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3 best games on Thursday's March Madness schedule

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March Madness begins with plenty of appetizing matchups on its opening day. From family ties to some of the nation's most explosive scorers, here are three of the best games on tap Thursday.

12:15 p.m. ET - Minnesota (10) vs. Louisville (7) - East Region

In a strange twist of fate, Minnesota's Richard Pitino will square off against his father's old school. Rick Pitino spent 16 years at Louisville and took the Cardinals to three Final Fours, including a national championship in 2013. But the 66-year-old was fired in 2017 after Louisville became tangled up in the FBI's investigation of an alleged recruiting bribery scheme.

While the elder Pitino reportedly won't be in attendance Thursday, his presence still looms over the game.

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"It's the elephant in the room," said Louisville head coach Chris Mack, according to Jody Demling of Cardinal Authority. "I coach a few guys who played for Rick Pitino and we're playing against his son ... I can't control what people are going to talk about, but you can only beat a dead horse for so long."

Richard Pitino is seeking his first NCAA Tournament win in six seasons with the Golden Gophers. While he denies that he's out for revenge, it's more than just a game for the Pitinos.

4:30 p.m. ET - Murray State (12) vs. Marquette (5) - West Region

Fans are in for a treat when two of college basketball's most electrifying players, Murray State's Ja Morant and Marquette's Markus Howard, go head to head.

Morant's averaging 24.6 points and 10 assists per contest across 31 appearances this season. He's the only Division I player ranked in the nation's top 10 in scoring and assists. The sophomore guard is a projected top-three pick in this year's NBA draft. His freakish athleticism combined with his sublime playmaking has earned Morant comparisons to Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook and made him a fixture on sports highlight reels.

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Meanwhile, Howard's arsenal of moves to create separation for his shot has turned the Arizona native into one of the most explosive scorers in recent history. The 5-foot-11 guard put up at least 30 points on 10 occasions this season, including a Big East-record 53 points against Creighton in January. He's one of just four players in the last 20 seasons to record at least three career 45-point games, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and the only Division I player with multiple 50-point games during the same span.

It really is a shame that one of these players won't reach the second round, but neither will go down quietly.

7:20 p.m. ET - Saint Mary's (11) vs. Villanova (6) - South Region

Villanova opens play against a Saint Mary's team coming off an upset of Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament final. While the Wildcats won two of the past three national championships, this is a very different squad.

Jay Wright lost Wooden Award winner Jalen Brunson and three first-round picks in Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, and Omari Spellman. The key departures resulted in a slow start, but Villanova bounced back by winning the Big East regular-season and tournament titles. However, that was only enough to earn the Wildcats a sixth seed - their worst since 2013.

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The Wildcats aren't the offensive juggernaut they were a year ago, despite strong seasons from Phil Booth and Eric Paschall. That could spell trouble against a Gaels defense that limited opponents to 53 points per contest, 38.1 percent shooting from the field, and a 27 percent success rate from downtown over the past eight games.

If Villanova isn't careful, the program might be in for a repeat of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, when Saint Mary's upset a second-seeded Wildcats team in the second round.

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