Conventional wisdom says that eventually a 16 seed will do the improbable and knock off a number one seed in the NCAA tournament. While completing the upset is quite the tall task, there is no denying that 16 seeds have been closing the gap in recent years. In fact, before 2011 every matchup between a 1 and 16 seed ended with the higher seed winning by 10+ points. But since then, four out of the last 16 games have been decided by 10 points or less.
Now you’re probably thinking this guy is a complete moron and perhaps I am. But before you completely write me off, just hear me out. While UVA is definitely deserving of their top position, their success depends heavily on them playing a relatively perfect game every night. Often times they do. However, in a game where they will be facing a close rival whose team is full of kids that all wanted to be recruited by Virginia, the Cavs won’t have the luxury of having an off night. Cavaliers' slow playing style allows every team they play an opportunity to win.
There will never be a 16 that is more talented than a 1, but Virginia is very capable of looking past Hampton as they did against inferior teams like George Washington, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. If you couple that together with Hampton’s ability to play at a faster pace, this could definitely spell disaster for Virginia.
Update: It did not happen.
Friday March 18: Round of 64
| TIP (ET) | NETWORK | SITE | REGION | GAME | PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST//REPORTER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:15p |  |
St. Louis | Midwest | (7) Dayton Flyers vs. (10) Syracuse Orange | Brian Anderson/Steve Smith//Dana Jacobson |
| 12:40p |  |
Brooklyn | South | (2) Villanova Wildcats vs. (15) UNC-Asheville Bulldogs | Verne Lundquist/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce |
| 1:30p |  |
Oklahoma City | West | (7) Oregon State Beavers vs. 910) Virginia Commonwealth Rams | Carter Blackburn/ Mike Gminski//Jaime Maggio |
| 2:00p |  |
Spokane | South | (4) California Golden Bears vs. (13) Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Ros Gold-Onwude |
| After conc. I | |
St. Louis | Midwest | (2) Michigan State Spartans vs. (15) Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | Anderson/Smith//Jacobson |
| After conc. I | |
Oklahoma City | West | (2) Oklahoma Sooners vs. (15) CS-Bakersfield Roadrunners | Blackburn/Gminski//Maggio |
| After conc. I | |
Brooklyn | South | (7) Iowa Hawkeyes vs. (10) Temple Owls | Lundquist/Spanarkel//LaForce |
| After conc. I | |
Spokane | South | (5) Maryland Terrapins vs. (12) South Dakota State Jackrabbits | Dedes/Gottlieb//Gold-Onwude |
| 6:50p | |
St. Louis | East | (7) Wisconsin Badgers vs.(10) Pittsburgh Panthers | Anderson/Smith//Jacobson |
| 7:10p | |
Brooklyn | East | (3) West Virginia Mountaineers vs. (14) Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks | Lundquist/Spanarkel//LaForce |
| 7:20p | |
Oklahoma City | West | (3) Texas A&M Aggies vs. (14) Green Bay Phoenix | Blackburn/Gminski//Maggio |
| 7:27p | |
Spokane | West | (1) Oregon Ducks vs. (16) Holy Cross Crusaders | Dedes/Gottlieb//Gold-Onwude |
| After conc. III | |
St. Louis | East | (2) Xavier Musketeers vs. (15) Weber State Wildcats | Anderson/Smith//Jacobson |
| After conc. III | |
Brooklyn | East | (6) Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs.(11) Michigan Wolverines | Lundquist/Spanarkel//LaForce |
| After conc. III | |
Oklahoma City | West | (6) Texas Longhorns vs.(11) Northern Iowa Panthers | Blackburn/Gminski//Maggio |
| After conc. III | |
Spokane | West | (8) Saint Josephs (PA) Hawks vs. (9) Cincinnati Bearcats | Dedes/Gottlieb//Gold-Onwude |
Saturday, March 19: 2nd Round Games
| Time | TV | Location | Region | Game | PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST//REPORTER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:10p | CBS | Providence | South | (3) Miami-Florida Hurricanes vs. (11) Wichita State Shockers | Ian Eagle/Chris Webber/Len Elmore//Evan Washburn |
| After Conc. | CBS | Providence | West | (4) Duke Blue Devils vs. (12) Yale Bulldogs | Eagle/Webber/Elmore//Washburn |
| 5:15p | CBS | Des Moines | East | (4) Kentucky Wildcats vs. (5) Indiana Hoosiers | Jim Nantz/Grant Hill/Bill Raftery//Tracy Wolfson |
| 6:10p | TNT | Denver | Midwest | (4) Iowa State Cyclones vs. (12) Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans | Andrew Catalon/Steve Lappas//Jamie Erdahl |
| 7:10p | TBS | Raleigh | Midwest | (1) Virginia Cavaliers vs. (9) Butler Bulldogs | Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Dan Bonner//Lewis Johnson |
| After Conc. | CBS | Des Moines | South | (1) Kansas Jayhawks vs. (9) Connecticut Huskies | Nantz/ Hill/ Raftery//Wolfson |
| After Conc. | TNT | Denver | Midwest | (3) Utah Utes vs. (11) Gonzaga Bulldogs | Catalon/Lappas//Erdahl |
| After Conc. | TBS | Raleigh | East | (1) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. (9) Providence Friars | Harlan/Miller/Bonner//Johnson |