How to trim your March Madness viewing and avoid being fired - Thursday Edition

To help you focus you March Madness viewing and avoid being fired, I am ranking the watchability of the games in each round in an effort to focus my limited time in front of the TV.  The two parameters I am looking at are projected margin of victory  and average tempo of each game.  I am ranking the parameters for each game and then taking the average of the two rankings.  One is the best score possible.  If you have limited time, choose the game with the lowest score and watch that game.  Here is the breakdown for Thursday's games:

The Game to Watch: (8) Colorado State vs. (9) Missouri (9:20 PM ET on TBS) - This should be a close game that is fast paced.  Win-win.  It is a win-win-win if you factor in partying with Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy after the game.

Upset Alert: (11) St. Mary's vs. (6) Memphis (2:45 PM ET on CBS) - Keep your eye on this one.  St. Mary's has a shot.

Polarizing Game of the Day: (6) Butler vs. (11) Bucknell (12:40 PM ET on TRU) - Projects to be a close match-up, but at a very slow pace.  This game is going to help me decide if drama or pace is more important.

Those are the three games I'll have my eye on.  Do not worry about Gonzaga or Louisville there is little chance of them being up set.

Finally, make sure to join the Marcello Ball group on Yahoo! Tourney Pick 'Em.