March Madness Picks: Score Predictions for Every First Round Game

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The first round of the NCAA Tournament is chaotic as 64 of the best college basketball teams in the nation clash in a win-or-go-home scenario over two days.

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Trying to make a perfect March Madness bracket is practically impossible, and trying to predict every final score for the first round might be even more daunting.

I do my best to make sense of the insanity and bring you my March Madness score predictions and March Madness picks for every Round 1 game on Thursday and Friday.

March Madness score predictions

East Region

(1) Duke vs (16) Siena
Score prediction: Duke 82-52

Congratulations to the Saints, who have completely turned around their program in two years. Their reward: facing the No. 1 team in the country who will demolish them like every other small school they’ve faced.

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(8) Ohio State vs (9) TCU
Score prediction: Ohio State 74-72

These teams are closely matched, but guard play is paramount at this time of the year, and OSU’s backcourt of Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. is fantastic.

(5) St. John’s vs (12) Northern Iowa
Score prediction: St. John’s 72-64

The Panthers will make things interesting, but they won’t have an answer for Zuby Ejiofor down low.

(4) Kansas vs (13) Cal Baptist
Score prediction: Kansas 74-62

The Jayhawks’ offense has looked stagnant over the last month, but their defense and athleticism will be too much for the Lancers in Round 1.

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(6) Louisville vs (11) South Florida
Score prediction: Louisville 82-78

The Bulls will play Louisville tough, but the Cardinals will pull away thanks to the backcourt of Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr.

(3) Michigan State vs (14) NDSU
Score prediction: Michigan State 76-64

Tom Izzo isn’t going to lose in the first round against an NDSU squad that doesn’t do anything particularly well.

(7) UCLA vs (10) UCF
Score prediction: UCLA 78-74

The Bruins are playing their best ball at the right time. Getting a healthy…

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Publish date : 2026-03-18 19:11:00

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