Friday NCAA Tournament watchability rankings

Day two of the Round of 64 NCAA Tournament play is here, and thankfully the slate appears to be better than Thursdays. Almost all of those 1-vs.-16 matchups that we all love are out of the way, with only Purdue’s matchup still left to go.

Looking at the second slate of games, a few more compelling contests are on the horizon. You don’t have to convince yourself of a potential upset quite as much, as the Friday games already feature teams on upset watch, or have some closer-seeded teams going head-to-head.

Of course, though, not every game is built equally though. Just like that aforementioned Purdue clash, there are a few games coming up on Friday that won’t be commanding respect on your TV, at least not compared to some others. As a guide to you, the viewer, for the best use of your TV screen, here is every Friday game ranked in order of watchability.

Jan 8, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) shoots over Penn State Nittany Lions forward Kebba Njie (3) in the first half at The Palestra. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

So. This game is the top-ranked Purdue against either the only 20-loss team in the field or a Farleigh Dickinson squad that quite truthfully does not deserve to be here. No offense guys, but FDU didn’t win the conference in either the regular season or the tournament. They only got in because of an archaic rule. Maybe throw this on for like 15 minutes because it will be the only game on for a short time, but get the dial ready once 7:10 hits.

March 7, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate against the Saint Mary’s Gaels after the game in the finals of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

I may be severely underestimating Grand Valley State here, again anything can happen in March, but this game just doesn’t have a ton of intrigue to me. Gonzaga is still Gonzaga, entering the tournament on a nine-game win streak that includes two victories over fifth-seed St. Mary’s. This one feels pretty elementary.

Marquette Golden Eagles guard Tyler Kolek (11) and Marquette Golden Eagles forward Michael Kennedy (42) embrace in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Xavier Musketeers during the championship round of the Big East Conference tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Xavier…