The first four games on Tuesday and Wednesday may be the official start of the NCAA 2022 tournament, but for many fans, March Madness doesn’t kick off until the first full day of live matches on Thursday with first-round matches from all angles of the arc. The first match of the day will be ranked #6 Colorado Taking the number 11 Michigan In the Southern District in Indianapolis, the first 16 rounds of competitions took place in four different host cities.
After last year’s NCAA Championship, it included a completely revised schedule and locations in the country Indianathis year’s tournament brings the return of full arenas with fans who have traveled across the country to follow their favorite college basketball programs.
You must create a wonderful environment when Kentucky or Tennessee Take the floor in Indianapolis, while Fort Worth hosts both No. 1 seed from the Big 12 Baylor And the kansas and fan bases for UConn and Providence come down on buffalo. Total number of seeds Gonzaga You’ll make a quick trip across the state line to the location of the first round in Oregonwhere a fellow West Coast conference fellow Saint Mary’s The championship run also begins.
The return of fans and cross-country action is just one of the many storylines to follow as we watch the action unfold in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Championship. Now let’s go from the stands to the court with three big events for Thursday.
Gonzaga and Baylor begin pursuit of another Final Four tour
Both teams in last year’s National Championship game will be in action on Thursday, starting with Champion Baylor at 2 p.m. ET against the 16th seed. Norfolk. The Bears finished the regular season strong with five straight wins, but staying for one game in the Big 12 kept Scott Drew off the radar all weekend until they were revealed to be one of the four No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday. Baylor is expected to be a strong contender to win his first game, but the team’s long-term expectations for the championship will be moot in the wake of Wednesday’s announcement that the leading scorer LJ Cryer (Out with a foot injury since Feb 16th) He won’t be available for our first round. The big win will be a chance to see Baylor’s seat in action, and the depth of the Bears will be a key factor in making another Final Four run.
Gonzaga was undefeated in the 2020-21 season until Baylor the Bulldogs handed their first and only loss of the season in a title match, and the 2021-22 season included much of the same dominance. Zagiz finished with a 26-3 record that included a no-conference win University of CaliforniaAnd the Texas And the Texas Tech And a winning margin of 22.0 points per game. Drew Tim He’s back as one of the March stars, and now the rookie phenomenon has joined him Chet Holmgren To be one of the best front court duos in the state. The Gonzaga Championship starts with 16 seed Georgia State It’s 4:15 p.m. in Portland.
Also of note is the #1 seed, Kansas, up against the #16 seed south texas 9:57 p.m., who won Tuesday night against him Texas A&M – Corpus Christi In the top four and another of last year’s Final Four teams, ranked No. 4 in UCLA, she edged out against the No. 13 seed Akron 9:50 p.m.
South DakotaAnd the Vermont Hopefully we hope the spoiler plays the role of the 13th seed
Of all the potential surprises in the rankings streak between Thursday’s games, two stand out as No. 13-ranked South Dakota and No. 4 Providence in the Midwest at 12:40pm ET (truTV) and No. 13 Vermont seed plays the No. 4 seed Arkansas In the western region at 9:20 pm
The Jackrabbits rate the best three-point shooting team in the country (44.2%) and appear to be a popular surprise pick not only because of their elite attacking but Providence’s split between their 25-5 record and an efficiency margin rating that checks in at No. 48 in the country in KenPom.com. South Dakota hasn’t lost since December 15, sophomore shoots in school year Baylor Sherman He could become one of the big stars of the day.
Vermont also boasts strong attacking, top-led rotations, and Catamounts do a great job of moving the ball without tipping it. This will challenge Arkansas’ patience on defense and a struggle of style for the Razorbacks’ pace speed. A potential disadvantage of SEC Class 4 is the Buffalo venue, which is within manageable travel for the masses and students of Vermont.
Game of the day: Number 7 Murray State opposite number 10 San Francisco
Either of these two teams are good enough to beat a major conference opponent in the first round, but they came out squared off against each other in what clearly appears to be game of the day, set at 9:40 p.m. from Indianapolis. Both teams are in the top 30 in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin and 54 combined wins are the second most of any game on Thursday’s roster. San Francisco 2 wins against NCAA Championship teams in the 10th seed Davidson And seed number 12 UAB And Murray State has its own set of victories against championship teams (Seeded No. 8 Memphis seed number 1 Chattanooga) to go with an impressive 30-2 and 18-0 record in team play.
Murray State has a multifaceted crime led by Ohio Wadi Conference Player of the Year KJ Williams, 6-10 senior man averaging 18.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Williams is just as dangerous as his step outside, as he can space the floor like a three-point shooter. Stopping Williams will be the main focus of the elite San Francisco team that defends and is led by a pair of top guards in Jamari Boya And the Khalil Shabazz Which has been pretty solid the past three years under Todd Golden.
