O’Donnell: Eight winners, no waiting — stirring the NCAA men's melting pot

IN A WORK OF FICTION about a modern NCAA basketball tournament, a late payment from a university's Name, Image & Likeness war chest (NIL) could be a great plot device.

That would be the author's make-believe inducement delivered to a critical player on a key opponent deep in the tourney to throw a game.

Could the fictionalist find a better way to satisfy the large egos of the wealthy boosters who fund NIL accounts than to cover the money moments of a season in the most precisely efficient, Spy vs. Spy manner?

Of course that's way too far-fetched to believe as the touchy-grabby life in the America of 2026 moves on down Plunder Road.

SO CBS AND TURNER WILL ONCE AGAIN will be presenting televised reality as the 68-team tournament continues its roll through the most intense week of the season.

From Thursday morning through late-night Sunday, the field will be pared to that magical Sweet Sixteen.

Last year's event was bereft of significant drama. All four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four.

At the very end, when most of America was back watching Netflix, the flair-challenged Florida Gators were cutting down the nets.

THIS TIME AROUND, imaginative projection is in the visionary daring of the bracket picker.

The folks at espn.com selected a 32-game first round with only two upsets.

That sort of galoshes wearing will play very well with the Sominex crowd.

HIGHER UP THE ESPN VERTICAL, the esteemed Jay Bilas circled a Final Four consisting of Arizona (West Region, No. 1 seed), Michigan State (East, 3), Iowa State (Midwest, 2) and — gasp — Illinois (South, 3).

At Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Bilas then foresees title-bound Arizona eliminating Iowa State, and Tom Izzo's spunky Spartans throat-latching Keaton Wagler and the Illini.

(Bilas must be unaware that Brad Underwood teams have made it out of the second weekend as often as Jimmy Kimmel has been invited to the Trump White House. “Nil” has a much more classic meaning in Champaign-Urbana when it comes to Underwood and Final Fours.)

TO ASSIST VIEWER NAVIGATION OF THE FIRST ROUND, eight games to watch, DVR or YouTube highlights of ex post facto:

Thursday

11:15 a.m. CBS — Ohio State (E-8) vs. TCU (E-9) — Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill — the most entertaining courtside crew in the game — call the opener, just as they'll call the finale on TBS on April 6. … The winner will get chewed up by Duke (E-1) on Saturday, proving glory is fleeting.

3:05 p.m., TNT — Michigan State (E-3) vs. North Dakota St. (E-14) — In a lot of gymnasiums, this would be called “a scrimmage.” … But watching Izzo teams when the going gets serious is engaging, especially because he has no qualms about choosing rest over Big Ten Tournament championships.

5:50 p.m., TNT — North Carolina (S-6) vs. VCU (S-11) — Tar Heel Nation has to be hoping Michael Jordan directs some of his fresh NASCAR winnings back to his old program. … The game resonates in the Chicago-Champaign corridor because the survivor will likely face Illinois Saturday.

8:25 p.m., TNT — Illinois (S-3) vs. Penn (S-14) — The Illini are 24½-point favorites, which would seem to be too many even against an improbable Ivy League champ. … If nothing else, Tomislav Ivisic and fellow bombardiers can get plenty of target practice at Greenville's Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Friday

11:40 a.m., truTV — Texas Tech (MW-5) vs. Akron (MW-12) — This will be a reminder to all the basketball left-behinds at Northern Illinois that MAC teams can still compete on a national stage. … The Zips are extremely well-coached by John Groce; the Red Raiders have some health concerns.

3:10 p.m., TNT — Villanova (W-8) vs. Utah St. (W-9) — Bulletin from Big East News: The conference isn't what it used to be. … As a matter of fact, insouciant doctrine will be tattered if Utah St. doesn't win this game. … Covering the 3½-point spread — the Utes are favored — is dicier.

6:10 p.m., CBS — St. John's (E-5) vs. Northern Iowa (E-12) — The Selection Committee must really have it in for Rick Pitino. … First they under-seed his Johnnies … Then they send the mercenaries all the way to San Diego for Games 1 and 2. … All that waits after Kansas on Sunday is Duke and maybe UConn in D.C.

6:35 p.m., truTV — Purdue (W-2) vs. Queens (W-15) — Matt Painter and Co. get an easy trip — St. Louis — after an arduous four-day, four-win Big Ten tournament run at the United Center. … The big slope is going to be Gonzaga and Arizona in San Jose. … Boilermakers PG Braden Smith was near flawless at the UC, waking up the steadying QB ghosts of John Paxson and Steve Kerr.

Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.