TODAY’S NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES

East Regional

No. 8 Kansas State (21-10) vs. No. 9 Southern Mississippi (25-8) at Pittsburgh, 9:30 a.m. PDT, truTV: Neither team offers a great offense, so expect a lot of defense and physical play. Both teams do a good job forcing turnovers. Expect Southern Mississippi to focus on slowing Kansas State guard Rodney McGruder. If he is stymied, the Golden Eagles’ chances get better.

No. 4 Wisconsin (24-9) vs. No. 13 Montana (25-6) at Albuquerque, 11 a.m., TNT: Montana has won 20 of its last 21 games, but the Grizzlies need to shoot well from the outside to advance against Wisconsin. The Badgers’ perimeter defense has been excellent, and Montana can’t rely on its inside game. Wisconsin has committed the fewest turnovers in the nation. Watch the point guard duel between the Badgers’ Jordan Taylor and Montana’s Will Cherry.

No. 1 Syracuse (31-2) vs. No. 16 North Carolina Asheville (24-9) at Pittsburgh, noon, truTV: Syracuse won’t have center Fab Melo, who has been declared ineligible, but it shouldn’t matter in this one. Asheville guards Matt Dickey and J.P. Primm can score from three-point range, but the Bulldogs probably don’t have enough athletes or firepower to hang with Syracuse for more than a half.

No. 5 Vanderbilt (24-10) vs. No. 12 Harvard (26-4) at Albuquerque, 1:30 p.m., TNT: Welcome to the “Brain Bowl.” Vanderbilt opened the season in the top 10 but underachieved before winning the Southeastern Conference tournament by beating top-ranked Kentucky. The Commodores have all the required components for a deep tournament run -- athletic big men, good three-point shooters and an explosive slasher in forward Jeffery Taylor. Harvard must get production from forwards Kyle Casey and Keith Wright.

No. 7 Gonzaga (25-6) vs. No. 10 West Virginia (19-13) at Pittsburgh, 4:15 p.m., TNT: Gonzaga is playing across the country; West Virginia is playing about an hour from its campus. West Virginia’s Kevin Jones is the only player in the nation averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds. Gonzaga big men Elias Harris and Robert Sacre will have to handle him. Gonzaga would much rather see Mountaineers point guard Daryl Bryant shoot from the perimeter than the ball in Jones’ hands.

No. 2 Ohio State (27-7) vs. No. 15 Loyola (Md.) (24-8) at Pittsburgh, 6:45 p.m., TNT: Loyola sometimes has trouble scoring and can be sloppy with the ball. If Ohio State focuses on getting the ball to Jared Sullinger -- sometimes the easiest thing is forgotten -- the Buckeyes should roll. The coaches are worth watching: Ohio State’s Thad Matta is animated on the sideline but is a block of granite compared with Loyola’s Jimmy Patsos, who is likely to sweat through his coat in the first three minutes.

West Regional

No. 6 Murray State (30-1) vs. No. 11 Colorado State (20-11) at Louisville, Ky., 9:15 a.m., Channel 2: Murray State has the nation’s best record thanks to an aggressive defense and a solid offense that is proficient from three-point range. Isaiah Canaan gives the Racers a top guard. Murray State lacks size, but Colorado State isn’t big either. The Rams need a good game from guard Wes Eikmeier.

No. 4 Louisville (26-9) vs. No. 13 Davidson (25-7) at Portland, Ore., 10:30 a.m., TBS: Davidson won at Kansas this season and could be a problem for Louisville if it shoots better than its season average of 33.9% from three-point range. The Wildcats also need production from center Jake Cohen and forward De’Mon Brooks, whose work inside could result in some open looks on the perimeter. Louisville needs guard Peyton Siva to get into the lane and create havoc.

No. 3 Marquette (25-7) vs. No. 14 Brigham Young (26-8) at Louisville, Ky., 11:45 a.m., Channel 2: BYU rallied from a 25-point deficit to defeat Iona in a play-in game. The Cougars are solid on offense, and although questionable on defense could present Marquette problems with rebounding. Like Iona, Marquette has better athletes. And the Golden Eagles also play much better defense than Iona.

No. 5 New Mexico (27-6) vs. No. 12 Long Beach State (25-8) at Portland, Ore., 1 p.m., TBS: Long Beach State is senior-laden, battled-tested and, in guard Casper Ware, has one of the most underrated players in the nation. New Mexico is a physical group that will be looking to exploit its size advantage. How the Lobos handled Long Beach’s backcourt quickness will be key.

South Regional

No. 1 Kentucky (32-2) vs. No. 16 Western Kentucky (16-18) at Louisville, Ky., 3:45 p.m., TBS: Kentucky is a 25-point favorite. Western Kentucky advanced by rallying from a 16-point deficit in the final five minutes to defeat Mississippi Valley State, 59-58, in a play-in game.

No. 5 Wichita State (27-5) vs. No. 12 Virginia Commonwealth (28-6) at Portland, Ore., 4:15 p.m., Channel 2: Virginia Commonwealth forces an average of 17.9 turnovers a game, so Wichita State’s fortunes rest with how guards Joe Ragland and Toure Murry handle full-court pressure. VCU was the tournament Cinderella last season but needs swingman Bradford Burgess to get hot from the perimeter in order to make another deep run.

No. 3 Baylor (27-7) vs. No. 14 South Dakota State (27-7) at Albuquerque, 4:15 p.m., truTV: Guard Nate Wolters averages 21.3 points, 6.0 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals for South Dakota State. He shoots only 24.7% from three-point range but is adept driving the lane and dishing to Griffan Callahan, Chad White, Jordan Dykstra and Brayden Carlson, each of whom is shooting at least 40.5% from beyond the arc. Baylor big men Perry Jones III, Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller should control the post.

No. 8 Iowa State (22-10) vs. No. 9 Connecticut (20-13) at Louisville, Ky., 6:15 p.m., TBS: Jeremy Lamb emerged as a star in helping Connecticut to last season’s NCAA title, but he has been inconsistent. Forward Royce White leads Iowa State in points, rebounds, assists and steals. If he is at his best and Scott Christopherson is making three-pointers, the Cyclones could break up a potential Connecticut-Kentucky matchup in the round of 32 on Saturday.

No. 4 Indiana (25-8) vs. No. 13 New Mexico State (26-9) at Portland, Ore., 6:45 p.m., Channel 2: Indiana lost starting point guard Verdell Jones to a knee injury during the Big Ten tournament. New Mexico State will try to exploit that loss and also control the boards, which the Aggies have been doing all season with forward Wendell McKines. Two problems for New Mexico State: below average three-point shooting and more turnovers than assists.

No. 6 Nevada Las Vegas (26-8) vs. No. 11 Colorado (23-11) at Albuquerque, 6:45 p.m., truTV: Nevada Las Vegas has the better offense and wants a fast pace. Colorado forward Andre Roberson is a strong rebounder, but the Buffaloes lack a go-to scorer. UNLV needs a big game from forward Mike Moser, and for swingman Chace Stanback to make a few three-pointers. Both are transfers from UCLA.

-- Rivals.com