Officially, the NCAA 2022 tournament began in earnest on Tuesday with a pair of first four games. Unofficially though, the real chaos begins in March on Thursdays and Fridays as the first round takes place across the country. Between the two days, the stadium will shrink in half from 64 to 32 teams as the sun shines (almost) on the sport’s schedule. It’s part of what makes March Madness, well, March Madness.
Having an extra look in games might be what gives you the championship spirit, too. Below, I contacted the expert college collars team to get an insight with the live footage And the Against the points differential for some of the big games on Thursday’s expanded roster. for us Bracketing Expert It may offer some help on this front as well.
While it’s clear that survival and progression is what is important to most people, we’re interested in whether these teams will cover their spreads, and we’ve been tracking the season since November so we can offer our own thoughts on every game.
Be sure to stick with CBS Sports for the remainder of the month for coverage of the NCAA Championship through to the end of the fourth round. Let’s take a look at our expert picks as the first round matches kick off Thursday.
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times are oriental
NCAA Premier League Picks
(6) Colorado vs (11) Michigan
Thursday, 12:15 pm | CBS, March Madness Live: Losing starting point guard DeVante’ Jones (a concussion) at least in Michigan’s first-round game against Colorado State, is a huge loss. He’s the assistant captain, third on the scorers list, and he’s been big over the range. But I still took 11 out of 6 in this match. The front yard in Michigan between Hunter Dickinson and Moussa Diabatti doesn’t quite get along. I can’t see Colorado stopping them consistently enough, though I would expect Rams star David Rudy to maintain this fairly soon. Picking: Michigan -1.5
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diffusion |
CSU +1.5 |
MICH -1.5 |
CSU +1.5 |
MICH -1.5 |
CSU +1.5 |
CSU +1.5 |
|
straighten up |
CSU |
MICH |
CSU |
MICH |
CSU |
CSU |
(4) Providence vs. (13) South Dakota
Thursday, 12:40 PM | truTV, March Madness Live: Since 2010, the 3-point shooting team has advanced on the field at least once a year but two. This should bode well for South Dakota, which ranks first in the country in 3-point shooting. Providence isn’t slow – winning the Big East regular season and playing a physical style that would ruin this game – but I like Jackrabbits for progression as an underdog. Choose: South Dakota +2
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diffusion |
SDST +2 |
SDST +2 |
SDST +2 |
SDST +2 |
proof -2 |
proof -2 |
|
straighten up |
SDST |
SDST |
SDST |
SDST |
Proof |
Proof |
(5) Iowa vs (12) Richmond
Thursday, 3:10 pm | truTV, March Madness Live: Iowa is arguably the hottest team in the country to enter the NCAA Championship. Having claimed the Big Ten Tournament, the Hawkeyes have won 12 of their last 14 matches and found a groove as Keegan Murray thrived from star to star. Murray averaged 26 points per game as Iowa State won four games in four days to win the Conference Championship title, and this team appears battle-tested and in an ideal position to continue an impressive March with a dominant victory in the first round. Choose: Iowa -10.5
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diffusion |
IOWA -10.5 |
IOWA -10.5 |
IOWA -10.5 |
IOWA -10.5 |
IOWA -10.5 |
IOWA -10.5 |
|
straighten up |
Yeah |
Yeah |
Yeah |
Yeah |
Yeah |
Yeah |
(1) Gonzaga vs. (16) Georgia State
Thursday, 4:15 pm | TNT, March Madness Live: That’s a big line to cover, even for the top seed in Gonzaga. But I don’t care and I don’t think you should either. The season’s average scoring margin was 22.5 points, and that’s factored in games against Duke, UCLA, Alabama and other top schools. The vitriol will roll, and I expect them to roll quite a bit. Choose: Gonzaga -23
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diffusion |
ZAGS -23 |
ZAGS -23 |
ZAGS -23 |
ZAGS -23 |
JUST +23 |
JUST +23 |
|
straighten up |
ZAGS |
ZAGS |
ZAGS |
ZAGS |
ZAGS |
ZAGS |
(5) Ocon vs (12) New Mexico State
Thursday, 6:50 pm | TNT, March Madness Live: I don’t necessarily like New Mexico as an underdog on the money line in this, but I think they could cover the spread. The Aggies went 26-6 this season overall and half of those losses were by four points or less. They are a strong, resilient and well-trained group under Chris Gans’ leadership and have the staff to give UConn a run for its money. Choose: New Mexico State +6.5
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diffusion |
NMST +6.5 |
NMST +6.5 |
Yukon -6.5 |
NMST +6.5 |
NMST +6.5 |
Yukon -6.5 |
|
straighten up |
Okon |
Okon |
Okon |
Okon |
Okon |
Okon |
(7) Murray State vs. (10) San Francisco
Thursday, 9:40 pm | CBS, March Madness Live: San Francisco is a high-quality team that has fought real battles all season, including against Gonzaga in WCC play and against MVC Champion Loyola-Chicago. But Murray State is a 30-2 team that hasn’t lost since December 22nd and can beat you inside and out with good balance on both sides of the ball. I’ll make the point here with the contestants. Choose: Murray State-1
|
diffusion |
MURST -1 |
MURST -1 |
MURST -1 |
MURST -1 |
MURST -1 |
MURST -1 |
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straighten up |
In the morning |
In the morning |
In the morning |
In the morning |
In the morning |
In the morning |
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