Written by David Regimbal

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Four games will be played at “The Q” today (Friday, March 18), each a second round matchup in the East region of the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State headlines a group of great basketball teams that include Syracuse, Xavier, George Mason and Villanova. The action tips off just after 2:00 and won’t end until midnight, and here’s a brief preview of the games that are on tap.

(8) George Mason  (9) Villanova     2:10 PM EST

Villanova started the year on an absolute tear, going 16-1 and climbing to No. 7 in the Coaches poll. On January 17, they were in a close matchup with the No. 8 UConn Huskies. With the game knotted up at 59, UConn’s Kemba Walker drove the lane and hit a 10-foot floater that handed the Wildcats their second loss of the season. Nova looked like they had bounced back by beating No. 3 Syracuse the next game, but the Wildcats fell apart down the stretch -- losing nine of their last 13 games. They enter their matchup with George Mason on a five game losing streak and although no one is too high on them, the Wildcats feel that they’re finally healthy enough after their team suffered key injuries to make a run in the tournament.

Villanova guard Corey Fisher said, “I think our confidence is really high right now and we just want to let our game speak for itself,”

George Mason enters the tournament living in the shadow of the 2006 squad that made it to the final four. During the team’s pregame press conference, Ryan Pearson addressed the ‘06 run and how it impacts the current team, “We want people to talk about this year’s team. The final four was a great accomplishment back then, but we have the talent to make it there.” He later added, “It just takes a lot of confidence and a lot of heart.”

The Patriots are in the tournament as an at-large selection after an incredible year in the Colonial conference. The team set a school record by winning 16 straight games before losing in the conference tournament semi-finals to Virginia Commonwealth.

"We're just trying to build our own legacy and have our own identity," Pearson said. If they can beat Nova and likely third round opponent Ohio State to make it to the Sweet 16, they will.

(1) Ohio State  (16) Texas San-Antonio     4:40 PM EST (approximately)

The Ohio State Buckeyes enter the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed in the East region. Although that typically means they get the easiest bracket, the Buckeyes appear to have one of the toughest roads to the final four with North Carolina, Syracuse, Kentucky, West Virginia and Xavier all residing in the East. But before the Buckeyes can start thinking about glory, they have to deal with a UTSA team that won their play-in game against Alabama State.

Head coach That Matta has a unique experience with the 1-16 matchup in the NCAA tournament as he has coached teams as both seeds during his career, “I have been a part of a 1-16 team, down-to-a-wire game [at WCU], and I know what those guys are definitely thinking over there.”

Be that as it may, Matta talked about hardly having to motivate his team because of the seniors on the team who have been here before. And as the top team in the country, losing just two game to ranked opponents on the road, the Buckeyes have plenty of confidence going into the tournament.

UTSA knows the challenge ahead of them is very daunting, but they’re embracing it. The Roadrunnners earned an automatic bid by winning the Southland conference  tournament championship over McNeese State. As a 16-seed, UTSA was paired against Alabama state for a “first-round” matchup, with the winner earning a shot at Ohio State. The Roadrunners defeated the Hornets with a strong performance from sophomore guard Melvin Johnson, who scored 25 points in the first half and 29 total in the 70-61 victory.

The Roadrunners are led by their two guards, Devin Gibson and Johnson. Gibson is a first team All-Southland-Conference selection, averaging 17 points and just under 6 assists a game. Johnson averages 15 points a game and has the ability to pace his team offensively like he did against Alabama State.

After their first round win, UTSA head coach Brooks Thompson talked about Ohio State, “It's going to be very tough, but when you ask me what my thoughts are, we're very happy right now to be 1-0 in the NCAA tournament.” He later added, “ We're going to try to do everything we can to upset them.”

(6) Xavier  (11) Marquette     7:27 PM EST (approximately)

Xavier is led by their all-everything guard, Tu Holloway. The third year junior was the runaway winner of the A-10 Conference Player of the Year trophy as he led to a 24-7 record. Xavier has a bad taste in their mouth entering their game against Marquette after being upset by Dayton in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

Everyone from the coaches to Tu’s teammates know that Holloway will play a huge role if they're to make a run in the tournament, "I think Tu's proven over this entire year that he's one of the best players in the country," teammate Dante Jackson said. "I'm not sure where our team would be without him."

The Musketeers are currently tied with Michigan State for most consecutive Sweet 16 appearances with three. With the Spartans losing to UCLA last night, Xavier can own that accolade themselves if they can escape Cleveland with two wins.

Marquette is limping into the tournament after getting crushed by Louisville in the Big East tournament. It was the last time the Golden Eagles were on the floor, and they were on the bad losing end of a 25 point beat-down. With a 20-14 record, Marquette is one of the weakest of the 11 Big East members represented in the tournament. But playing in that league, the team has become accustomed to defending great players. That doesn’t change the fact that Tu Holloway presents a big problem.

"He's a very great player," Marquette guard Jimmy Butler said. "He can shoot it. He can drive it, rebound it, distribute the ball as a guard." He later added, "I think we've got to keep him off the paint," Butler said, "and we've got to stay in front of him and contain him."

So if there’s one thing to watch in this game, it's Tu Holloway.

(3) Syracuse  (14) Indiana State     9:57 PM EST  (approximately)

The Syracuse Orange’s season started in a near identical fashion as the Villanova Wildcats. The Orange won their first 18 games, most of them in very convincing fashion while ascending to the No. 3 ranking. Then they ran into Pittsburgh, who jumped out to a big lead early against Syracuse before eventually holding on for an eight point win. The loss started a bad stretch for ‘Cuse as they lost four straight and five of their next eight. Their loss to Louisville dropped them to No. 20 in the rankings, but that’s as far as they fell before ripping off six straight games, three of which were against ranked competition. The Orange, like everyone else that played them,  fell to UConn in the Big East tournament 76-71 in overtime.

The team carries the slogan “Unfinished Business” after falling in the NCAA tournament last year. Scoop Jardine wants to make a deep run this year and vindicate last year’s failure, "We had a bad ending last year. We're trying to win the tournament. We know we've got some unfinished business now and we're trying to get back to at least past the Sweet 16 and try to win the whole thing, because that's been our main focus. That's been our goal."

Standing in their way is the Indiana State Sycamores, winners of the Missouri Valley conference. The Sycamores have a 20-13 record and have won eight of their last nine games. It was a great stretch of games that followed an awful five-game losing streak that nearly ruined their season. After overcoming that adversity, they’re faced with the toughest challenge of their season: Syracuse’s dreaded 2-3 zone defense. It was the biggest topic of discussion during Indiana State’s press conference.

"It's a different zone than what we usually face. We really didn't face a whole lot of zones this year in the (Missouri) Valley,” guard Aaron Carter said. “But it's going to be a tough zone. They're athletic. They cover a lot of ground. We just have to do our best to be patient and work in and out and try to get some open looks."

Their practices leading up to the tournament have centered entirely around cracking the 2-3 zone, and we’ll find out Friday night if one week of preparation was enough.