COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Friday marks the busiest day of the March Madness season with 32 games across the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, and six of them are in the Buckeye State.
Two women’s first round games will be played on Friday at Value City Arena, with Ohio State in the mix. And Rocket Arena in Cleveland will have four men’s first round games that include some of the best teams and players in the country.
Here is a look at all six games in Ohio, and what to know about each one to get you ready for a full day of basketball.
12:40 p.m. (Cleveland) – Alabama vs. Robert Morris
One of the first NCAA Tournament games to tip off on Friday will be in Cleveland as one of the tournament favorites take the floor. No. 2 seed Alabama will face No. 15 seed Robert Morris in one of the biggest mismatches in the first round.
The Crimson Tide come in as the top scoring team in the nation, with nearly 92 points per game behind All-America guard Mark Sears. Fresh off the program’s first Final Four appearance last year, Alabama’s tournament experience could propel them all the way.
Standing in Alabama’s way first is Horizon league champion Robert Morris, which is in the field for the first time in a decade. The Pennsylvania school has won 10 straight games and is a 23-point underdog. Among the eight men’s teams in Cleveland this week, the Colonials had the shortest trip to get to Rocket Arena.

3:15 p.m. (Cleveland) – Saint Mary’s vs. Vanderbilt
No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s has been a tournament regular out of the West Coast Conference behind coach Randy Bennett. This is its fifth straight tournament appearance, and the Gaels are among the best rebounding teams in the country.
No. 10 seed Vanderbilt has waited eight years for this game. After four successful seasons at James Madison, coach Mark Byington has breathed new life into the Commodores in his first season in Nashville. Vanderbilt has a losing record in SEC play but boasts marquee wins over Tennessee, Kentucky and Texas A&M.

5:30 p.m. (Columbus) – Ohio State vs. Montana State
Ohio State got a No. 4 seed and earned hosting duties for a third consecutive time. With junior forward Cotie McMahon and Big Ten freshman of the year Jaloni Cambridge, the Buckeyes maintained consistency as a team to beat in the conference. They are searching for redemption after losing at home in the second round last year.
Facing the Buckeyes is the 30-win Big Sky champion. Located in Bozeman, Montana State is in just its fourth NCAA Tournament under coach Tricia Binford. A player to watch is senior guard Esmeralda Morales, who leads the team in scoring and assists.

7:25 p.m. (Cleveland) – Marquette vs. New Mexico
This game will feature two of the top scorers in the country.
No. 7 seed Marquette finally got back to the Sweet Sixteen last year after an 11-year dry spell and may have the momentum to take it a further behind All-America guard Kam Jones.
No. 10 seed New Mexico, coached by Rick Pitino’s son Richard, has not won a tournament game since 2012 but could be primed for the upset. Led by junior Donovan Dent, who averages over 20 points, New Mexico is a top-30 team in scoring and rebounding.

8 p.m. (Columbus) – Tennessee vs. South Florida
No. 5 seed Tennessee has gone nearly 20 years since its last national championship as its enters a new era under former first-year coach Kim Caldwell. She is hoping to get the Lady Vols to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2016.
No. 12 seed South Florida played UConn, South Carolina, and TCU in the regular season to prepare its for its fourth first round tournament game in five years. If it pulls the upset, it would be the first time it won NCAA Tournament games in back-to-back seasons.

10 p.m. (Cleveland) – Michigan State vs. Bryant
The night owls in Cleveland will get to watch arguably the Big Ten’s best hope of breaking its 25-year national championship drought. No. 2 seed Michigan State begin its road to the Final Four against the America East champion, Bryant.
In the 30th season under Tom Izzo, the Spartans won the Big Ten’s regular season title and claimed the best seed among the eight schools to qualify. They will hope history does not repeat itself with their last first round loss coming in 2016 to a 15 seed.
Bryant is a Rhode Island school playing in its second NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs’ arena holds 2,000 people, compared with the 19,000-seat capacity of Rocket Arena. An upset here would be among the biggest in March Madness history.

Cleveland will host two more games on Sunday in the second round. The winner of Alabama-Robert Morris will play Saint Mary’s or Vanderbilt, while Michigan State or Bryant will take on Marquette or New Mexico. The winners of the two games in Columbus will play in a second round game on Sunday.
The men’s NCAA Tournament will conclude on April 7 with the national championship game in San Antonio. The women’s tournament ends on April 6 in Tampa, Florida.