No. 7 Florida Gators vs. No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers (+3.5, 121)THE STORY: Opposing styles will clash when seventh seeded Florida and its dynamic backcourt take on grind-it-out Virginia in a second-round game in the West Regional in Omaha. Both teams have stumbled into the postseason. The Cavaliers are making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2007, when they advanced to the second round. It's Virginia's 17th appearance, and the Cavaliers are looking for their third trip to the Final Four (1981, 1984). The Gators have made three Final Fours and won two national titles under coach Billy Donovan, who is 25-9 in the NCAA tournament. The teams have met once before when Virginia beat Florida in the semifinals of the 1992 NIT.
Pick: Virginia
No. 2 Missouri Tigers vs. No. 15 Norfolk State Spartans (+21, 144.5)THE STORY: Denied a No. 1 seed despite winning the Big 12 tournament and sent to the West region rather than playing in the Midwest region in nearby St. Louis, second seeded Missouri opens its quest for its first trip to the Final Four against MEAC tournament champion Norfolk State in Omaha, Neb. The Spartans, meanwhile, have already reached a milestone by making the NCAA tournament field for the first time. Missouri is in the tournament for the fourth consecutive year and the 25th overall but has never advanced past the Elite Eight. It will mark the first meeting between the teams.
Pick: Missouri
No. 8 Memphis Tigers vs. No. 9 Saint Louis Billikens (+3, 129.5)THE STORY: Once considered a bubble team, Memphis worked its way up to a No. 8 seed in the West Regional by rolling through its last seven games by an average of 22.7 points, including an 83-57 rout of Marshall in the Conference USA title game. Ninth-seeded Saint Louis, a former league rival of the Tigers, finished second in the Atlantic 10 during the regular season before suffering a 71-64 loss to Xavier in the semifinals of the A-10 tournament. The Tigers own a 32-25 lead in the all-time series, but the teams have not met since the Billikens left Conference USA after the 2004-05 season.
Pick: Saint Louis
No. 1 Michigan State Spartans vs. LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (+19.5, 154.5)THE STORY: Top-seeded Michigan State split the Big Ten's regular season crown and followed with a run to the conference tournament title, capped by a 68-64 victory over rival Ohio State on Sunday. LIU Brooklyn roars into the Round of 64 game after claiming the Northeast Conference title in the regular season and crushing Robert Morris 90-73 in Wednesday's tournament final. Penn State was the teams' lone common opponent, with the Spartans topping the Nittany Lions at home 77-57 and the Blackbirds suffering a 77-68 defeat on the road in November. Michigan State and Brooklyn will meet for the first time since 1941 in the West Regional.
Pick: LIU Brooklyn