Let the madness begin! The field of 64 tips off Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET with the Creighton Bluejays taking on the Louisville Cardinals. Get those brackets filled out and turned in, get entered into those SGPN contests. Now, it’s time to get our bets in! Here are my March Madness First Round picks for every game on Thursday, March 20th.
As usual, games for the first day of tournament action are tipping off periodically throughout the day to give us non-stop action. We have 16 games on this loaded slate to kick off the first day. After Creighton/Louisville gets us started at 12:15, High Point takes on Purdue at 12:40. Montana vs Wisconsin follows at 1:30. All times are Eastern.
March Madness First Round Picks: Thursday, March 20th
(9) Creighton vs (8) Louisville 12:15 p.m.
Creighton is a perennial second-round team. Coach Greg McDermott knows how to get his team through at least the first round. Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth are veteran leaders who’ve been in this spot before. Creighton gave everything they had and had now (2) seed St. John’s on the ropes in the Big East Tournament Championship game.
Pick: Creighton +2.5
(13) High Point vs (4) Purdue 12:40 p.m.
Could the Panthers of High Point be the first big upset of the tournament? The books are expecting them to keep it close with a line set at just 8.5 points. Purdue made it to the National Championship last year but has a history of early upsets in the tournament. They’ve lost six of their last nine games and limped their way into the tournament. High Point is one of the highest-scoring teams in the league, and if the shots are dropping, it could be scary for the Boilermakers.
Pick: High Point +8.5
(14) Montana vs (3) Wisconsin 1:30 p.m.
This is one of the most lopsided matchups in the tournament, and the line suggests just that. We just called for an upset alert of a (13) over a (4), but I don’t see that happening here. It would be a great story, but Montana is severely outmatched in this one. I expect Wisconsin to run away and hide from this Grizzles team.
Pick: Wisconsin -16.5
(16) SIU Edwardsville vs (1) Houston 2:00 p.m.
It’s a battle of Cougars in this one, and as the line suggests, the Houston Cougars are the much superior team. Houston is 4-1 ATS this season when they are favorites of 28.5 or more as is the case in this one. This one looks to be one of the boring, “Wow they are blowing them out games.” Give me the Cougars, the Houston kind in this one.
Pick: Houston -28.5
(16) Alabama State vs (1) Auburn 2:50 p.m.
Alabama State kicked off the madness Tuesday evening hitting a game-winner in the closing seconds of the first “First Four” game to beat St Francis and earn the right to play the #1 overall seed, the Auburn Tigers. The Hornets are coming off the highest of highs and now face their biggest competition. Auburn struggled down the stretch, so they need a get-right game. What better way to get right than to pour one on in a big victory over this Alabama State team? 30.5 is a daunting number to lay in March, but this is the right spot for it.
Pick: Auburn -30.5
(12) McNeese State vs (5) Clemson 3:15 p.m.
McNeese State is one of the best mid-major programs in the country. They won 11 straight games and only lost a single time in the 2025 calendar year. They are 2-0 ATS this season when underdogs of 7.5 or more. Their defense is stifling, and they have the rebounding advantage over Clemson. They might not beat the Tigers, but they’ll keep it within eight.
Pick: McNeese State +7.5
(11) VCU vs (6) BYU 4:05 p.m.
BYU was a (6) seed last year when they were upset. Now they face a Rams team that brought back their core from last year and has an experienced coach in Ryan Odom who led UMBC on their magical tournament run. VCU is a physical team, while BYU is going to rely on shots from beyond the arc. They are much more balanced on both sides of the ball compared to BYU who ranks high in offensive production but not as much on the defensive side of the ball.
Pick: VCU +3.5
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(9) Georgia vs (8) Gonzaga 4:35 p.m.
It’s another mascot matchup between the Dawgs and the Dogs this time. Georgia is one of 14 SEC teams to make the Dance but hasn’t won a tournament game since 2002 or even been in the tournament since 2015. Gonzaga has made nine straight appearances in the Sweet 16. They may not be the best team Mark Few has had, but he knows how to get through the first round if nothing else. Give the Dogs in this battle.
Pick: Gonzaga -5.5
(15) Wofford vs (2) Tennessee 6:50 p.m.
It’s fun to pick upsets in March Madness, but you have to choose your spots and this isn’t one of them. Wofford was the (6) seed in the SoCon Tournament and ran the table to punch their ticket to the Dance. They are near the nation’s lead for three-point attempts, yet only shoot 34.5% from downtown. With a lockdown defense like Tennessee has, including leading the nation in three-point defense, they won’t be an easy task. Volunteers roll in this one.
Pick: Tennessee -18.5
(10) Arkansas vs (7) Kansas 7:10 p.m.
At this point, I don’t think Jayhawk fans, and maybe not even the Jayhawks themselves have faith in this Kansas team. It was an absolute brutal stretch near the end of the season going just 1-6 against tournament teams. That being said, Bill Self hasn’t lost in the first round of the tournament since 2006, a pretty impressive stat. He’s also got one of the most experienced teams in the tourney. He’s got a tough matchup going against John Calipari. Calipari is 7-3 against Self in his career. This could be one of the most contested games of the day, so you’ve got to ride with the dog, or in this case, the Hogs to cover.
Pick: Arkansas +4.5
(11) Drake (6) Missouri 7:35 p.m.
These are two teams with great rebound stories from last season. This should be another closely contested (11) (6) matchup. This Drake team is just different though. They will wear you out and exhaust opponents on both sides of the court. Coach Ben McCollum brought four starters with him from the D-2 level last season and now they are on the big stage. This is where great March stories are made, and Missouri is on upset alert in this one.
Pick: Drake +6.5
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March Madness First Round Picks: Thursday, March 20th
(10) Utah State vs (7) UCLA 9:25 p.m.
Utah State’s defense is just plain bad, and that’s a big concern for them in this tournament. Their offense is elite, but they are going to struggle to slow down UCLA UCLA is 18-12-2 ATS this season and 10-3 when favored by 5.5 or more. UCLA finished top four in the Big 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Their balanced attack is going to be the key in this one.
Pick: UCLA -5
(15) Omaha vs (2) St. John’s 9:45 p.m.
Rick Pitino has his boys rolling. The Red Storm cruised through the season and won the Big East Tournament with a win over a team from Omaha in Creighton. Now they’ll face the Mavericks who’ve made the Big Dance for the first time in program history. As a Nebraska native, I’ll certainly be rooting for the Mavericks in this one. I have no doubt Rick Pitino will have his guys ready and should easily win this game. The angle I’m taking on this one, is there could be a little handover from a big tournament win, something we often see. Maybe the Red Storm start off slow, even if they don’t Pitinio will likely use a big lead in the second half to rest his stars up for a more serious game. Give me Omaha in the back door.
Pick: Omaha +19
(12) UC San Diego vs (5) Michigan 10:00 p.m.
The (12) (5) matchup. It’s always one to keep an eye on for an upset, and this one definitely fits that bill. The Tritons of San Diego are a covering machine at 24-7 ATS this year. Michigan conversely is just 16-18 ATS. What really sticks out to me, Michigan is 8-16 ATS when favored by 2.5 or more. UCSD is 4-0 as a dog of 2.5 or more. Michigan is coming off the magical Big 10 title run, the perfect time to fade them.
Pick UC San Diego +2.5
(14) UNCW vs (3) Texas Tech 10:10 p.m.
The final matchup of day one features the Seahawks of UNC Wilmington against the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. UNCW brings size and physicality to this matchup. With multiple players approaching seven feet tall, and the depth to back them up this Seahawks team will bring the same mentality they did on their way to the CAA title. Coach Takayo Siddle feels the team is disrespected and they play that way. I’m not calling for an upset here, but the Seahawks will keep it close.
Pick: UNCW +15.5
