NCAA Men’s Tournament 2022: Dates, Tip Times, TV Schedule for First Four, 1st Round

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket is out and so are the tip times.

Rush the Court shared the tip times for Thursday and Friday’s round-of-64 games that will all start with Thursday’s showdown between Michigan and Colorado State in Indianapolis.

But fans don’t have to wait until Thursday’s games thanks to the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday and Wednesday:

The best part of March Madness, at least for neutral fans looking for something to cheer for if their alma maters aren’t in it, is the possibility of the upset. Cinderella dancing into the later rounds is what separates the event from so many other playoffs across the sports landscape, and this year figures to be no different.

There are a number of potential Cinderella stories that will take the court Thursday and Friday.

Look no further than the Murray State Racers on the first day of the round of 64. They are the No. 7 seed in the East Region, so a first-round win over the 10th-seeded San Francisco Dons won’t be an upset, but their second-round matchup could come against the powerhouse Kentucky Wildcats.

Murray State went a sparkling 30-2 this season with one of its losses coming to Auburn. It notably defeated a strong Memphis team that is also in the tournament before going 18-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play.

The trio of KJ Williams, Tevin Brown and Justice Hill can put up points in a hurry, and the latter two combined for 44 points in the conference tournament championship game win over Morehead State.

The Racers are also balanced and are ranked in the top 40 on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball on KenPom.com, so Kentucky will have to fight it out on both ends.

As for Friday’s slate, few teams are playing better than a Virginia Tech squad that landed the No. 11 seed in the East Region. That is bad news for the sixth-seeded Texas Longhorns since the Hokies come into the Big Dance with plenty of momentum after stunning Duke in the ACC tournament final.

Hunter Cattoor poured in 31 points in that victory, while leading scorer Keve Aluma notched a double-double of 19 points and 10 boards to go along with seven assists. Aluma can take over a game and is accustomed to battling with power-conference foes, so Texas is officially on upset alert.