On Sunday Night, we finally got a look at the NCAA Tournament bracket as the Selection Committee unveiled their 68 team field. The first round matchups are officially set aside from the four teams that will win their "first four" matchups to make the 64 team field. As the bracket was unveiled, several games stood out as massive storylines to follow in round one. These five matchups are the most interesting to follow on the opening days of the tournament.
7 Kansas Vs 10 Arkansas
In 2008, Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks beat John Calipari and the Memphis Tigers in the National Championship Game. In 2012, John Calipari got his revenge with an win over Bill Self this time at Kentucky to take home the National Championship. Now the two legendary Head Coaches face off in the first round of the Tournament with the chance to face another legendary Head Coach Rick Pitino at stake.
The Arkansas Razorbacks return their second leading scorer Boogie Fland from injury as he'll play his first game since January. The best matchup in this game will be between Adou Thiero and Hunter Dickinson as both big men have what it takes to power their team to the next round.
Last Season, Bill Self had the Preseason Top Team and lost to Gonzaga in the second round, if he loses in the first round with the top team again pressure may start to mount at Kansas. John Calipari is coming off of a stunning first round loss to Oakland and hasn't made a Sweet 16 since 2018-19. Both legendary coaches badly need a March Madness win which puts the interest level in this game at a peak.
5 Clemson Vs 12 McNeese
The matchup on the court between these two coaches is fascinating in its own right but, the off the court situation adds a fun wrinkle to this matchup. Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell is one of the top candidates in Indiana's Head Coaching search and being a native of the state, it could be of interest to him. Will Wade has made a comeback after being ousted by the sport at McNeese State and has emerged as the top candidate at NC State but, if Clemson opens up, Wade could be the top candidate at his alma mater.
On the court, this matchup has a chance to be one of the best of the entire first round of the tournament. Clemson is coming off a run to the Elite Eight with a 27-6 record and an 18-2 record in ACC Play. Last season, McNeese was a popular upset pick but, the Cowboys hadn't played any strong teams, this season they faced Alabama and Mississippi State losing by a combined 11 points.
6 Missouri Vs 11 Drake
One of the most fun parts of March is when two teams are completely different in the style of Basketball that they play. Drake ranks dead last out of 364 teams in possessions per game playing the slowest pace in College Basketball while Missouri ranks outside the top 100 but, the Tigers are at their best when they play fast. The key to upsetting Missouri in this matchup for Drake will be slowing this game to a halt while Missouri can score in bunches at a quicker pace which makes a slow game a very interesting storyline to watch.
5 Michigan Vs 12 UC San Diego
If you are looking to pick a 12 seed over a 5 seed, UC San Diego over Michigan will be the most popular upset pick. Michigan's Achilles heel all season long has been turning the basketball over which spells trouble against UC San Diego which ranks second nationally at turning opponents over. If UC San Diego can turnover Michigan this will be a fascinating matchup to watch but, the Tritons haven't faced an opponent with the size that Michigan can throw at them in this game.
7 Marquette Vs 10 New Mexico
The oddsmakers have set the total in this game at 152.5 points and even that number feels low in this matchup. New Mexico and Marquette love to get up and down the floor and with the elite scorers both teams have, it makes a ton of sense. Marquette is led by electric guard Kam Jones who's scoring 19.3 points per game while three other Golden Eagles average double figures.
New Mexico is led by Donovan Dent who can become a household name this March as he's scoring 20.6 PPG which ranks 8th in the country. Center Nelly Junior Joseph is a walking double double while two other Lobos average double figures. Head Coach Richard Pitino is the son of Rick Pitino and has a ton of buzz surrounding multiple head coaching jobs around the Country.
In a matchup of two teams that love to play at a fast pace, the matchup of Kam Jones Vs Donovan Dent takes centerstage as both guards can score 30+ in this game. If you are looking for what will be the most entertaining matchup, you'll get it in this game.