The first day of March Madness can be a hectic whirlwind of excitement, disappointment and drama. For many of us, it will involve multiple TVs, another screen to stream additional games, trips to a bar or party, and far less sleep than we’re used to. Like most things, this big day of days can move a little smoother with some planning. I’ve channelled my inner boy scout and prepped ahead for the excitement to come, laying out an opening day strategy for surviving and thriving in the Madness. (Note: all times eastern)

Everyone is Ready: Let’s Tip the Madness Off (USA Today Images)

• 12:15 PM: Start, as everyone will, with Duke-UNC Wilmington (on CBS). If you’re stuck at work, take your lunch break right after noon and head somewhere with a TV. Enjoy as much as you can before you need head back to the office and “work” for the rest of the day. The rest of these plans will be more directed to those, like me, willing to sacrifice a vacation day or two to watch NCAA Tournament basketball. To my cubicle-bound friends, godspeed. Only answer e-mails that you absolutely need to. Utilize a second screen. When the clock his 5:01, sprint home.
• 12:40 PM: If the Duke lead is in double figures at this point, switch over to TruTV- well, wait a second.
• 12:41 PM: Take two minutes trying to figure out what channel TruTV is on.
• 12:43 PM: Perfect. Now if the Duke lead is in double figures, switch over to TruTV for the start of Texas Tech and Butler. If UNCW is keeping it close or even leading, stick with that game until halftime. The Seahawks are feisty, but much more so if they stay within striking distance.
• 1:30 PM: Make sure you’re on TNT at the bottom of the next hour. It’s Bill Raftery’s first game of the Tournament and you can’t miss him spouting “Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Colorado goes…MANTOMAN” to start the game. This moment is appointment TV.
• 2:10 PM: The first game of the day will be drawing to a conclusion. Either a Duke rout or a possible upset. If the latter, no worries. The other two games are #8 vs. #9 match-ups. Both should be competitive.
• 2:45 PM: Iowa State and Iona tipped off at 2:00 PM, and it could be the day’s most exciting game. The Cyclones scored the fewest percentage of points at the foul line in the nation and allowed the second fewest percentage of points on free throws. Iona’s free throw rates are below average as well, so expect up and down, non-stop action.

• 3:00 PM: We should have final scores from Texas Tech-Butler and Colorado-Cincinnati by now and you got them both wrong in your bracket. You swear you won’t even fill one out next year.
• 3:15 PM: By now, Yale and Baylor should be damn near murdering each other while fighting for rebounds. Both were in the top 10 in offensive rebounding rate this season. This one might devolve from a basketball game to a Rico Gathers and Johnathan Motley versus Justin Sears and Brandon Sherrod tag team wrestling match.
• 3:35 PM: Two straight tip-offs between #1 and #16 seeds means it’s time to get some snacks in the mix. Maybe whip up some guacamole. Today is special, dammit.
• 3:50 PM: If Iona is giving Iowa State a game on TBS, that’s where your TV should be, but don’t lose track of those two #16 seeds. If either Hampton or Austin Peay is hanging around, that’s your backup game on the second screen or during the commercial breaks.
• 3:55 PM: Once Baylor and Yale are done battling, we’re left with the two top seeds and the final game of the first session: Purdue and Arkansas-Little Rock. After a great season, the Trojans are worthy of the sexy #12 seed upset status they’ve achieved. If both #1 seeds are winning big, this is a pretty good game to take center stage.
• 6:00 PM: OK, the first session is over. Try to piece the bracket you ripped up in the mid-afternoon back into one piece, but more importantly, take care of any other responsibilities you have. If you need to cook, order or obtain dinner for yourself or anyone else, now is the time. If you are changing locations, maybe headed to a bar for some St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness co-celebrating, this is your chance.
• 6:50 PM: We’re back! Find your spot, settle in, get ready for the long haul.
• 7:12 PM: The Hoosiers tipped two minutes ago, meaning it’s a good time to text any friends who root for Indiana something like, “This Chattanooga team looks tough!” Their response will come half an hour later and will consist of no fewer than 300 words.
• 7:27 PM: Things are back in full swing, with four games going at the same time. If you’re on the remote and there are multiple people watching, know that with great power comes greater responsibility.
• 8:40 PM: If things are exciting at this point in the evening session, we’ve had a wild day on our hands. The first round of evening games features four high seeds, but any of the four being on the ropes would be huge news.
• 9:25 PM: Possibly the best stretch of Thursday games involves the four late affairs. Three of the four are genuine toss-up games (Arizona-Wichita State, USC-Providence, and Seton Hall-Gonzaga), while the fourth features Kentucky trying to stop one of the Championship Week heroes, Jameel Warney.
• 10:10 PM: By this time, you’ve already grown sick and tired of the same several ads that we will be stuck with throughout March. Even four games can occasionally hit the dreaded quadruple commercial break. Have an exit strategy in the form of a fifth channel that you can rely on for 30 seconds of as-needed entertainment.
• 11:05 PM: Sometime in the midst of several halftimes and commercial breaks, you might have to succumb to a brief power nap. As long as you aren’t missing crunch time of any of the ongoing games, you’re safe. But really, snap out of it. It’s tournament time.
• 12:01 AM: Once you hit midnight, all bets are off. If you’re working in the morning, have your coffee ready to go. Under-sleeping and over-caffeinating isn’t a pleasant lifestyle 365 days a year, but when the NCAA Tournament hits, priorities necessarily change.

Shane McNichol (30 Posts)

Shane McNichol is a national columnist for Rush The Court. He is also the founder, editor, and writer at PalestraBack.com and has contributed to SALTMoney.org and ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @OnTheShaneTrain.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 17th, 2016 at 9:01 am by Shane McNichol and is filed under 2016 ncaa tournament, feature. Tagged: ncaa tournament, thursday games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.