March Madness preview: These are the games you have to watch
Once upon a time, March Madness elevated actual hoops (imagine that!) above bloated TV specials, billion-dollar stunts or even office bracket pools.
This post is a safe space to temporarily consider the NCAA Tournament as it once was: a place to watch and appreciate college basketball for the glorious sport it can be.
What follows is a March Madness preview, and a viewing guide to boot. Find our picks for the best game in each time slot, as well as which games to flip the channel to if you get bored.
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Thursday and Friday offer about 12 hours of basketball apiece (bless up!) as the field-of-64 gets halved by Saturday. It's helpful to think of the 32 games that tip off Thursday and Friday being scheduled into four sessions each day, which makes everything relatively simple to keep track of.
Below is our cheat sheet of what to watch, and when to watch it.
Thursday session I
You won't find a more competitive early matchup than Colorado vs. UConn, which tips off at 1:30 p.m. EST on TNT. UConn boasts more star power in players including Rodney Purvis, Shonn Miller and Daniel Hamilton, but Colorado has been tested in a tough Pac-12 Conference. The winner of this South Region 8-9 matchup faces top-seed Kansas, however, so the joy of victory will likely be short-lived.
In case you get bored, the other games during this session: Duke vs. UNC-Wilmington (12:15 p.m. EST on CBS), Texas Tech vs. Butler (12:40 p.m. EST on TruTV) and Iowa State vs. Iona (2 p.m. EST on TBS).
Thursday session II
After the first batch of games end at their respective sites, the second wave begins. One of the most intriguing first-round matchups, period, is Yale vs. Baylor, scheduled to tip-off around 2:45 p.m. EST on CBS. On paper, it's hard to resist: 12-seed Yale is the Ivy League Cinderella making its first tourney appearance in 54 years; 5-seed Baylor is they hyper-athletic Southern sports school. A messy situation involving alleged sexual misconduct by Yale's expelled captain adds another wrinkle.
In case you get bored: Virginia vs. Hampton (approximately 3:10 p.m. EST on TruTV), Kansas vs. Austin Peay (approximately 4 p.m. EST on TNT) and Purdue vs. Arkansas-Little Rock (approximately 4:30 p.m. EST on TBS).
Thursday session III
Utah vs. Fresno State begins Thursday's second half of action, tipping off at 7:27 p.m. EST on TruTV. It's a 3-14 matchup, so should be an easy win for Utah -- in theory. But the biggest reason to watch (literally) is seven-foot Utes center Jakob Poeltl, who was the Pac-12 MVP this season and will likely be a high NBA Draft pick this June. Fresno State snuck into the field by winning its conference tournament, but don't count the Bulldogs out here. They'll counter the size of Poeltl with a small, athletic lineup.
In case you get bored: Miami vs. Buffalo (approximately 6:50 p.m. EST on TNT), Indiana vs. Chattanooga (approximately 7:10 p.m. EST on CBS) and North Carolina vs. Florida Gulf Coast (approximately 7:20 p.m. EST on TBS).
Thursday session IV
The Zags had much higher seeding hopes entering this season, but Seton Hall vs. Gonzaga at approximately 9:57 p.m. EST on TruTV is one of Thursday's best games. The 11-seed Zags feature Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis down low, but miss last season's stellar guard play. The 6-seed Pirates are led by sophomore Isaiah Whitehead and are making their first tournament appearance since 2006. Seton Hall also gets contributions from Derrick Gordon, a transfer from UMass and Division I basketball's first openly gay player.
In case you get bored: Arizona vs. Vanderbilt or Wichita State (approximately 9:20 p.m. EST on TNT), Kentucky vs. Stony Brook (approximately 9:40 p.m. EST on CBS) and USC vs. Providence (approximately 9:50 p.m. EST on TBS).
Friday session I
Cal vs. Hawaii at 2 p.m. EST on TBS. Led by freshman phenoms Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb, the 4-seed Golden Bears have the talent to go deep this March. But some dud performances throughout the season prove they're an early-exit candidate as well. Hawaii, led by 6-foot-9 forward Stefan Jankovic, would be more than happy to spoil Cal's party. Meanwhile, you have to wonder if the firing of Cal assistant Yann Hufnagel after a sexual harassment investigation will be a distraction as the young team looks to dodge an upset.
In case you get bored: Dayton vs. Syracuse (12:15 p.m. EST on CBS), Villanova vs. UNC-Ashville (12:40 p.m. EST on TruTV) and Oregon State vs. Virginia Commonwealth (1:30 p.m. EST on TNT).
Friday session II
Maryland vs. South Dakota State at 4:30 p.m. on TBS. Like Cal, it's not hard to imagine Maryland going deep or bowing out early. Melo Trimble and Diamond Stone lead a Terrapins team that was expected to fare better than a 5-seed, but the talent is there to justify Final Four hopes. Those hopes will be for nothing if South Dakota State can pull off the upset; the Jackrabbits won the Summit conference and Maryland, for all its talent, can lose to anyone. The 12-5 matchup is traditionally an upset hotbed, so the Terps can't afford to look ahead.
In case you get bored: Michigan State vs. Middle Tennessee State (2:45 p.m. EST on CBS), Iowa vs. Temple (3:10 p.m. EST on TruTV) and Oklahoma vs. CSU-Bakersfield (4:00 p.m. EST on TNT).
Friday session III
West Virginia vs. Stephen F. Austin at 7:10 p.m. EST on CBS. The Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin bring a 20-game winning streak, the nation's longest, into their date with the Mountaineers. But 3-seed West Virginia has been toughened by a more difficult schedule. So, Lumberjacks or Mountaineers? Either way, an awesome nickname advances.
In case you get bored: Wisconsin vs. Pittsburgh (6:50 p.m. EST on TNT), Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay (7:20 p.m. EST on TBS) and Oregon vs. Southern or Holy Cross (7:27 p.m. EST on TruTV).
Friday session IV
Remember Shaka Smart, who made March mad with Virginia Commonwealth? He's baaack. Texas vs. Northern Iowa at 9:50 p.m. on TBS is Smart's first tournament game as head coach of the Longhorns. He brought his frenetic style of play with him to Texas, and it's still fun to watch. But 11-seed Northern Iowa already beat North Carolina this season, proving it can hang with anyone.
In case you get bored: Xavier vs. Weber State (6:50 p.m. EST on TNT), Notre Dame vs. Michigan or Tulsa (7:20 p.m. EST on CBS) and St. Joseph's vs. Cincinnati (7:27 p.m. EST on TruTV).
Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.
