From 68 to 16: March Madness 2017 First Weekend Primer

12 of 17

Mar 11, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Dylan Ennis (31) is introduced before the start of the Pac-12 Conference Championship game against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

Pod #3 – Sacramento, California

		Colors	Location	Record	RPI
#3	Oregon Ducks	Green, Gold	Eugene, OR	29-5	9
#6	Creighton Bluejays	Blue, White	Omaha, NE	25-9	26
#11	Rhode Island Rams	Keaney Blue, Navy	Kingston, RI	24-9	37
#14	Iona Gaels	Maroon, Gold	New Rochelle, NY	22-12	89

#3 Oregon vs. #14 Iona — Friday, 2:00 p.m., TBS

Line: Oregon (-6.5)

FiveThirtyEight: Oregon (83%)

Oregon won eight games in a row down the stretch before losing to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament. The Ducks average 79.1 points per game and have five double-digit scorers, although Chris Boucher will not play in the tournament after tearing his ACL. Iona can score as well, averaging 80.5 points and shooting 39.7% from beyond the arc, but they average giving up 76.4 points per game. Jordan Washington leads the Gaels in scoring and rebounding (17.9 points and 7.4 rebounds)

#6 Creighton vs. #11 Rhode Island — Friday, 4:30 p.m., TBS

Line: Creighton (-2)

FiveThirtyEight: Creighton (56%)

Rhode Island played themselves off the bubble by beating VCU to win the Atlantic 10 tournament on Sunday. The Rams are on an eight-game winning streak, they rebound well and give up only 64.9 points per game. Creighton started their season 18-1 before losing eight of their last 15 games. The Bluejays make over half of their field goal attempts, led by Marcus Foster’s 18.3 points per game.

Second Round Outlook

This is another wide-open region. Iona and Creighton both shoot well, Rhode Island plays excellent defense and Oregon plays well on both sides of the ball, which is why they are the favorite to advance to the Sweet 16 despite Boucher’s injury.

Home/Michigan State Spartans