It has been 10 years since the NCAA men's basketball tournament has been in Albany. Oh, sure, we've had hockey and women's basketball, but now, it's the men's turn.
What is odd, though, is that the selection committee has assigned two 1st round games each in the Midwest & West Regionals in MVP Arena, instead of the East Regional, which would make more sense. The teams that win and advance to the 3rd round after play on Sunday will be headed across country.
So here's what to look forward to in Friday's quadruple-header. Make sure you've got snow tires in case there's still some sloppy road conditions.
West Regional, 1st round:
2 pm: St. Mary's (not to be confused with Mount St. Mary's) vs. Virginia Commonwealth.
4:30 pm: UConn vs. Iona. Albany Academy grad Marcus Jackson returns to the 518 to face MAAC champion Iona and coach Rick Pitino. According to WNYT's Rodger Wyland, Pitino apparently will leave Iona for St. John's after the Gaels are eliminated.
Midwest Regional, 1st round:
7:25 pm: Miami (Florida) vs. Drake.
9:55 pm: Indiana vs. Kent State.
Had they scheduled the East Regional at MVP Arena, there's no guarantee America East champion Vermont would be booked for Albany. Had Siena not flopped in the MAAC tournament, going one and done, they could've gotten one more game on their home court, what we would call a de-facto home game.
What isn't clear is what channel(s) the games will be on. We'll know for sure later this week. You know WRGB is angling to get all four games, but cable seems more likely. Check your listings for stations, and, if you're going to the games, set your DVR's.
Update, 5:31 pm: All four Friday games will air on TBS (Spectrum digital channel 104).
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