The first round of the tournament is done, and it was nothing short of madness. We had plenty of upsets, and early exits from teams many thought would be playing deep into March. That’s what makes this time of year so great. I would guess there are no perfect brackets left out there, and we are only done with the first round. It was another 2-1 day in the contest, so let’s keep climbing that Pickswise $10,000 Capper Contest leaderboard!
Make sure you also check out our picks on the side and total for EVERY first-round game for the NCAA Tournament. Let the March Madness continue!
North Texas Mean Green +6.5 to beat Villanova Wildcats
I backed Villanova on Friday in what I saw to be a buy-low spot where most of the population wanted to fade Villanova after the loss of Collin Gillespie. The Wildcats cruised to a 10-point victory against Winthrop, showing that they wouldn’t be completely lost without their star guard. This is a different case here though.
The Mean Green run a more efficient offense, and have the talent on the ball to give the Wildcats trouble in this matchup. Javion Hamlet is a really talented guard, and North Texas trots out 5 guys that all shoot the deep ball better than 35 percent. I loved the draw that North Texas got as soon as I saw it, and have them in my Sweet 16. I am taking the points here, and like their chances to win outright as well.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for North Texas Mean Green vs. Villanova Wildcats.
After predicting Oral Roberts, Ohio, and Abilene Christian ALL to record upsets, find out who college basketball player expert Rashad Phillips is picking for today’s action!
Loyola Chicago Ramblers +7 to beat Illinois Fighting Illini
Everyone loves Illinois, and rightfully so. They are an extremely talented team, riding a ton of momentum at the moment. Loyola Chicago got the win against a Georgia Tech team without ACC player of the year Moses Wright, but it wasn’t pretty at times. They had a tough time scoring, but their real talents are on the other side of the floor. Loyola is one of the best defensive units in college basketball. They are well disciplined, and don’t foul. They also have the big guy in Cameron Krutwig to slow down Kofi Cockburn. I think this is a close game, and they contain the fighting Illini offense to an extent here, so I will gladly take the Ramblers to keep this within 3 possessions.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Loyola-Chicago Ramblers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini.
West Virginia Mountaineers -3.5 to beat Syracuse Orange
I have not been high on this Syracuse team, and have bet against them a bunch down the stretch here. As you can imagine, they keep winning, so that hasn’t worked out well for me. But, I trust my analysis and am back against them again here. West Virginia should be able to put a focus on slowing down red-hot Buddy Boeheim, and forcing someone else to beat you for the majority of the game. The Mountaineers are loaded with talent, and should be able to get through the Orange zone defense. West Virginia will need to work inside out through Derek Culver, and open it up for Taz Sherman and Miles McBride. West Virginia should be able to contain Syracuse and move on to the Sweet 16.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Syracuse Orange vs. West Virginia Mountaineers.
Check out college basketball analyst and insider Jon Rothstein’s best picks for today’s action!
Pickswise is the home of March Madness Predictions. Check out all of our March Madness Picks, including daily March Madness Parlays throughout the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
