5 March Madness first round games fans will definitely be buzzing about

There's a lot of basketball to watch over the next four days. In March Madness, every game can turn into an all-time classic. When it comes to planning your first round TV schedule, however, there are a few matchups that feel especially prone to drama.

From classic upset alerts to star-powered showdowns, these five games better be on your watchlist:

(12) Akron vs. (5) Texas Tech

When to watch: 12:40 PM E.T., March 20

Texas Tech finished the season on a three-game skid. All to quality teams, to be fair: TCU, BYU and Iowa State. But three losses all the same. The Red Raiders are without JT Toppin, their best player for two years running, who suffered a torn ACL on Feb. 17. Something hasn't felt quite right since it happened, which is not exactly a surprise.

That's not to say the Red Raiders aren't talented enough to win a few games in March. Christian Anderson is pure electricity at point guard — a brilliant setup man and one of the most dynamic shot-makers in college basketball. Donovan Atwell shoots the cover off the ball. Sophomore Luke Bamgboye has filled in admirably for Toppin, infusing the Red Raiders frontcourt with size and rim protection.

Just know Texas Tech is vulnerable. And Akron, the MAC champs, is a team that can exploit vulnerability. The Zips boast one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball: eighth nationally in effective field goal percentage (58.5), 14th and 12th in 3-point and 2-point shooting, respectively. Senior guard Tavari Johnson can match Christian Anderson damn near shot-for-shot on a good day. Amani Lyles, their 6-foot-9 frontcourt anchor, is a dominant interior scorer with an elite presence on the glass and active hands in the middle of the floor defensively.

We get at least one 12-5 upset every year. It's practically a given. Texas Tech feels like the most vulnerable No. 5 seed.

(9) Iowa vs. (8) Clemson

When to watch: 6:50 PM E.T., March 20

Bennett Stirtz toppled Missouri as the leader of 11-seed Drake in last year's March Madness. Now he (along with former Drake head coach Ben McCollum) reside in Iowa City, with a chance to lead the Hawkeyes on a surprise run out of the Big Ten. There are few more entertaining players to watch in college basketball. Stirtz will probably play 40 minutes per game for Iowa in the tournament, and he will set up virtually every offensive possession with a surgical precision.

Iowa (31st in ORtg, 30th in DRtg at KenPom) is a lot closer to the 40/25 threshold historically required to contend for a championship. McCollum's snail-paced offensive scheme may feel counterintuitive at times, but when Stirtz is able to produce such consistently positive results on every possession, whether it's a pull-up jumper or a tightly threaded needle out of the pick-and-roll, the Hawkeyes can afford to exert total command over tempo.

Clemson comes in as the higher seed, though, with wins over Louisville and North Carolina in the final weeks of the season. The Tigers are another slow-paced team with a hard-nosed defense, led by interior punishers RJ Godfrey and Carter Welling. Clemson could give the Iowa frontline real problems. This is a very evenly matched contest between two teams with compelling similarities and distinct differences. Put it high on your watchlist.

(11) VCU vs. (6) North Carolina

When to watch: 6:50 PM E.T., March 19

Here's where we learn what this North Carolina team is really made of. The Tar Heels with Caleb Wilson felt like a legitimate Final Four threat. Without their star freshman, who's done for the year with a wrist injury, North Carolina sports a massive hole in the center of its lineup. Nobody on that team can replace what Wilson does on the basketball court, but can Hubert Davis rally the troops and render the necessary adjustments to keep winning? Time will tell.

VCU has a rich history of Cinderella runs in March Madness. The Rams are a top-50 offense and top-70 defense per KenPom, with a résumé that includes non-conference wins over Virginia Tech and South Florida. The Rams also have that classic Cinderella makeup: a bunch of good shooters and a few hard-wired defenders to muck things up.

Terrence Hill is a bucket. Junior forward Lazar Djokovic is a super rangy, versatile big. Brandon Jennings will headline a stout perimeter defense, set to give Seth Trimble and UNC's guards everything they can handle at the point of attack.

North Carolina is still the much better team on paper. Big man Henri Veesaar really does not have an equal on VCU's roster. If the Heels can execute on offense and avoid a 3-point deluge from the Rams, the Tar Heels' path to the Sweet 16 is very much open. Wilson's absence, however, is hard to overstate. This game could really get the juices flowing on day one.

(13) Cal Baptist vs. (4) Kansas

When to watch: 9:45 PM E.T., March 20

Kansas enters the NCAA Tournament on extremely uneven ground. Darryn Peterson has been a full go these past few games, but a complete meltdown against Houston in the Big 12 Tournament revealed just how much chemistry the Jayhawks lack at full strength. Peterson is the ultimate swing factor in this year's March Madness. Kansas is an elite defensive team no matter what. The offense will not be near good enough for a deep run unless Peterson is ballin' and everything else is in sync.

Enter the little engine that could, the 13-seed Cal Baptist Lancers. This is a smart upset bid for those looking to balance risk in your bracket-filling. Dominique Daniels Jr. is a classic Cinderella engine — a twitchy 5-foot-10 point guard who can self-generate offense to an absurd degree.

Daniels will handle the lion's share of CBU's offense. Where the Lancers can tilt the game in their favor, however, is on defense. Juniors Jonathan Griman (4.3 BLK%) and Thomas Ndong provide decent size and activity in the frontcourt. Devon Malcolm comes off the bench and wreaks havoc in short doses (5.0 STL%, 2.4 BLK%), averaging 1.3 steals in just 13.9 minutes per game.

Kansas could explode if Darryn Peterson finally puts it all together. Or the Jayhawks could flame out, with Cal Baptist more than capable of sticking a needle in Kansas' postseason balloon.

(11) Texas vs. (6) BYU

When to watch: 7:25 PM E.T., March 19

AJ Dybantsa vs. Dailyn Swain. Need we say more? (If so, read more here.)

The Cougars are must-watch TV on account of AJ Dybantsa alone. He is the nation's leading scorer and a potential No. 1 pick in June. BYU comes into March Madness a bit down on its luck, however. A season-ending injury to star wing Richie Saunders has thinned out an already top-heavy roster. Aside from Dybantsa and sophomore guard Robert Wright, it's unclear where BYU's offense will come from.

Maybe that's all it takes. Dybantsa is more than capable of dragging the Cougars to multiple wins on his own. Texas, however, is not really your typical 11-seed. There's a reason the SEC has 10 teams in the Big Dance. The Longhorns endured plenty of turbulence this season, but Dailyn Swain is a genuine star on the wing — a dangerous slasher who can exact maximum damange on a weaker BYU defense. He's also quite active on defense himself, with a chance to match Dybantsa's athleticism on the wing better than just about anyone else in college basketball can.

Texas isn't overly deep either, but the starting lineup rounds out nicely. Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark are two senior guards with a lot of poise; Mark hit the game-winner against NC State in Texas' First Four victory. Sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis is a skilled finisher who can pummel BYU on the interior.

The Longhorns are coming off a tournament win, presumably with fresher legs and a bit more momentum than the beat-up Cougars. Do not, under any circumstances, write BYU on that second round line in Sharpie.

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