With the NCAA tournament getting started on Friday, there are a few matches fans should keep their eyes on. While many of the top seeds face low-ranked conference champions, there are several matchups between at-large berths that are worth watching.

Baylor vs Arizona State

Baylor (18th ranked) is slated to take on Arizona State (36th ranked) in the Texas A&M regional on Sunday. Baylor is coming off a great run at the Big 12 tournament where they beat Oklahoma State (17th ranked) 4-0 and TCU (9th ranked) 4-2. Arizona State did not fare as well in their conference tournament, dropping a tough 4-0 match to USC (10th ranked).

Pack your bags. We’re headed to College Station. 👊 Baylor opens NCAA Tournament action against No. 36 Arizona State on Friday, May 11 🎾 #SicEm 📝 https://t.co/Tu6Dp6Lts5 pic.twitter.com/4mCS0NJeIZ — Baylor Men’s Tennis (@BaylorMTennis) May 1, 2018

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This matchup, however, has the potential to be a great one. Michael Geerts (20th ranked) has been great for Arizona State all year at the number one spot, beating both Marty Redlicki (1st ranked) and Mikael Torpegaard (6th ranked). He is slated to take on Johannes Schretter (63rd ranked) of the Baylor Bears. Ben Hannestad (80th ranked) has also stood out for the Sun Devils this year, including a big win over Axel Geller (83rd ranked) of Stanford in a match which Arizona State lost a close 4-3 battle to the Cardinal (4th ranked). While Baylor has been great in doubles all year, if Arizona State can scrap out the doubles point, this match will be a battle.

Tulane vs Alabama

In the Tallahassee regional, Tulane (23rd ranked) will face Alabama (42nd ranked) first round. This season, Tulane captured the American conference title. Alabama won two matches in the SEC tournament before falling to Tennessee (19th ranked) in a 4-3 battle. The Crimson Tide definitely have upset potential, having scored wins this season over Georgia (21st ranked) and Kentucky (25th ranked).

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Court 1 singles will be the match to watch with Alabama’s Mazen Osama (10th ranked) projected to play Tulane’s Constantin Schmitz (15th ranked) in a showdown of top-15 players. Courts 4 and 5 will be pivotal in this match with both teams earning a lot of wins at those positions throughout the season. Luis Erlenbusch (15-7 dual match singles record) is slated to battle Edison Ortiz (16-6 dual match singles record) at line 4 while Tyler Schick (17-5 dual match singles record) is projected to play Alexey Nesterov (18-7 dual match singles record) on court 5. If Alabama can get wins on these two courts, they will be in great position to pull off the upset.

Kentucky vs Virginia Tech

The Kentucky Wildcats (26th ranked) and the Virginia Tech Hokies (35th ranked) have been trending in opposite directions heading into this year’s NCAA tournament. The Wildcats have lost three straight including a tough 4-1 loss to Alabama (42nd ranked) while the Hokies have won seven of their last eight matches highlighted by a 4-3 triumph over Florida State (12th ranked).

ICYMI: We’re in! Who’s coming to Columbus to watch the Cats? pic.twitter.com/QIwdZMRB4w — Kentucky Men’s Tennis (@UKMensTennis) May 3, 2018

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Mitch Harper (14-5 dual match singles record and 29th ranked) has been stellar at number 1 singles for Virginia Tech, amassing 14 dual match wins in an extremely tough ACC conference. He is projected to play Ryo Matsumura (17-4 dual match singles record and 8th ranked), which should be an entertaining match. Alex Riberio (17-5 dual match singles record) and Carlos Donato (15-5 dual singles match record) have also been crucial contributors in the Hokies late season success while playing mostly on courts 3 and 5. Virginia Tech will need solid play from courts 1,3, and 5 if they wish to pull off the upset.

NC State vs Cal

The North Carolina State Wolfpack (24th ranked) play the California Golden Bears (34th ranked) on Friday in Austin, Texas. Neither team has been in their desired top form heading into the post season as the Wolfpack suffered a late season loss to Virginia (41st ranked) while Cal dropped two consecutive matches to Oregon (33rd ranked) to end their season.

ICYMI – We’re headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015! Pack Risin’! More information about our first round matchup:

🆚 California

📍 Austin, Texas

📅 Friday, May 11 at 2 p.m. (ET)

📝 https://t.co/jg5chtZPk8 pic.twitter.com/8ZcAqoG681 — NC State Tennis (@PackMensTennis) May 2, 2018

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The bottom courts will be the ones to watch in this match as both teams have relied on their depth to win them many of thier matches this season. On court 4, NC State’s Ivan Saveljic (15-8 dual match singles record) is projected to play Cal’s Ben Draper (8-6 dual match singles record). Court 5 will feature the Wolfpack’s Robert Turzack (13-7 dual match singles record) against Cal’s Paul Barretto (7-4 dual match singles record). NC State’s Georgiy Malyshev (13-9 dual match singles record) is slotted to play Cal’s Jacob Brumm (8-4 dual match singles record) on court 6. Court 1 will feature the lone matchup of ranked opponents with NC State’s Alexis Galarneau (10-11 dual match singles record and 43rd ranked) projected to play Cal’s Billy Griffith (7-8 dual match singles record and 54th ranked). With even singles matches across the board, the winner of the doubles point will have a huge advantage heading into singles play.

Tennessee Tech vs Mississippi State

This is more of a court one singles match to watch rather than a team match. As the Ohio Valley Conference champions, Tennessee Tech makes the trek to Starkville to battle Mississippi State (6th ranked) on Friday.

Mississippi State is heavily favored across the board except for one position which is at line 1-singles. Tennessee Tech’s Eduardo Mena (14-5 singles record and 66th ranked) is projected to battle the Bulldog’s Nuno Borges (16-4 dual match singles record and 2nd ranked). At the All-American tournament last October, Mena handed Borges his lone loss of the fall season via a 6-4, 6-3 decision in the round of 32. While there is a high chance this match goes unfinished, fans should keep an eye on this matchup.

Did we miss any must-watch first round matchups? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.