By Adam Kiefaber

There is nothing better than first two days of the NCAA Tournament.

Thursday’s schedule should keep every college basketball fan glued to the television.

Here is my breakdown of the first-round games on Thursday.
No. 11 Kentucky (18-12, 12-4 SEC) vs. No. 6 Marquette (24-9, 11-7 Big East)
- Tip off - 2:30 p.m. ET
- About Kentucky - UK was terrible early this season, but finished the season strong and much of that credit has to go to its first-year coach Billy Gilispie. Last month, the Wildcats lost its best player in freshman Patrick Patterson. Seniors Ramel Bradley (15.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.3 apg) and Joe Crawford (17.3 ppg) will have to be perfect for UK to make a run.
- About Marquette - The Golden Eagles have an amazing trio of guards in Jerel McNeal, Dominic James and Wesley Matthews. Sophomore forward Lazar Hayward (13.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg) has really improved this season. Personally, I thought that this Marquette team could’ve had a much better season. Their weakness has to be their lack of height, however this team is extremely athletic.
- Odds - Marquette by six points
- Prediction - What UK lacks in talent, they make up with heart. What Marquette lacks in height, they make up with athleticism. I have to go with the talent in a tight game.
- Final Score- Marquette wins 89-82 in OT.

No. 11 Baylor (21-10, 9-7 Big 12) at No. 6 Purdue (24-8, 15-3 Big Ten)
- Tip off - 2:50 p.m. ET
- About Baylor - The Bears have been through a lot since the murder of Patrick Dennehy in 2003. The coach at the time, Dave Bliss, was forced to resign after he characterized Dennehy as a drug dealer - for more on the scandal click here. Baylor has six players that can all score in double figures. Guard Aaron Bruce, who was looking like one of the all-time best players in school history early in his career now comes off the bench. Guard Curtis Jerrells (14.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.6 apg) can literally carry this team on his back. Jerrells is a great penetrator and is hard to stop on the offensive end. Center Mamadou (pronoucned Mama-Do) Diene has one of the best names in college basketball.
- About Purdue - No one expected Purdue to be this good this quick, but the team is led by two freshman in E’Twan Moore (12.7 ppg) and Robbie Hummel (11.6 ppg). The Boilermakers would’ve had a better seed if it hadn’t lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. This team has the talent to go far, but is also young enough to lose in the first round.
- Odds - Purdue by three.
- Prediction - Baylor was the last team in on Selection Sunday (see video). The Bears are more experienced and more battle tested (Big 12 much tougher than Big Ten) than the Boilermakers. I expect Baylor to win, but it is anyone’s game - both are solid teams that each lost early in their conference tournaments.
- Final Score- Baylor wins 75-67 - Curtis Jerrells gives a memorable performance.

No. 9 Kent St. (28-6, 13-3 MAC) at No. 8 UNLV (26-7, 12-4 MWC)
- Tip off - 2:55 p.m. ET
- About Kent St. - The best team in MAC, led by conference player of the year Al Fisher, who was a JUCO player last season. The real leader of this team is Haminn Quaintance, who can score, rebound and block shots with the best of them. Mike Scott and Chris Singletary can drive and score as well as hit the three. Kent St. is a well coached team under Jim Christian, who always tends to look pissed off.
- About UNLV - The Rebels made a trip to the Sweet 16 last year, but most of that team is gone. Junior guard Wink Adams is back and is leading the team in scoring with 16.5 points a game. Like KSU, UNLV is a tough defending team that is well coached. UNLV is coached by Lon Kruger.
- Odds - Kent St. by two points.
- Prediction - This game is going to be a battle. Personally, I like KSU in this one, but I have seen them play more than UNLV.
- Final Score- KSU wins 63-58 - Haminn Quaintance will stand out.

No. 13 Oral Roberts (24-8, 16-2 Summit) at No. 4 Pittsburgh (26-9, 10-8 Big East)
- Tip off - 3:00 p.m. ET
- About Oral Roberts- The Golden Eagles are led by JUCO transfer Robert Jarvis (16.1 ppg). Four other players each average around 10 points a game, which creates a nice spread-out scoring attack. ORU recently made national news in its win over IUPUI in the Summit League championship. The newsworthy item wasn’t the win, however it was the fight between the schools’ mascots.
- About Pittsburgh - The Panthers could be a scary team, as they proved themselves by winning the Big East Tournament. The road wasn’t easy, but they were able to defeat Cincinnati, Louisville (No. 3 seed), Marquette (No. 6 seed) and Georgetown (No. 2 seed) in a row. Going into the conference tournament, Pitt was struggling, losing four of its last seven games. Forward Sam Young is the team’s best player and averages 18.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Freshman DeJuan Blair is a great low post player, but tends to get in foul trouble and junior guard Levance Fields is a quick guard that plays smart basketball.
- Odds - Pittsburgh by 9.5 points.
- Prediction - I think that Pittsburgh might be overrated by bracket experts. The team is on fire, but I don’t think they will have enough left in them to make a long run in the NCAA Tournament. However, Pitt should be able to handle Oral Roberts.
- Final Score- Pittsburgh cruises 75-65.

I will continue to breakdown each game of the NCAA Tournament, but for now here is a link for a viewable bracket from CBSsportsline.com. For the printable version click here.

This entry was posted Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 11:19 pm and is filed under NCAA Tournament. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.