NCAA Tournament: Preview & Picks for Friday’s Afternoon Games

The madness keeps on rolling into Friday as more first-round games are set to tip off as we complete the field for the Round of 32. We look at all 16 games on Friday’s slate and discuss which team we see advancing.

NCAA Picks: Early Games | Early-Evening Games | Late-Night Games

2:45 p.m. ET | #15 Vermont vs. #2 Marquette | CBS

Marquette is one of the hottest teams in the nation, and with Purdue in the East with them, they are becoming one of the trendier picks to reach the Final Four. Those with the Golden Eagles in their national semifinal could have a slight sweat on Friday afternoon because this Vermont team is incredibly coached and confident. The Catamounts enter on a 15-game win streak and start five seniors, four of which have NCAA Tournament experience here. Take Vermont to cover the number in this spot.

ATS Pick: Vermont +10.5

3:10 p.m. ET | #11 Pittsburgh vs. #6 Iowa State | truTV

I’m sure we all remember where we were a season ago when Iowa State played arguably two of the ugliest games in the NCAA Tournament, notching wins over LSU and Wisconsin, where no team cracked 60 points. Expect more of the same from the Cyclones this season under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, but this matchup could give them fits. Pittsburgh showed they are more than capable of knocking down threes over a pack-line defense. They went nine-for-19 from deep in their First Four win over Mississippi State, and they’ll face a similar task on Friday against Iowa State. The Panthers find a way to keep things close in Greensboro.

ATS Pick: Pittsburgh +4.5

4:00 p.m. ET | #11 NC State vs. #5 Creighton | TNT

If seedings were based on KenPom rankings, this Creighton team would be the strongest 5-seed in the field. The Bluejays are balanced with no true weakness on either offense or defense and should be poised to make a deep run in the South Region. NC State sneaks into the field as the last team to miss the First Four and have a defense that Creighton should be able to expose through some inside-out offense through stud center Ryan Kalkbrenner. It’s Creighton covering the number here.

ATS Pick: Creighton -5.5

4:30 p.m. ET | #13 Iona vs. #4 UConn | TBS

Rick Pitino is back against the Big East’s best, and it should be a rocking atmosphere up in Albany for this one. It truly feels like a brutal draw for both teams, as there is a case to be made that either could outperform their seeding. Big man Nelly Junior Joseph is a critical part of Iona’s offense, and it’s impossible to see how he finds success at just 6’9″ against the size and skill of Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan of the Huskies. UConn should also have a field day on the glass as the top-ranked offensive rebounding team in the nation, a glaring weakness in Iona’s defense.

ATS Pick: UConn -8.5