First round picks for men’s NCAA bracket

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March Madness is now officially set to begin, as the first round of the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament gets underway Thursday afternoon, and will last through late Friday night.

A two-day span in which 32 games will be played in all, the first round of the NCAA Tournament is historically one of the more anticipated times of year on the sports calendar, not only due to the non-stop action, but also the multiple upsets that March Madness’ seems to bring annually.

So, ahead of the action officially beginning Thursday afternoon with the Round of 64, why not make some picks as to which teams will advance to play this weekend in each region of the bracket to pair with our previous Final Four predictions?

Here are predictions for every first round men’s NCAA Tournament game that will be played Thursday and Friday.

Men’s March Madness first round predictions – South Region

No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 16 Alabama State – Prediction: AuburnNo. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Creighton – Prediction: LouisvilleNo. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 UC San Diego – Prediction: MichiganNo. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Yale – Prediction: Texas A&MNo. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 North Carolina – Prediction: North CarolinaNo. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb – Prediction: Iowa StateNo. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico – Prediction: MarquetteNo. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant – Prediction: Michigan State

Starting with the South Region, top-seeded Auburn is expected to win their first round matchup by a sizable margin of victory, while Michigan State is also a big favorite as well. As for a potential upset to watch, the No. 6 vs. No. 11 matchup between Ole Miss and North Carolina is an intriguing one, while the best game of the South Region first round could end up being the 8/9 when Louisville and Creighton collide.

Men’s March Madness first round predictions – West Region

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State – Prediction: FloridaNo. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma – Prediction: UConnNo. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State – Prediction:…

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Publish date : 2025-03-20 15:45:00

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