As a journalist friend of mine tweeted after the Wichita State Shockers pulled off the shocker, shocking Ohio State and sending shockwaves through everyone’s bracket – “If you write headlines for a living and use any permutation of the word “shock” tomorrow, I will find you and electrocute you.”

Clearly my friend has his own issues, but there’s really no better word to describe Wichita State making the Final Four than “Shocker.”

They didn’t do it with any flukes either, beating 1-seed Gonzaga and 2-seed Ohio State along the way. Although they were doing a pretty good Jean Van de Velde  impression at the end of the game Saturday, they held on. Kudos.

Syracuse’s fourth consecutive impressive defensive display has me believing they are capable of winning two more and cutting down the nets. The height and length of their guards is so problematic for opposing point guards. I never would have thought the Orange had a chance the way they stumbled down the stretch, but right now they look as good as anyone out there, including Louisville.

On to today’s games:

11:20 a.m. Florida vs. Michigan (CBS): As I switched from watching my No. 3-seeded Michigan State play Duke on Friday night to watch No. 3-seeded Florida play Florida Gulf Coast, I couldn’t help but be reminded that it doesn’t hurt to have a little good fortune on your march toward a title. To make the Elite Eight, the Gators have remarkably played a 14 seed, an 11 seed and a 15 seed. While that certainly helps you get to this point, I think it’s going to hurt the Gators today when they face Michigan, a team that is already battle tested having rallied to beat No. 1 Kansas. Plus, when a team wins a game in miraculous fashion, they usually follow it up with more wins. See Marquette this year. Final score: Michigan 70, Florida 64

2:05 p.m. Duke vs. Louisville (CBS): Blue bloods. Hall of Fame coaches. Great guards. Imposing big men. The only No. 1 seed and the only No. 2 seed remaining in the field face off. The met earlier in the year with Duke winning 76-71, but Louisville was without out their rim-protecting big man Gorgui Dieng. The Cardinals made the Final Four last year, and have shown no signs that they won’t do it again. Final score: Louisville 74, Duke 61.

So if I’m right that would be a Final Four of Louisville vs. Wichita State and Michigan vs. Syracuse. Shocker indeed.

Well, it’s officially baseball season for yours truly, as my beloved Michigan State Spartans lost to Duke on Friday. I really thought MSU had all the right pieces to beat Duke, but credit to the Blue Devils. They did the little things necessary to win. Both teams made 20 baskets and shot the same percentage from the field, but Duke shot better from the 3-point line and shot amazingly from the free throw line (24 of 26) to earn the win.

But the tournament goes on, I did correctly pick the other three games including the impressive second-half display by Trey Burke and the Michigan Wolverines who upset Kansas.

There are eight teams left in the field and only one of them is a No. 1 seed. In fact, there are more 3s and 4s than 1s and 2s.

The seed breakdown is: No. 1 (Louisville); No. 2 (Ohio State, Duke); No. 3 (Florida, Marquette); No. 4 (Michigan, Syracuse); No. 9 (Wichita State)

The conference break down is: Big East (3), Big Ten (2), ACC (1), SEC (1), Missouri Valley (1)

Let’s take a look at today’s two games, as we learn who half the Final Four will be:

1:20 p.m. Marquette vs. Syracuse (CBS): They played already once this year with Marquette winning 74-71. The Orange’s famous 2-3 zone won’t be as hard to decipher for the Eagles as it was for Indiana on Thursday, since they are used to it. Marquette has a toughness advantage, but Syracuse gained a lot of confidence offensively with their last victory. I can’t shake Marquette’s first game against Davidson out of my head. Final score: Syracuse 65, Marquette 60

3:55 p.m. Ohio State vs. Wichita State (CBS): The Buckeyes have won each of their last two games on final-possession 3-pointers, and need to establish themselves early in this one to prevent it coming to another nail-biter. Wichita State has been particularly stingy on defense, holding opponents to around 35 percent. The Buckeyes have struggled all year to find a consistent third scorer behind Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft, but the emergence of forward LaQuinton Ross has been a revalation, scoring 34 points in the last two games. No last-second 3-pointer necessary today. Final score: Ohio State 68, Wichita State 56.

I went with the two favorites today, do you foresee an upset? If so tell me about in the comment section below.

Well, on selection Sunday, right before the brackets came out I had made up my mind. I knew what two teams I was going to have face off in my championship game. But alas, the selection committee didn’t help me out putting both of them in the same region. Those two teams were Miami and Indiana. I guess maybe the committee helped me out after all as both of the teams I liked most to cut down the nets lost on Thursday.

I was pretty surprised by all of Thursday’s results, really. The only winner I picked correctly was Ohio State and I thought they would win by more. I picked the favorites Indiana and Miami and then I picked La Salle to upset Wichita State in a close one. Instead they got thumped.

We now know there will be a Big East team in the Final Four as Syracuse and Marquette will meet Saturday to punch a ticket to Atlanta. Ohio State faces Wichita State to declare the West region champ.

Kudos, too, to Arizona for putting up a fantastic fight against Ohio State. Who would have thought LaQuinton Ross would be the hero? I can certainly understand the attention the Arizona defense payed to Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas on that final possession.

Well, let’s see if I can do better than 1 out of 4 with my picks today.

4:15 p.m. Oregon vs. Louisville (CBS): There are a lot of teams in the Sweet 16 that I think Oregon can beat, but Louisville is not one of them. They have shown very little that makes me think they won’t shut down the Oregon guards and create a lot of havoc with their defense. Final score: Louisville 74, Oregon 59

4:37 p.m. Michigan vs. Kansas (TBS): This is an interesting matchup of contrasts. Michigan, led by point guard Trey Burke who I consider to be the best player in college hoops even though it pains me to say as a Michigan State grad, is a guard oriented team. Kansas has talented guards, but it’s their big men, including shot-blocker Jeff Withey that gives them the advantage. If Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Glenn Robinson Jr., (might as well find Grant Hill Jr. and Christian Laettner Jr. to help while you’re at it) can hit jumpers and pull Withey away from the goal, they have a great shot. Final score: Michigan 69, Kansas 64

6:45 p.m. Michigan State vs. Duke (CBS): OK, we all know I am a Spartan, but I do like this matchup for Michigan State. It’s a great game, pitting the two best coaches of the last 15 years. There are plenty of must-see matchups: Duke’s Ryan Kelly vs. Michigan State’s Adreian Payne as tall offensive-minded players who can shoot from the outside; Duke’s Mason Plumlee vs. Michigan State’s Derrick Nix banging on each other down low; and the key matchup Duke sharp-shooter Seth Curry vs. MSU’s talented freshman Gary Harris, a sharp-shooter himself. Duke has the edge on the perimeter. MSU has an edge on the boards. Final score: Michigan State 70, Duke 60

6:57 p.m. Florida Gulf Coast vs. Florida (TBS): When this game tips off, there will be 10 teams still competing for a national title and one of them will be Florida Gulf Coast. Amazing. The important thing for Florida is to take the lead early and not let the Eagles feel like they have a shot. FGCU is going to have fun, that much I know, but the Gators should be patient enough to prevail with some ease. Final score: Florida 78, FGCU 60

Well that’s what I think. What do you think? Please leave a comment. I certainly was wrong a lot on Thursday.  Which picks do I have wrong for Friday?

It took most of the day, but finally Harvard provided us with the signature moment of the first day of the NCAA Tournament. Harvard’s victory over New Mexico, a vogue pick to go deep in the tournament, sent a lot of brackets crashing down.

Here were my main takeaways from Thursday:

PAC-12 BREAKOUT

Much-maligned all year, and apparently incorrectly so, the Pac-12 was the biggest winner Thursday with Cal and Oregon winning as 12 seeds and Arizona winning easily as a six-seed. The 3-0 day with UCLA and Colorado set to play today, shows that the league was underseeded by the committe. That is especially true for Oregon, the Pac-12 Tournament champion, which drew a lot of surprsied looks when they were seeded 12th on Selection Sunday. They drubbed 5-seeded Oklahoma State 68-55, showing that they deserved better. Though now, it worked out perfectly, as they move on to play 4-seed St. Louis. Had they been a 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 seed they would be facing a 1, 2 or 3 seed. UCLA plays Minnesota and Colorado plays Illinois in a pair of Pac-12, Big Ten tilts. Neither conference has lost a game in the tournament.

MOUNTAIN WEST WOES

Year after year, the Mountain West schools put together great regular season resumes only to flop in the tournament. That hapened again Thursday when its two highest seeds 3-New Mexico and 5-UNLV both lost. They are 1-3 (Colorado State won and Boise State lost in a playoff game Wednesday) with San Diego State facing Oklahoma today. The Mountain West is particularly a hit in the RPI, a tool used by the committee to assess teams. They were the top RPI conference this year, even over the Big Ten, generally thought of as the top conference. Their continued lack of success makes me doubt the voracity of the RPI in general.

MY BRACKET

Like a lot of people, I didn’t suffer too many hits on Thursday, correctly guessing 13 of 16. I missed Wichita State, Oregon and Harvard. My best pick was probably Cal. Tennis and boxing writer Leighton Ginn is leading The Desert Sun pool. He had an impressive 15 correct, including Oregon, Cal and Harvard! His only miss was Wichita State.

THE FOUR GAMES I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO TODAY

6-UCLA vs. 11-Minnesota (6:57 p.m.): The Bruins’ perception may have changed after Thursday’s great Pac-12 performance, but Minnesota is actually the Las Vegas favorite in this game despite being the worse seed. It’s the only game outside of 8-9 games where that is the case. That level of disrespect is a great motivator, so I have a funny feeling the Bruins are going to play with great purpose today and pull off the “upset”. Final: UCLA 62, Minnesota 58

8-N.C. State vs. 9-Temple (10:40 a.m.): Even better than the Pac-12 is the success of the Atlantic 10 Conference which is 4-0, including dominating victories Thursday by VCU, Butler and Saint Louis to go wiht a LaSalle playin victory. Temple hopes to carry the banner today against an N.C. State team which has as much talent as anyone, but haven’t figured out how to maximize. If N.C. State wins today, they may even give top-seed Indiana trouble on Sunday, but … Final: Temple 73, N.C. State 72

5-Wisconsin vs. 12-Mississippi (9:40 a.m.): Mississippi averages over 80 points a game. Wisconsin allows 56. The Rebels are led by fiery and sometimes obnoxious Marshall Henderson, who has tons of fun playing basketball. The Badgers’ goal is to make sure their opponent has absolutely no fun playing basketball. Should be almost comical to watch. Final: Wisconsin 69, Mississippi 55

7-Notre Dame vs. 10-Iowa State (6:45 p.m.): The Cyclones play an exciting brand off basketball with six players averaging 9 or more points. Anyone is a threat to shoot, most likely a 3-pointer, at any time. Notre Dame meanwhile just has a knack for playing entertaining close games, most notably their five-overtime victory over Louisville. Which ever team wins, will be a tough test for Ohio State in the next round. Final: Iowa State 73, Notre Dame 64

Enjoy Friday. Here is the schedule:

9:15 a.m.: Albany vs. Duke

9:40 a.m.: Mississippi vs. Wisconsin

10:40 a.m.: Temple vs. N.C. State

11:10 a.m.: Pacific vs. Miami

11:45 a.m.: Cincinnati vs. Creighton

12:10 p.m.: LaSalle vs. Kansas State

1:10 p.m.: James Madison vs. Indiana

1:40 p.m.: Illinois vs. Colorado

3:50 p.m.: Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown

4:15 p.m.: Iona vs. Ohio State

4:20 p.m.: North Carolina vs. Villanova

4:27 p.m.: Northwestern State vs. Florida

6:20 p.m.: Oklahoma vs. San Diego State

6:45 p.m.: Iowa State vs. Notre Dame

6:50 p.m.: Western Kentucky vs. Kansas

6:57 p.m.: UCLA vs. Minnesota

First here are the scores and Saturday matchups after eight of Thursday’s 16 games are complete:

3-Michigan State 65, 14-Valparaiso 54

4-Saint Louis 64, 13-N. Mex. State 44

6-Memphis 54, 11-St. Mary’s 52

12-Oregon 68, 5-Oklahoma State 55

9-Wichita State 73, 8-Pittsburgh 55

1-Gonzaga 64, 16-Southern 58

3-Marquette 59, 14-Davidson 58

6-Butler 68, 11-Bucknell 56

Saturday’s matchups: Times to be determined later tonight.

Michigan State vs. Memphis

Butler vs. Marquette

Gonzaga vs Wichita State

Oregon vs. Saint Louis.

UPSET OF THE DAY

Oregon over Oklahoma State didn’t shock many as a 12 has beaten a five seed now in 23 of last 25 years. Most believe Oregon never should have been seeded that low, and they proved it this afternoon with a convincing victory. Will it be a harbinger that all the disrespected Pac-12 teams will do well? Wichita State over Pittsburgh was not a suprise either, but it is the only other game where the worse-seeded team won.

DRAMATIC MOMENT

“You’re my boy Blue!” That’s whta Marquette fans are saying after their remarkable comeback to beat Davidson. Vander Blue made a layin with one second left to cap a rally that included three consecutive made 3-pointers in the final minute to earn a one-pont victory. Marquette, by the way ranked 318th in 3-point accuracy during the season.

NEAR HISTORY

With four minutes left, top seed Gonzaga was feelinga little Southern discomfort as 16 seed Southern had tied the game at 54. We all know a 16-seed has never beaten a 1-seed and with the Bulldogs ’ ability to pull it out. That mark now moves to 113-0 for 1 seeds.

LOW-SCORING

16 teams have played and only one (Wichita State) scored more than 70 points. If you’re looking for a high-scoring game tonight, check out the Michigan South Dakota State game that just started. I feel like both teams will eclipse 70.

TONIGHT’S GAMES

4:15 p.m. South Dakota State vs. Michigan

4:15 p.m.: Louisville vs. N.C. A & T

4:20 p.m.: Belmont vs. Arizona

4:27 p.m.: Cal vs. UNLV

6:20 p.m.: Missouri vs. Colorado State

6:45 p.m.: Akron vs. VCU

6:50 p.m.: Harvard vs. New Mexico

6:57 p.m.: Montana vs. Syracuse