Game on.  On this first Thursday of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, two of our Never Been Kissed teams advanced to the second round and the brink of the Sweet Sixteen.

Yale pulled the 5/12 surprise, taking down the Baylor Bears in the first session of the day.  Makai Mason had 31 and the Bulldogs move on to a Saturday match with Duke.

Arkansas Little Rock overcame a double-digit deficit to upend the Purdue Boilermakers in double-OT.  The Trojans’ Josh Hagins also put up 31, including the tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation.  UALR will battle Iowa St on Saturday for the right to move to the Sweet Sixteen.

Colorado, Iona, UNC Wilmington, Stony Brook, Fresno St and Buffalo all bowed out on Day One.  They have still never made it to the Sweet Sixteen.

Our rankings of the NBK.

FRIDAY 3/18

Oregon St. vs. VCU
Hawaii vs. California
Stephen F. Austin vs. West Virginia
Cal St. Bakersfield vs. Oklahoma
Green Bay vs. Texas A&M
Weber St. vs. Xavier
UNC Asheville vs. Villanova
Middle Tennessee vs. Michigan State

SATURDAY 3/19

Yale vs. Duke
Arkansas Little Rock vs. Iowa State