What a great first round of the tournament! A ton of upsets, surprises, and crazy finishes. Here are our picks for Round 1:
- Michigan
- This should be a really close game and could go either way, but since Michigan has home-court advantage, I'm going with them here.
- Confidence: 60%
- Michigan State
- This game is played in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Michigan State will have home-court advantage, are one of the best defensive teams in the country, and play in the toughest conference in America.
- Confidence: 80%
- Louisville
- Colorado State is a great rebounding team and plays a style of offense that Louisville hasn't seen much, but Louisville was so impressive in their opening round game that we can't pick against them here. Louisville also has home-court advantage, which plays even more into their favor.
- Confidence: 90%
- Arizona
- Arizona had a pretty impressive win in the first round against Belmont, who was a really popular upset pick. Arizona can guard the 3-point line much better than New Mexico can, so we expect Arizona to come out victorious. This game is in Salt Lake City, so Arizona will have a huge home crowd advantage.
- Confidence: 80%
- Saint Louis
- Saint Louis should easily win here. Oregon had a big upset in the first round, but that's it. Saint Louis looks really, really good.
- Confidence: 90%
- Marquette
- Many people forget that Marquette shared the Big East regular season. They are a physical team, but shoot the ball poorly from 3-point range, so if they get behind early, don't expect a big comeback.
- Confidence: 80%
- Wichita State
- Since the brackets were released, I've thought Gonzaga would be the first #1 to lose. I really like the Shockers in this one to shock the world and take down the Zags.
- Confidence: 80%
- Syracuse
- Syracuse demolished Montana in the opening round. They will simply be too much for Cal. Cal had a great upset of UNLV, but them beating Syracuse would be a monstrous upset.
- Confidence: 100%
- Ohio State
- Ohio State just man-handled Iona by 25 points. If they keep playing like that they will go far in the tournament. They will need to have good perimeter defending since Iowa State leads the nation in 3-pointers made per game.
- Confidence: 85%
- Indiana
- I really like Indiana to win here, but I think they'll lose to Syracuse in the next round.
- Confidence: 90%
- Kansas
- Kansas better not have a breakdown like they did in the end of the Western Kentucky game or they will go down early. I think they'll get past North Carolina pretty easily though.
- Confidence: 85%
- Florida
- Florida and Minnesota both looked great in their first round games, but Florida is clearly the better team in this match-up.
- Confidence: 90%
- Florida Gulf Coast
- The Eagles shocked the country with their upset of Georgetown in the first round. They have never been to the tournament, but have really caught people's attention with their athleticism and offensive efficiency. If they can beat Georgetown, they should be able to easily beat San Diego St.
- Confidence: 90%
- La Salle
- If La Salle has another second half like they did today, they will not advance far in this tournament. Fortunately for them, Ole Miss doesn't have near the defense that Kansas State does. I like La Salle to advance one more round with the mini upset.
- Confidence: 60%
- Miami
- Illinois simply doesn't have the athletes to keep up and compete with Miami. I think Miami will at least make the final four.
- Confidence: 90%
- Duke Blue Devils
- This should be a great game actually. These two teams match up pretty well. Both have size on the interior and guards that can shoot the 3 well. Duke with "home-court advantage" should win here.
- Confidence: 80%
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