The 2011 NCAA Tournament field is set, and action gets underway tomorrow with the first two play-in games. The real action, the official first round of the tournament, starts on Thursday. UCLA is a No. 6 seed and will be playing 11th seeded Michigan St. on Thursday at 6:20 p.m.. The game can be seen on TBS and will be called by Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkle.
In Michigan St., UCLA faces somewhat of an enigma. The Spartans started out the season in the top-five, but have underwhelmed throughout. They lost one of their key players in teh middle of the season, and never got to the level that everyone thought they can become. Having said that, it is never smart to bet against a Tom Izzo coached team in the NCAA Tournament.
He always seems to get the best out of his players this time of year. They still have Kalin Lucas to lead the way, and if he can get the best out of Draymond Green, they could be a real force to get far in the tournament, not just in this first round game. I don't think anyone would be excited to see them on the bracket. We'll see if UCLA has what it takes to advance.