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Following Tuesday's spectacular games, the four teams participating in Wednesday's First Four NCAA Tournament matchups have a lot to live up to. It's unlikely that we'll see anything like the miracle comebacks that Western Kentucky and BYU pulled off, but we could be in for some good basketball anyway.
The California Golden Bears and South Florida Bulls both finished poorly in both the regular season and their conference tournaments, and really backed into the tournament thanks to a soft bubble. Their game is a great contrast of styles; USF relies on their length and plays a slow game, while Cal has great guards and plays at a quick tempo.
While both of those teams will have a good chance to upset the Temple Owls in the first round, neither the Vermont Catamounts or Lamar Cardinals are expected to give the North Carolina Tar Heels any trouble in the next round. Lamar is most famous for coach Pat Knight's February rant about his seniors, but as Ken Pomeroy notes, they're actually one of the best 16-seeds ever.
First Four
Midwest Region
No. 16 Lamar vs. No. 16 Vermont, 6:40 p.m. ET (truTV).Winner plays No. 1 North Carolina on Friday.
West Region
No. 12 California vs. No. 12 South Florida, 9:00 p.m. ET (truTV). Winner plays No. 5 Temple on Friday.
Stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and more.