John Walters

The first two days of the NCAA tourney are a lot like Stanford's Lopez twins: individual entities who happen to possess almost identical traits. So, if 16 games on Thursday only left you wanting more, Friday offers an equal number of contests as well at top-ranked team in the nation.

Game of the day: Davidson (10) vs. Gonzaga (7)
Hold me closer, tiny dancers. The Wildcats of Davidson have the nation's longest win streak (22 games) and the country's assists leader in Jason Richards. And, they're playing only a 2 1/2-hour drive from home, whereas the Zags may have had a layover that long en route from Spokane (2,639 miles to Raleigh). Gonzaga failed to win its conference tourney for only the second time in the past decade. This is shaping up as sort of a Ghost of Cinderella Past versus Ghost of Cinderella Future battle among the public.

Upset Possibility: No. 14 Boise State over No. 3 Louisville
If you want a bona fide "Is he nuts?" upset pick, take a look at the Broncos. Last Saturday night they won the WAC conference tourney on their opponents' home floor at New Mexico State. Reggie Larry is a silky swing man (18.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg) and it isn't as if this school is unfamiliar with the colossal upset.

Best individual matchup: Adam Emmenecker versus Courtney Lee
In what promises to be a competitive 12-5 game, Drake's Emmenecker, the Missouri Valley Conference POY, meets Western Kentucky's Lee, the Sun Belt Conference POY. Emmenecker, a 6-1 senior, is a great story. He walked on as a freshman, but only received a full athletic scholarship this year. And there's that angle of his carrying a 3.97 GPA despite having four majors. Lee, a 6-foot-5 NBA prospect, is the leading career scorer among active players in the tournament with 2,176 points.

Backup upset possibility: No. 10 South Alabama over No. 7 Butler
The Eagles get the Bulldogs in Birmingham and will bring lots of football fans who may be duped into believing this is a bass masters weigh-in.

Least merciful team: Memphis
Kent State tied a record for fewest points in a half (10) and Mississippi Valley State established a modern one for fewest in a game (29) on Thursday. Don't be shocked if Texas-Arlington, facing John Calipari's top seed Memphis, approaches both of those records. The Tigers beat UAB by 38 just two weeks ago.

Most likely Russell Crowe spotting (after all, he did show up at a Michigan football game last September): No. 10 St. Mary's vs No. 7 Miami
The Gaels are Down Underdogs, as four players on their roster hail from Australia, including leading scorer Patrick Mills. The six-foot frosh is of Aboriginal descent.

And lest we forget…
Psycho T himself, Tyler Hansbrough, and top-seeded North Carolina play today. Mount St. Mary's is the designated victim.

Print this Email this Blog this  IM this

MORE FROM COLLEGE BASKETBALL

College basketball Section Front

Crean guiding Indiana through it's tough time Next season's freshmen won't measure up Beyond the Arc: Friday links and Kentucky musings Huggins hospitalized after tripping over cone Complete list of early entries to NBA draft Slideshow: Top NBA prospects Slide show: NCAA Tournament images Images: Cheerleaders from NCAA men's tournament   Sound off in our message boards Full coverage of every men's team College basketball Section Front   Add College basketball headlines to your news reader: