With Selection Sunday out of the way, the 2023 men’s edition of March Madness is set to begin on March 14, kicking off with Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson facing off in the First Four.
In the East region, No. 1 seed Purdue will look to keep their dominant season alive after posting a 26–5 record during the regular season. After winning the Big Ten tournament on Sunday, the Boilermakers will face off against either Texas Southern or Fairleigh Dickinson as both teams look to remain on college basketball’s greatest stage.
As for the ACC champions No. 5 Duke, they’ll face No. 12 Oral Roberts, who was a big Cinderella story during the 2021 tournament. It’ll be up to superstar Kyle Filipowski and first-year coach Jon Scheyer to lead the Blue Devils into the second round.
Below is the first-round schedule for the East Region:
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First Four
Teams: Texas Southern (14–20) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (19–15)
Game Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Game Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Game Location: UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio
TV: truTV
First Round
Teams: No. 16 Texas Southern/Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 1 Purdue (29–5)
Game Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
Game Time: 6:50 p.m. ET
Game Location: Columbus, Ohio
TV: TNT
Teams: No. 8 Memphis (26–8) vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic (31–3)
Game Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
Game Time: 9:20 p.m. ET
Game Location: Columbus, Ohio
TV: TNT
Teams: No. 5 Duke (26–8) vs. No. 12 Oral Roberts (30–4)
Game Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Game Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Game Location: Orlando, Fla.
TV: CBS
Teams: No. 4 Tennessee (23–10) vs. No. 13 Louisiana (26–7)
Game Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Game Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
Game Location: Orlando, Fla.
TV: CBS
Teams: No. 6 Kentucky (21–11) vs. No. 11 Providence (21–11)
Game Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
Game Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Game Location: Greensboro, N.C.
TV: CBS
Teams: No. 3 Kansas State (23–9) vs. No. 14 Montana State (25–9)
Game Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
Game Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
Game Location: Greensboro, N.C.
TV: CBS
Teams: No. 7 Michigan State (19–12) vs. No. 10 USC (22–10)
Game Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
Game Time: 12:15 p.m. ET
Game Location: Columbus, Ohio
TV: CBS
Teams: No. 2 Marquette (28–6) vs. No. 15 Vermont (23–10)
Game Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
Game Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Game Location: Columbus, Ohio
TV: CBS
Kevin Sweeney’s Analysis, Predictions
Matchup to Watch: No. 12 Oral Roberts vs. No. 5 Duke. Max Abmas and Oral Roberts’ return to the March spotlight comes in Jon Scheyer’s first NCAA tournament game as a head coach. It’s not the ideal draw for the potential Cinderella team, taking on one of the more talented teams in the country that won nine straight to close out the regular season. According to T-Rank, Duke has been one of the country’s five best teams since Feb. 15, a mark buoyed by three impressive performances at the ACC tournament.
But if there’s a team built to pull an upset, it’s Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles have five players back from the team that beat Ohio State and Florida in the NCAA tournament two seasons ago, a superstar guard in Abmas and a 7’5” big man in Connor Vanover to help match up down low. The winner of this game could be destined for a deep run.
Player to Watch: Zach Edey, Purdue. Edey is poised to sweep all National Player of the Year honors and is fresh off a dominating display at the Big Ten tournament to help the Boilermakers win a conference championship. He followed up his 32 points and 14 rebounds against Ohio State with 30 points and 13 rebounds Sunday against Penn State. He’s the single most overwhelming force in the sport, requiring double and triple teams to attempt to stop him. Given the Boilermakers’ youth in the backcourt, Purdue may have to lean more heavily on their big man to avoid an early upset bid.
