2010 NCAA Tournament: Friday Schedule, Previews And Predictions

SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean, editor of Blogging The Bracket, has your rundown of Thursday's NCAA Tournament action, including announcer pairings and picks from his bracket.

All games are on CBS, check your local listings to see your affiliate's choices. You can watch all 63 games of the event through NCAA® March Madness on Demand®. 

SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean, editor of Blogging The Bracket, has your rundown of Friday's NCAA Tournament action.

Have you caught your breath yet? Yesterday was, in my opinion, the greatest First Round day ever, as a 10, two 11s, a 13 and a 14 all claimed upset wins. Plus, there were three overtime games. All of last year's event featured two.

We're just getting started as there are 16 more games on tap for Friday.

Early Afternoon

Action tips off not long afternoon at three sites.

12:15 p.m. ET (East: Buffalo) No. 15 Morgan State (27-9) vs. No. 2 West Virginia (27-6) (Gus Johnson/Len Elmore): Two reasons to watch this game, it's likely your only chance to see the Bears' scoring star Reggie Holmes and rebounding force Kevin Thompson, and you'll get to see if Bob Huggins dumps the tracksuit. OK, so you only have one real reason to watch. My pick: West Virginia

12:25 p.m. ET (West: Milwaukee) No. 11 Minnesota (21-13) vs. No. 6 Xavier (24-8) (Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel): The Gophers hope this one is more like their game against Purdue, not the one against Ohio State. The Musketeers will try to make this one a painful experience for them. My pick: Xavier

12:30 p.m. ET (East: Jacksonville) No. 12 Temple (29-5) vs. No. 5 Cornell (27-4) (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg): It's the Owls' Fran Dunphy vs. former assistant Steve Donahue in the Underseeded Bowl. My pick: Cornell

Late Afternoon

There will be four games in this timeslot, as the first game in Spokane tips off. The other three tip times are all approximate.

2:30 p.m. ET (South: Spokane) No. 13 Siena (27-6) vs. No. 4 Purdue (27-5) (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski): How many points will Purdue score in the first half of this one? If it's only 11, the Saints will be well on their way to another first round win. My pick: Siena

2:45 p.m. ET (East: Buffalo) No. 10 Missouri (22-10) vs. No. 7 Clemson (21-10) (Johnson/Elmore): Worth checking out to see if Oliver Purnell's team will blow it as usual and how Gus Johnson will call it. My pick: Missouri

2:55 p.m. ET (West: Milwaukee) No. 14 Oakland (26-8) vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh (24-8) (Eagle/Spanarkel): It's a classic AFC matchup on CBS. You'd expect, the Raiders, I mean Golden Grizzlies, don't stand much of a chance in this one. But after yesterday, the school from the Detroit suburbs will be looking to pull off another shock. My pick: Pittsburgh

3:00 p.m. ET (East: Jacksonville) No. 13 Wofford (26-8) vs. No. 4 Wisconsin (23-8) (Nantz/Kellogg): This one could be an absolute slugfest on par with yesterday's Northern Iowa-UNLV contest. My pick: Wisconsin

The Lone 2 p.m. PT Tip

Because of a quirk in site scheduling, there's a late afternoon tip out West for the second straight day. 

5:00 p.m. ET (South: Spokane) No. 12 Utah State (27-7) vs. No. 5 Texas A&M (23-9) (Brando/Gminski): How did no teams from the Pacific time zone get stuck in the 2 p.m. PT slot? At least it is another attractive 5  vs. 12 matchup. My pick: Texas A&M

Early Evening

Four games start the night session. The tip time in Spokane is approximate.

7:10 p.m. ET (West: Buffalo) No. 9 Florida State (22-9) vs. No. 8 Gonzaga (22-6) (Johnson/Elmore): For the second straight season, the Seminoles will have a very difficult time in their quest to get out of the first round. It will be interesting to see how Solomon Alabi handles Robert Sacre in a matchup of interior forces. My pick: Gonzaga

7:15 p.m. ET (Midwest: Milwaukee) No. 10 Georgia Tech (22-12) vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State (22-10) (Eagle/Spanarkel): Will the Yellow Jackets realize that they can absolutely dominate the Cowboys with their interior talent before tip-off? I think Oklahoma State's guard play wins the day. My pick: Oklahoma State

7:20 p.m. ET (Midwest: Spokane) No. 12 New Mexico State (22-11) vs. No. 5 Michigan State (24-8) (Brando/Gminski): This is potentially the most unattractive 5 vs. 12 game in recent memory, pitting a Spartan team that has issues against an Aggie team that is defensively-challenged. My pick: Michigan State

7:25 p.m. ET (South: Jacksonville) No. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (18-15) vs. No. 1 Duke (29-5) (Nantz/Kellogg): The Golden Lions' reward for winning their first ever Tournament game: a matchup with the Blue Devils. My pick: Duke

Late Evening

All four tip times are approximate for the final games of the First Round.

9:40 p.m. ET (West: Buffalo) No. 16 Vermont (25-9) vs. No. 1 Syracuse (28-4) (Johnson/Elmore): The Catamounts will hope to channel the magic of 2005, but a heavily Orange crowd should prevent that. Worth tuning in to check out UVM's Marqus Blakely. My pick: Syracuse

9:45 p.m. ET (Midwest: Milwaukee) No. 15 UC Santa Barbara (20-9) vs. No. 2 Ohio State (27-7) (Eagle/Spanarkel): Even if this one is close, the Gauchos won't have an answer for Evan Turner. My pick: Ohio State

9:50 p.m. ET (Midwest: Spokane) No. 13 Houston (19-15) vs. No. 4 Maryland (23-8) (Brando/Gminski): This game features two of the games most exciting (and among the most disliked) players in the Cougars' Aubrey Coleman and Terps' Greivis Vasquez. My pick: Maryland

9:55 p.m. ET (South: Jacksonville) No. 9 Louisville (20-12) vs. No. 8 California (23-10) (Nantz/Kellogg): The Golden Bears will look to justify their seeding, while the Cardinals hope they can get a shot at Duke in round two. My pick: Louisville

Follow Chris on Twitter, @BracketDobber, for his thoughts and reactions throughout the day and evening.