NCAA Tournament 2013: First Round Game Times, TV Schedule, and More (UPDATED)

Whatever you want to call these first couple nights of the NCAA Tournament, either the “first four” or “play-in games,” the official first round of the action tips off on Tuesday night.

Before casting aside these matchups, remember that two years ago VCU made it to the Final Four after having to play a first round game. Remember that either 11 seeds in the Midwest or 13 seeds in the West could be dangerous.

The Wednesday matchup between the Boise State Broncos and LaSalle Explorers will give us the winner of the 13th seed in the West region, which is what part of the bracket the Iowa State Cyclones are playing. Either the Broncos or Explorers will play 4th-seeded Kansas State at 2:10 PM CT.

All games played in Dayton, Ohio. Pregame coverage begins at 5:00 PM CT on truTV both nights.

Tuesday

Announcing crew: Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Craig Sager

(16) North Carolina A&T vs (16) Liberty (+3)
5:40 PM CT – truTV

Liberty is just the second team with 20 or more losses in a season to make the NCAA Tournament (2008: Coppin State). Despite an 0-8 start, the team never quit and surged at the end of the season to win the Big South Tournament. NCA&T did the same avoiding a losing season just a few weeks ago. Both teams are just excited to be here, and one will get at least one postseason victory

Aggies 57, Flames 52

(11) St. Mary’s vs (11) Middle Tennessee St (-3)
8:10 PM CT – truTV

Some people call them the worst 27-6 team they’ve ever seen, but the higher end of the West Coast Conference may not be as bad as most of the nation thinks. Having to face Gonzaga three times in a season is definitely more preparation than MTSU got in the Sun Belt Conference, and they had some luck making it without even making it far in their own conference tournament.

Gaels 63, Blue Raiders 52

Wednesday

Announcing crew: Jim Nantz, Clark Kellog, Tracy Wolfson

(16) LIU-Brooklyn vs (16) James Madison (+2)
5:40 PM CT – truTV

James Madison’s leading scorer and rebounder, Rayshawn Goins, is suspended for the first half of the game after being arrested on Sunday after police had to break up a party with Goins involved the night before. This was already a weaker CAA than we’re used to, and Long Island has made the NCAA Tournament for the past three years. Losing 12.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game is too much to get over for the Dukes.

Blackbirds 68, Dukes 56

(13) La Salle vs (13) Boise State (-2)
8:10 PM CT – truTV

A lot of scoring is expected with both teams utilizing four guards on the court and both teams getting a lot of experience in tough conferences. Considering La Salle has beaten teams like Butler and VCU, expect Ramon Galloway to be the difference for the Explorers.

Explorers 77, Broncos 72