I’ll be here again for the first eight games of the day. Times are still mountain time, so adjust accordingly.

10:17 – We are just underway with Tennessee and American. The Eagles are out to a 4-2 lead. Watch out world, here comes American!

10:25 – Davidson and Gonzaga are about to get underway. This game is brilliant, and I am very excited about it, but it is a travesty that these two teams have to match up in the first round.

10:29 – Three minutes in and I already know that this one will live up to the hype. End to end action and sharp shooting.

11:06 – Tennessee is up by seven at the half. That’s probably closer than Bruce Pearl’s game plan.

11:16 – Gonzaga played that first half like they are tired of hearing how Davidson is the new Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have the edge, but the second half sets up to be a war. Davidson may want to find a way to guard freshman Steven Gray. He has a career high 15 points in the first half, and can’t miss from outside.

11:17 – Speaking of battles, the Drake – Western Kentucky game is a seesaw. The Hilltoppers took a lead, then the Bulldogs took one, and now Western Kentucky is back up. The Hilltoppers are shooting the lights out and are up by nine at the half. Like the Gonzaga game, it is a shame that these teams have to play in the first round, because both deserve a chance to play again.

11:23 – All of Australia rejoices as the St. Mary’s Gaels and their Aussie-heavy roster look very comfortable in leading Miami by five. Is it just me, or is Miami the least inspiring power conference team in the tournament?

11:30 – American will not go away. They have closed the gap to one three minutes into the second half. What is in the water for the 15 seeds this year?

11:55 – Looks like I spoke to soon about St. Mary’s -they have gone from five up to seven down in just over four minutes.

12:04 – Drake is down by 16 with 11 minutes left. I might be mixing up my fairy tales here, but Cinderella better find a prince to kiss soon before she turns into a frog.

12:05 – Stephen Curry has 32 points in 31 minutes. Any doubts about how freaking good this guy is?

12:29 – Adam Morrison was just shown on the sidelines at the Gonzaga game. He looked like a freak when he was playing, but that Morrison looked like a male model compared to the uber-freak he has become now.

12:32 – Heck of an effort by American, and a nice cover to boot.

12:37 – Davidson wins the best game of the tournament so far. I can’t say enough about Curry. Their game against Georgetown is going to be fascinating.

12:39 – I take back what I said about Miami. They came out and laid a serious beating on St. Mary’s in the second half.

12:48 – Going to overtime with Drake and Western Kentucky. There has been more drama in the first two and a half hours today than there was in 12 hours yesterday. Heck of a comeback by Drake to get this far. Now it’s just a question of whether the momentum can carry over to the second half. I’m torn on that – sometimes I think it does, other times I don’t. Helpful, I know.

12:59 – One of my favorite parts of the tournament is discovering players I didn’t know much about who shine in the spotlight. Win or lose, Tyrone Brazelton, the point guard for Western Kentucky, is one of those players. Incredible performance.

1:10 – Best shot of the tournament so far goes to Ty Rogers of Western Kentucky. His long, long three went through the hoop as time expired in overtime to give Western Kentucky the win. The last five minutes of regulation and that overtime are why college basketball is king.

1:16 – The higher seeds were just 1-3 ATS in the first group of games today. A reversal from yesterday. Had to happen eventually.

1:31 – Least shocking news of the day – a number 15, UMBC, is hanging tough with a two, Georgetown. They are tied 11 minutes in.

1:48 – Western Kentucky may be the new darlings, but conference-mates South Alabama are not faring nearly as well. They are down by 17 to Butler at the half. The Bulldogs look very good so far. They should – they are a four seed in seven seed clothing.

1:56 – The dream’s not dead for UMBC, but it’s on life support. Georgetown drove a dagger into the Retrievers’ ribs with a three at the buzzer to take a 12 point lead into the final.

1:57 – Texas has finally shown that it is possible for a two seed to exert their dominance early and maintain it. They took and early lead and haven’t really looked back against Austin Peay. The Longhorns are up by 15 and look to be in total control. Of course, the last time I said that about a team at halftime they lost the game by 14, so heed my opinion accordingly.

2:02 – San Diego is up by two over UConn halfway through the first half. Maybe the Toreros feel they have something to prove since the other two tournament teams from their conference had a rough morning.

2:13 – I’ve been waiting to hear if the injury to UConn point guard A.J. Price is serious. It seems to be a real knee problem, and that’s bad news for Calhoun and the boys. San Diego was tight with Price in the game, so they could be in decent shape now, and they have the bonus of believing that it is possible now. Price may be back in the second half, but this is going to be one to watch. San Diego is now up by six.

2:31 – San Diego is up by five at the half. I still would have to favor the Huskies because of who they are, but the Toreros do not look uncomfortable with the lead.

2:33 – Georgetown and Butler both look to be in cruise control.

2:58 – Is Butler this good or is South Alabama overrated? The Bulldogs are up by 25 with less than two left and are just ruthlessly efficient and impressive. Bruce Pearl is in the audience and, funnily enough, he doesn’t seem to be enjoying the game that much. Butler-Tennessee could be the game of the day on Sunday.

3:11 – San Diego may not hold on, but they deserve credit because they clearly want it more. They are too small to be out-rebounding UConn, but they have been doing it for long stretches of time. I fear a fall back to earth, though. If it’s coming for San Diego it will come back soon.

3:18 – Georgetown and Texas both held on to cover their big spreads. That’s 3-0 ATS for the higher seeds in this group, and 4-3 ATS for them on the day. Still profitable for a public-following monkey. UConn will have to work hard to cover their 12.5 point spread, though.

3:20 – I’m not giving up yet, but San Diego is in trouble. They look tired and UConn has woken up and is asserting their strength. San Diego is down, and now we get to see if they have what it takes to pick themselves back up again.

3:49 – Something crazy is going on in Tampa – two games, two overtime thrillers. I’m impressed with San Diego’s ability to hang on this long, though I bet that Ginty would like to have those two missed late free throws back. I’m not even going to guess what is going to happen now, other than UConn isn’t going to cover.

4:09 – Sometimes teams get exactly what they deserved. San Diego was incredible all day, and they earned that win in a big, big way. That’s the first time in 15 tries that Jim Calhoun has lost in the first round with the Huskies. That’s amazing. What an absolutely incredible game, and a great end to a great afternoon of basketball. Gyno Pomare is another one of those guys who rose up and amazed in the spotlight. Wow.

4:11 – Western Kentucky versus San Diego. You had that one on your bracket, right? For the record, a 12 has played a 13 five times, and the higher seeded team has won four of them.

4:12 – Enjoy the rest of the games today.