 13 points. How will Trey Burke handle it? How will guys like Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III handle it? If Michigan can beat the press, the Rams are just atrocious defending in the half court.

2. 7:45 PM (6) Butler vs (3) Marquette CBS: You remember what happened the last time these two teams got together, right?:

These are two teams that always seem to play games that have nail-biting finishes. I’ll go ahead and predict a classic.

3. 8:40 PM (9) Wichita State vs (1) Gonzaga TNT: The Shockers may actually have a chance to knock off the Zags on Saturday night. Their big guys can actually match up with Gonzaga’s big men, and Malcolm Armstead is the kind of big, physical guard that can give Kevin Pangos all kinds of trouble. What’s inarguable is that Gonzaga will need to play much better than they did on Thursday to avoid an upset.

4. 5:15 PM (8) Colorado State vs (1) Louisville CBS: Louisville’s guards are going to wreak havoc on the Colorado State back court the way that Louisville’s guards always wreak havoc on back courts. But Colorado State has a big, physical front line that can wear down any opponent. What will win out?

5. 7:10 PM (12) Oregon vs (4) Saint Louis TBS: St. Louis has looked the part of a Final Four team for the past couple of months, winning a dual-Atlantic 10 title. But Oregon? They looked like a legitimate top ten team because Dominic Artis was injured. Well, Artis looked healthy when he scored 13 points in 17 minutes against Oklahoma State, and in his absence Jonathon Loyd has gained all kinds of confidence.

6. 2:45 PM (6) Memphis vs (3) Michigan State CBS: On paper, Memphis has everything that you need to pull an upset and knock off a team like the Spartans, including the kind of quick, play-making point guard that can give Keith Appling problems. But Josh Pastner has proven to be the antithesis of Tom Izzo as a head coach in big games. Bonus: DJ Stephens vs. Branden Dawson.

7. 6:10 PM (14) Harvard vs (6) Arizona TNT: Can Harvard become this year’s Cinderella story? The Crimson pulled off a massive upset in the opening round, picking off No. 3 seed New Mexico, but Arizona has a bigger and more athletic front line, which could cause problems for a smaller Harvard team.

8. 9:40 PM (12) California vs (4) Syracuse TBS: Syracuse playing what more or less amounts to a road game on the west coast? Why don’t we see this happen in November?

SCHEDULE

12:15 PM (5) Virginia Commonwealth vs (4) Michigan CBS
2:45 PM (6) Memphis vs (3) Michigan State CBS
5:15 PM (8) Colorado State vs (1) Louisville CBS
6:10 PM (14) Harvard vs (6) Arizona TNT
7:10 PM (12) Oregon vs (4) Saint Louis TBS
7:45 PM (6) Butler vs (3) Marquette CBS
8:40 PM (9) Wichita State vs (1) Gonzaga TNT
9:40 PM (12) California vs (4) Syracuse TBS

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.