If work productivity across America diminished on Day 1 of March Madness, then Friday might be even worse.
There will be twice as many games to watch with 16 more men’s NCAA tournament first-round matchups and the main part of the women's bracket also tipping off.
Below is a look at Friday's men's and women's NCAA tournament schedule, including a couple of No. 5 seeds on upset alert, an All-American center making her return from injury and Cooper Flagg's NCAA tournament debut.
Friday afternoon channel guide
Men's schedule (All times Eastern)
12:15 p.m. — No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor (CBS)
12:40 p.m. — No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris (TruTV)
1:30 p.m. — No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb (TNT)
2 p.m. — No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State (TBS)
2:50 p.m. — No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s (CBS)
3:15 p.m. — No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt (TruTV)
4:05 p.m. — No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 North Carolina (TNT)
4:35 p.m. — No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon (TBS)
Must-see game: Did two days of discourse over whether North Carolina belonged in the NCAA tournament light a fire under the Tar Heels? It sure looked that way Tuesday night when they jumped all over San Diego State early en route to an emphatic First Four victory. A bigger test awaits Friday against a senior-laden Ole Miss team that finished above .500 in this year's historically strong SEC. A team that wins in the First Four often advances in the main bracket. North Carolina is capable of making the second weekend this year.
Game to skip: The best team Horizon League champ Robert Morris has beaten this season is … Milwaukee? Youngstown State? Cornell? The Panthers are not ready for the waves of talent Alabama will throw at them, even if Grant Nelson sits this one out.
Most likely potential upset: Let's cheat and go with one that oddsmakers don't even deem an upset. No. 12-seeded Colorado State is actually a 1.5-point favorite over fifth-seeded Memphis, according to BetMGM. The surging Rams have won 15 of 17, fueled by Nique Clifford blossoming from a good player to a dominant one. Memphis earned its No. 5 seed with a strong November and December, but the Tigers slipped outside the top 50 in major predictive metrics after too many tight games against American Athletic Conference also-rans. And now they're without injured guard Tyrese Hunter, one of their three top players.
Player to watch: While Duke could beat Mount St. Mary's by 25-plus with its backups, there is a reason to tune in to this 1-16 mismatch. This is expected to be the first opportunity to see how spry Cooper Flagg looks after the sprained left ankle he suffered during the ACC quarterfinals last week. Flagg is the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and the favorite to win national player of the year. How quickly he recovers is the key to Duke's title hopes.
Women’s schedule (All times Eastern)
11:30 a.m. — No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Iowa State (ESPN2)
12 p.m.. — No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Liberty (ESPN)
1:30 p.m.. — No. 8 Utah vs. No. 9 Indiana (ESPN2)
2 p.m.. — No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (ESPN)
2:30 p.m.. — No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Fairfield (ESPNEWS)
3:30 p.m.. — No. 2 TCU vs. No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson (ESPN2)
3:30 p.m.. — No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon (ESPNU)
4 p.m.. — No. 1. South Carolina vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech (ESPN)
Must-see game: Less than two months ago, Kansas State entered the top 10 in the AP poll after starting the season 19-1. Since then, the Wildcats have gone just 7-6, costing themselves a top-four seed and the chance to host their first two NCAA tournament games. A big reason for Kansas State's struggles was the absence of center Ayoka Lee, who has appeared in only one game since Jan. 19 as a result of foot injuries. She's set to return against a Fairfield team that went 28-4 and defeated the likes of Arkansas, Villanova and Wake Forest this season.
Game to skip: Three years ago, South Carolina annihilated 16th-seeded Howard, 79-21. Two years ago, Norfolk State was on the wrong end of a 72-40 drubbing. Last year, Presbyterian fell, 91-39. That does not bode well for Tennessee Tech's hopes of sticking with the Gamecocks.
Most likely potential upset: The last time Iowa State faced a Big Ten team in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Audi Crooks was unstoppable. The 6-foot-3 post player delivered an all-time great performance, overpowering Maryland for 40 points on 18-for-20 shooting. Michigan is better than last year's Terrapins team. The Wolverines are also smaller. They'll have to find a way to contain Crooks to avoid a similar fate.
Player to watch: It wasn't just head coach Kenny Brooks who left Virginia Tech for Kentucky last spring. Georgia Amoore came with him. The Australian point guard accelerated Brooks' rebuild at Kentucky, earning second-team All-American honors and averaging 19.1 points and 6.9 assists per game. She'll lead fourth-seeded Kentucky against Liberty on Friday afternoon.
Friday evening channel guide
Men's schedule (All times Eastern)
6:50 p.m. — No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State (TNT)
7:10 p.m. — No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Troy (CBS)
7:25 p.m. — No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico (TBS)
7:35 p.m. — No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron (TruTV)
9:25 p.m. — No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma (TNT)
9:45 p.m. — No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Xavier (CBS)
10 p.m. — No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant (TBS)
10:10 p.m. — No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty (TruTV)
Must-see game: Two-time reigning national champion UConn hasn't played to that level so far this season, but the Huskies will still be a tough out. They're loaded with perimeter shooting, they're well-coached and they have a few NCAA tournament-hardened veterans who know how to win in March. The first obstacle for UConn is a Jeremiah Fears-led Oklahoma team that is peaking in March. The Sooners won four of their final seven games, the three losses coming by a total of five points.
Game to skip: Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones called his team's No. 16 seed "a travesty" on Selection Sunday. After what Florida did to its SEC tournament opponents last weekend, you can see why Jones might want to avoid the Gators.
Most likely potential upset: Xavier had just completed a last-gasp second-half rally to overcome Texas on Tuesday when head coach Sean Miller fielded a question about the Musketeers' upcoming opponent, Illinois. A chuckling Miller told sideline reporter Jon Rothstein, "I could care less. I don't even care. I'm just glad we won." When Miller does watch film of Illinois, he'll find a talented but volatile team that is capable of winning at Oregon by 32 one day and losing at home to USC by 10 the next. That makes the Illini as vulnerable to a first-round upset as it is capable of making the Elite Eight.
Player to watch: How about two? Marquette's Kam Jones and New Mexico's Donovan Dent are both dynamic, playmaking guards capable of putting their teams on their backs and carrying them to victory. Their head-to-head matchup should be compelling.
Women’s schedule (All times Eastern)
5:30 p.m. — No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Montana State (ESPN2)
5:30 p.m. — No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Oregon (ESPNEWS)
6 p.m. — No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Ball State (ESPNU)
6 p.m. — No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Nebraska (ESPN)
7:30 p.m. — No. 8 Richmond vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech (ESPNEWS)
8 p.m. — No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Lehigh (ESPNU)
8 p.m. — No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 South Florida (ESPN)
10 p.m. — No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 Southern (ESPN)
Must-see game: At full strength, Louisville believes it's better than its injury-shortened ACC tournament performance showed. Without leading scorer Jayda Curry or top reserve Merissah Russell, the Cardinals needed overtime to survive Clemson before scoring a mere 48 points in a one-sided loss to Duke. Now the Cardinals have a chance to prove themselves anew against a Nebraska team led by all Big Ten-standout Alexis Markowski. A win could earn Louisville a shot at second-seeded TCU, led by former Cardinals star Hailey Van Lith.
Game to skip: East coasters have permission to go to sleep early rather than staying up for the end of UCLA-Southern. Chances are the Jaguars do not have an answer for Lauren Betts in the paint.
Most likely potential upset: There's something oddly familiar about a 15-versus-2 first-round NCAA tournament matchup between Duke and Lehigh. Does CJ McCollum have a younger sister?
Player to watch: There's a reason Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph and her staff were jumping up and down on the team bus when Mikayla Blakes told them she was committing. Blakes was Ralph's first five-star recruit, the type of player who can elevate the trajectory of an entire program. All that Blakes has done as a freshman at Vanderbilt is average 26.9 points per game in SEC play, including multiple 50-plus-point games. The high-scoring guard's NCAA tournament debut against Oregon is must-see TV.