Today’s March Madness Games: Furman Upsets Virginia

We’re on the hunt for upsets as the men’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournament gets going in earnest. Here are our picks for the games we don’t want to miss (all times Eastern):

No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Auburn

6:50 p.m., TNT

Iowa has a potential first-round N.B.A. draft pick in Kris Murray, whose twin brother, Keegan, was a lottery pick last year. But the Hawkeyes have been inconsistent all season, including in a home loss to woeful Eastern Illinois. Auburn also recorded an up-and-down season: The Tigers had winning streaks of eight games (to start the year) and five games (in January), but otherwise didn’t win more than two games consecutively. Auburn’s defense could give the Iowa offense trouble; modelers are giving the edge to the Tigers in this tossup game.

No. 5 Duke vs. No. 12 Oral Roberts

7:10 p.m., CBS

Duke is a trendy Final Four pick in its first year under Coach Jon Scheyer, but the Blue Devils will need to handle Oral Roberts first. The Golden Eagles posted a record of 30-4, including a perfect 18-0 in Summit League play. But Duke is also on a hot streak and has won its past nine games on the way to an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title. Fans are largely picking Duke, but some modelers are skeptical, with Pomeroy giving Duke a 63 percent chance to advance.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/16/sports/ncaabasketball/march-madness-thursday.html