Friday’s NCAA tournament games

East Region

No. 6 Cincinnati (24-10) vs. No. 11 Texas (20-13), 9:15 a.m. PDT, Channel 2: Neither team is all that proficient offensively, but both play solid defense. Cincinnati’s physical nature could bother Texas. The Longhorns need a big offensive game from guard J’Covan Brown. If he struggles, Texas has no chance. And if he is on, Texas needs someone up front to produce some points. Texas has been a good rebounding team, and that must continue. Cincinnati’s poor free-throw shooting could play a role in a close game.

No. 3 Florida State (24-9) vs. No. 14 St. Bonaventure (20-11), 11:45 a.m., Channel 2: Florida State struggled early, then turned things around; the Seminoles were 2-0 against North Carolina and 2-1 against Duke this season, and beat them back to back to win the ACC tournament for the first time. Florida State is athletic and physical up front, and defense remains the Seminoles’ calling card. St. Bonaventure won the Atlantic 10 tournament as the fourth-seeded team, and for the Bonnies to make this interesting, they have to get a big game from senior forward Andrew Nicholson, who came up huge in the league tournament. The Bonnies generally do well on the boards, but that seems too much to ask against the Seminoles. Florida State can be extremely sloppy with the ball, so that bears watching.

South Region

No. 2 Duke (27-6) vs. No. 15 Lehigh (26-7), 4:15 p.m., Channel 2: Lehigh played two NCAA tournament teams and lost by nine to both (Iowa State and Michigan State). The Mountain Hawks have a genuine mid-major star in junior guard C.J. McCollum, who tore up Kansas in a first-round loss in 2010. He obviously must come up big if Lehigh is to keep this close. Also important is the performance of forward Gabe Knutson, whose production is vital if Lehigh is to have any offensive balance. The Plumlee brothers could be more productive than usual for Duke, which enjoys a decided size advantage.

No. 7 Notre Dame (22-11) vs. No. 10 Xavier (21-12), 6:30 p.m., Channel 2: Notre Dame overachieved and Xavier underachieved during the regular season. The Irish faded down the stretch. Did they peak too early or were they simply tired? The Irish are not a gifted offensive team, and they seem to relish ugly, grind-it-out games. Guard Eric Atkins is a solid three-point threat, and guard Jerian Grant can get hot from beyond the arc. But the Irish need forward Jack Cooley to play well if they are going to win. Xavier guard Tu Holloway is quick and needs to be a good penetrator in this game; at times, he becomes too enamored with his perimeter game. The Musketeers need senior center Kenny Frease to show up and for guard Mark Lyons to knock down some three-pointers.

Midwest Region

No. 6 San Diego State (26-7) vs. No. 11 North Carolina State (22-12), 9:30 a.m., truTV: N.C. State has some talented offensive players, with five guys averaging in double figures, but the Wolfpack’s defense frequently is lax. The Wolfpack has an advantage in the frontcourt and need forwards C.J. Leslie and Richard Howell to take advantage. San Diego State is all about its deep backcourt, and N.C. State could have problems with swingman Jamaal Franklin, the Mountain West player of the year.

No. 8 Creighton (28-5) vs. No. 9 Alabama (21-11), 10:30 a.m., TBS: Alabama can be quite ugly on offense, but the Crimson Tide generally plays lockdown defense. Creighton is an excellent offensive team (80.0 ppg, 50.9 FG%) but frequently is lax on defense. Creighton’s key guy is forward Doug McDermott, who is incredibly efficient on offense (23.2 ppg, 61.0 FG%, 49.5 3-pt FG%, 79.9 FT%). What will the Tide do to slow him? Look for Alabama to get the ball to JaMychal Green, who should be effective against Creighton’s frontcourt. If Green is stymied, the Tide is in trouble; it shoots an unsightly 28.5% from three-point range.

No. 3 Georgetown (23-8) vs. No. 14 Belmont (27-7), noon, truTV: Belmont hasn’t played a team that made the NCAA field since its first two games of the season, but the upperclassmen-dominated Bruins are a good three-point shooting team (37.8%) — though how many good looks they get against the defense-minded Hoyas is a big question. Belmont must get production from centers Scott Saunders and Mick Hedgepeth, who combine to average 20.0 points and 10.8 rebounds. Georgetown enjoys a big size advantage, and the Hoyas need to make sure Henry Sims and Otto Porter get the ball often in the low post. Belmont does a good job forcing turnovers and wants a fast pace, while the Hoyas would prefer to keep this one in the 60s.

No. 1 North Carolina (29-5) vs. No. 16 Vermont (24-11), 1 p.m., TBS: Vermont isn’t that big and isn’t that athletic. North Carolina is big and athletic, and basically is playing a home game. Vermont has given up more than 70 points only four times this season; North Carolina averages 82..

No. 4 Michigan (24-9) vs. No. 13 Ohio (27-7), 4:15 p.m., TNT: Ohio is athletic, but the Bobcats are inconsistent offensively and have more turnovers than assists. They put their athleticism to good use on defense and force 17.7 turnovers a game, which leads to baskets in transition. Guard D.J. Cooper is a jet with the ball, but he really has struggled with his shot (14.6 ppg, but 34.8 FG% and 31.3 on threes). Ohio isn’t that good on the boards either. Michigan guards Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. are a dangerous duo, and swingman Zack Novak is a dangerous three-point shooter. Michigan lacks size and its board work is mediocre. If Michigan can avoid turnovers, it should be in good shape.

No. 7 St. Mary’s (27-5) vs. No. 10 Purdue (21-12), 4:15 p.m., truTV: Purdue sometimes struggles to score, is mediocre from the free-throw line and, on average, is outrebounded. But the Boilermakers take excellent care of the ball and have a legit go-to guy in forward Robbie Hummel. But if he struggles, the offense has a whole can bog down. Purdue isn’t the most athletic team, but the Boilermakers are more athletic than St. Mary’s. Forward Rob Jones and guard Matthew Dellavedova are a nice inside-outside duo for the Gaels. Keep an eye on the Gaels’ perimeter defense. Purdue is good from beyond the arc, and the Gaels sometimes are lax with their coverage of long-range shooters.

No. 5 Temple (24-7) vs. No. 12 South Florida (21-13), 6:45 p.m., TNT: South Florida ripped California in a play-in game — can the Bulls play that well on offense again? South Florida was a team that struggled to score in the regular season and won with defense. Temple has been excellent from three-point range (40.5%), but South Florida’s perimeter defense has been stingy this season. The Owls are extremely perimeter-oriented, and if center Michael Eric doesn’t provide something in the low post, Temple’s guards aren’t going to get many open looks. Temple’s defense hasn’t been as good as in past seasons, but the Owls still are solid on that end of the court.

No. 2 Kansas (27-6) vs. No. 15 Detroit (22-13), 6:45 p.m., truTV: Detroit seems to have become a somewhat trendy upset pick, but the Titans lost 13 times and finished tied for third in the Horizon League. The Titans have a legit mid-major star in guard Ray McCallum Jr., the coach’s son. While he is a good all-around player, his three-point shooting has been atrocious (25.0%) and the Titans need to have someone provide a presence from beyond the arc. Although Detroit has some big bodies, Kansas’ Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey should enjoy productive days. Kansas has had some bad first-round losses, but this would be, by far, the worst.

West Region

No. 7 Florida (23-10) vs. No. 10 Virginia (22-9), 11 a.m., TNT: Florida underachieved relative to its talent level, but if their strong backcourt plays well, the Gators can hang with anybody and certainly can beat the Cavaliers. The key in this one is Virginia forward Mike Scott. The Cavaliers have no other offensive threat of note, but can the Gators handle Scott? Florida is extremely thin up front and if Gators big man Patric Young gets in foul trouble, Scott will dominate. Florida leads the nation in made three-pointers, but the Cavaliers’ perimeter defense has been solid this season.

No. 2 Missouri (30-4) vs. No. 15 Norfolk State (25-9), 1:30 p.m., TNT: Norfolk State wins with defense. Alas, Missouri is one of the best offensive teams in the nation. The one thing worth watching is whether Norfolk State center Kyle O’Quinn (15.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg) can do anything in the low blocks, such as entice Missouri big man Ricardo Ratliffe into foul trouble? Worth noting: Both of Norfolk’s losses to NCAA teams came to Marquette. In the first meeting, host Marquette won by 31. In the second, on a neutral court, it won by only two.

No. 8 Memphis (26-8) vs. No. 9 St. Louis (25-7), 3:45 p.m., TBS: Memphis Coach Josh Pastner has done a nice job this season, but his Xs-and-O’s matchup with St. Louis Coach Rick Majerus is unfair. Majerus probably has gym shorts older than Pastner. What Pastner does have, though, is better players. Memphis can’t let St. Louis control the tempo, and needs to attack on defense and try to get some transition baskets. Memphis has been solid on offense of late, but is that a sign that Memphis’ youngsters have grown up or that Conference USA remains a middling league?

No. 1 Michigan State (27-7) vs. No. 16 Long Island Brooklyn (25-8), 6:15 p.m., TBS: This is all about tempo. The faster the pace, the longer the Blackbirds can make things interesting. If this turns into a half-court affair, it will be ugly for the underdogs.

—Mike Huguenin, Rivals.com