The NCAA tournament action finally begins on Thursday afternoon at 12:15 p.m. with Duke vs. UNC Wilmington, so without further ado, here are the picks for day one.
4. Duke (-10) 23-10 vs. 13. UNC Wilmington 25-7
Duke comes into this tournament off a loss to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. While many would see that as a bad sign, I see it as a well-rested team which is especially important for the Blue Devils as they aren't deep. This UNC Wilmington team is good, but they can't match up with Duke's studs or even Marshall Plumlee's size.
Pick to win: Duke
Against spread: Duke
8. Colorado 22-11 vs. 9. UConn (-3.5) 24-10
UConn won the AAC tournament so they come in hot. If they hadn't won that tournament they likely wouldn't have been in this tournament. The AAC is a bad conference while the Pac-12 was a good conference this season, which bodes well for the Buffaloes. Still though, have to give this one to UConn.
Pick to win: UConn
Against spread: Colorado
1.Virginia (-23) 26-7 vs. 16. Hampton 21-10
Hampton dominated the MEAC this season and won its conference tournament fairly easily. But it is playing one-seeded Virginia, and a 16 seed has never beaten a one.
Pick to win: Virginia
Against spread: Virginia
5. Baylor (-6) 22-11 vs. 12. Yale 22-6
This is one of the more interesting games of the first round. Yale is a really good team, and Baylor is a team that was upset in the first round last year. This game should be closer than the spread indicates, but Baylor is relentless and should be able to pull it off.
Pick to win: Baylor
Against spread: Yale
4. Iowa State (-7.5) 21-11 vs. 13. Iona 22-10
Iowa State is another team that was shockingly upset in the first round last season. It has a legitimate star in Georges Niang, but there is something about this team that screams "first round upset." Iona can fill it up on offense and also has a legit star in A.J. English, so the Cyclones are on upset alert.
Pick to win: Iona
Against spread: Iowa State
5. Indiana (-12) 25-7 vs. 12. Chattanooga 29-5
A 29-5 team cannot be discounted by any means, and that's what Chattanooga is. Unfortunately it is running into a Hoosiers team that won the Big Ten regular season title and can score better than almost anyone in the tournament. All that said, this game should be closer than the spread indicates because it is a 5/12 matchup after all.
Pick to win: Indiana
Against spread: Chattanooga
6. Arizona (-1.5) 25-8 vs. 11. Wichita State 25-8
Wichita State had to win a play-in game to get here, but the Shockers blew out Vanderbilt in that one. This Arizona team is a very good one and may be under-seeded, but it got a really rough matchup. This Shockers team is experienced and has star power so they will pull off the upset.
Pick to win: Wichita State
Against spread: Wichita State
8. USC 21-12 vs. 9. Providence (-2) 23-10
Providence has two legitimate stars in Ben Bentil and Kris Dunn, but the Friars don't have much else. The Friars showed early in the season that they can play with the best teams in the nation before fading. USC enters the tournament in a little bit more of a rut than Providence, so Friars it is.
Pick to win: Providence
Against spread: Providence
