If there's any silver lining in the Terps' Round of 32 exit, it's knowing that there are still two weeks of great television before we wait for Maryland basketball to reboot in mid-November. The Terps struggled to advance the ball against the Mountaineers, uncharacteristically committing a season-high 23 turnovers in the 69-59 loss, but the postseason beats on as 16 teams continue to fend for the chance to cut down the nets in Indianapolis.
The games are spread out over two days, with teams in the West and Midwest regions playing Thursday and teams in the East and South regions rounding out the Sweet 16 on Friday. Let's take a day-by-day look at the tournament and see why you should be intrigued to care about any of these games not involving Maryland.
Thursday games
(3) Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. (7) Wichita State Shockers
Game time: 7:15 p.m. EDT
TV channel: CBS
Why you should care: Wichita State is rebounding from its second-round exit last year, where the Shockers saw its undefeated season stripped by a Kentucky team that understands perfection. Wichita State beat an in-state rival in Kansas and is looking to down another cornfield foe in Indiana-based Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were featured alongside Maryland in the Hoops U Showtime Special and impressively won the ACC Tournament in just its second year in the conference. If you have no interest whatsoever in watching this game, flip it on for five minutes out of respect to DeMatha graduate and Marylander Jerian Grant and Orioles prospect Pat Connaughton.
(1) Wisconsin Badgers vs. (4) North Carolina Tar Heels
Game time: 7:47 p.m. EDT
TV channel: TBS
Why you should care: This is former conference versus current conference in a heavyweight matchup. Wisconsin, behind Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Bo Ryan, is the face of Big Ten basketball while Roy Williams' Carolina blue is a major staple to the ACC's basketball success. Wisconsin will surely be on upset alert as North Carolina is playing its best basketball all season, winning five of the last six games. The Badgers are looking to add on to their program-record 33 wins.
(1) Kentucky Wildcats vs. (5) West Virginia Mountaineers
Game time: 9:45 p.m. EDT
TV channel: CBS
Why you should care: Ugh. Watching this one is going to hurt. Maryland fans will always have a blanketed curiosity as to what would happen if their Terps were to face Goliath Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Maryland could have finally shown the Harrison twins why they made the wrong choice, spoil the perfect season and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in 13 years. But now Maryland can only wonder what would happen in the end of the West Virginia game had Melo Trimble not gotten injured and left a close game with half of the second half remaining.
I don't know how many times we've heard throughout the course of the season, "If there's one team to beat Kentucky, it's (fill in any above average teams name)," but this one matchup seems reasonable. West Virginia can bully, press, run and score and could potentially provide the formula for Kentucky to finally cough up its first game of the season. This game is a must watch.
(6) Xavier Muskateers vs. (2) Arizona Wildcats
Game time: 10:17 p.m. EDT
TV channel: TBS
Why you should care: Arizona is a big favorite to get out of the West bracket and make it to the Final Four. Yeah, you have work tomorrow, but Arizona is worth staying up for. This team is downright dominant and can make a serious splash later on in the tournament. Xavier has had a relatively favorable walk in the tournament thus far, playing No. 11 seed Ole Miss and No. 14 seed Georgia State but will face a stark challenge against the Wildcats. Dez Wells' old club has played well as of late but may have faced its last stop in Los Angeles.
Friday games
(2) Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. (11) UCLA Bruins
Game time: 7:15 p.m. EDT
TV channel: CBS
Why you should care: Gonzaga basketball is for real. It always seems like a team that has a lot of wins, gets a good seeding and then unexpectedly falters and exits in the Round of 32, but this team is Mark Few's best group yet. UCLA has done its best to silence the naysayers who thought the Bruins didn't deserve to make the tournament with 13 losses, winning its first two tournament games against SMU and UAB. The Bruins and Zags squared off in December and the Bulldogs won the game in Los Angeles.
(4) Louisville Cardinals vs. (8) NC State Wolfpack
Game time: 7:37 p.m. EDT
TV channel: TBS
Why you should care: I would bet all of the money in my bank account that an ACC team advances to the Elite Eight out of this matchup. What could be better than March Madness? A conference game in March Madness. NC State has already sent shockwaves through the college basketball world, beating Villanova and sending instantaneous fame to an unsuspecting piccolo player, but it has a chance to further its run with a win in Syracuse. Louisville just barely squeaked past UC-Irvine, but convincingly handled Northern Iowa to secure a spot in the Sweet 16.
(1) Duke Blue Devils vs. (5) Utah Runnin' Utes
Game time: 9:45 p.m. EDT
TV channel: CBS
Why you should care: It's Duke. We all love to hate Duke and the passion only thickens in March. Coach K's team is playing great basketball behind freshman sensations Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow. Utah escaped the nearly inevitable 5-12 upset and then managed to beat a good Georgetown team to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005. The Runnin' Utes face a tough challenge in Houston but have the size to derail the Devils.
(3) Oklahoma Sooners vs. (7) Michigan State
Game time: 10:07 p.m. EDT
TV channel: TBS
Why you should care: If there's one game that may come close to hurting as much as Kentucky-West Virginia, it's this one. Many fans thought Maryland and 10-loss Oklahoma should have been switched in seeding and regions seeing that Maryland is in the East and Oklahoma is in the Midwest. The NCAA Selection Committee awarded the Sooners with the third-seed in the East and a favorable walk to the Sweet 16, to match up with Terps' Big Ten foe Michigan State, while the Terps seemed doomed in Kentucky's bracket. Maryland beat the Spartans twice this year but Tom Izzo's team always shows up under the spotlight of March. There is a lot of stardom in this game between Buddy Hield and Travis Trice; this one's a must-watch.
So while Maryland may have entered their offseason Sunday night, you still have two more weeks and one big decision before prepping for big league baseball.