If It Can Get Late Early…

…Then It Must be OK To Be An Early Late Game

#1 UNC vs. #16 Mount St. Mary’s
Friday at 7:10 PM EST in Raleigh, NC
Vegas: UNC (-25.5)
Storming the Floor: UNC
Joe Lunardi: UNC
WWOD?: This is a de-facto home game for UNC. And, they are the No. 1 seed of the whole deal. Mount St. Mary’s, on the other hand, is not those things. But, right now they have more 2008 tourney wins than UNC does.

#6 Oklahoma vs. #11 Saint Joseph’s
Friday at 7:10 PM EST in Birmingham, AL
Vegas: Oklahoma (-1)
Storming the Floor: Saint Joseph’s
Joe Lunardi: Saint Joseph’s
WWOD?: Can you go against a Catholic school on Good Friday? That’s even worse than eating meat. Right? I think so. Better go with St. Joe’s just to be safe. I’ve committed enough hell-worthy trespasses (like that South Alabama pick) this week without tacking on another.

*Gambling Alert: All our panelists are going with Coach Martelli's Philly squad but they’re still getting a point in Vegas. Definitely worth five bucks. I just wish I had that kind of money.

#4 Vanderbilt vs. #13 Siena
Friday at 7:20 PM EST in Tampa, FL
Vegas: Vanderbilt (-7)
Storming the Floor: Siena
Joe Lunardi: Siena
WWOD?: The is the other over-hyped 4/13 upset of the first two days. And, I’m not talking about the one that actually came through: San Diego over UConn, which wasn’t a “smart” pick. The other trendy 4/13 tango was the Winthrop/Washington State came that went chalk. I went against the grain on this one too, for the most part. I watched Vanderbilt beat Tennessee just a few days after I watched Tennessee beat undefeated Memphis. Ipso Facto: I went with Vandy even though they’re not playing on their weird home-court with the end-court benches.

#8 Mississippi State vs. #9 Orgeon
Friday at 7:25 PM EST in Little Rock, AR
Vegas: Mississippi State (-2.5)
Storming the Floor: Mississippi State
Joe Lunardi: Mississippi State
WWOD?: I don’t trust West Coast teams coming East to play tournament games. And I like them even less heading deep into the South. It must be a different planet for someone living in Nike-land with glittery space-age uniforms. And, I’ve actually seen Mississippi State and remembered that Varnado character for weeks and weeks just for this very occasion.