NCAA Tournament Bracket Breakdown: The First Four

March Madness is finally here after a two-year hiatus. It is the season where everyone becomes a college basketball fan and millions of brackets get filled out. This year, I will be taking you through every single match-up the tournament has to offer. There will be a breakdown of every game the day before it is played featuring gambling lines, the time of the game, and analysis. This first slate of games is the First Four, which are the play-in games before the round of 64 begins. You still have time until the first games this Friday to submit your bracket, but the First Four have produced some teams that have made runs in the past.

Gambling breakdown:

A team that is -3 is favored to win the game by 3 points. This means the opposing team would be +3 resulting in them getting 3 points. If you bet on the team that is -3 and they win by 2 points, you lose and the people who bet on the other team +3 would win. O/U is the over-under, this is the point total that people can either bet the teams will combine for more or fewer points than.

(16) Texas Southern vs (16) Mount St. Mary’s

Line: Texas Southern -2.5

O/U: 131.5

Time: Thursday 5:10 PM

This east region First Four match-up features the winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Texas Southern, and Northeast Conference champions, Mount St. Mary’s. Texas Southern is favored heading into the matchup behind the guard play of Oklahoma State transfer Michael Weathers. Both teams rely on their upperclassmen for the bulk of their offense, but this game will come down to a battle of tempo. Mount St. Mary’s plays at one of the slowest paces in the NCAA this year, posting a tournament-low 63.7 points per game. Look for Texas Southern to be given open 3-point attempts, as they are one of the worst shooting teams in the country at 27.4% from beyond the arc. The winner of this matchup will get (1) Michigan and try to shock the world.

(11) Wichita State vs (11) Drake

Line: Drake -1

O/U: 141

Time: Thursday 6:27 PM

The Wichita State Shockers and Drake Bulldogs both received at large bids into this year’s tournament after sweating it out on the bubble. The Shockers have persevered through the resignation of head coach Greg Marshall at the beginning of the season. After a slow start to the season, they finished on a 10-2 run on the back of AAC co-player of the year Tyson Etienne. Drake (home of Seton Hall transfer Darnell Brodie) burst onto the national stage this season as they started the year with 18 straight wins. They began to struggle after the injury to ShanQuan Hemphill, their leading scorer, but weathered the storm to finish the season at 25-4. The Bulldogs are one of the best shooting teams in the country and have listed Hemphill as a game-time decision for Thursday’s matchup. The game will be a battle of two, tough mid-major squads and the winner gets to take on (6) USC.

(16) Appalachian State vs (16) Norfolk State

Line: Appalachian State -3

O/U: 133.5

Time: Thursday 8:40 PM

This match-up features two conference champions who got hot at the right time. Appalachian State lost six of their last seven before entering their conference tournament. They are led by their senior guards and are going to rely on their experience in this game. Norfolk State is a deep team that loves to shoot the 3-ball and get up and down the floor. The winner of this game will take on top-seeded Gonzaga, in hopes of pulling off the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history.

Let's dance: Michigan State basketball makes First Four vs. UCLA - The Only Colors

(11) Michigan State vs (11) UCLA

Line: Michigan State -2

O/U: 135.5

Time: Thursday 9:57 PM

The last First Four match-up is the most high-profile game this round has ever seen. Two of the biggest programs in college basketball will be fighting it out to face (6) USC in the round of 64. Michigan State was ranked as the 4th best team in the country in December. They would follow that up by losing 7 of their next 9 games and were projected to miss the tournament. Tom Izzo and his team finished the season by beating Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan who were all ranked in the top 5. They have struggled shooting the ball this year, but they rely on their forwards Aaron Henry and Joey Hauser for the bulk of their offense. UCLA started the season 8-0 in the Pac-12 conference, and it has been mostly downhill from there. With injuries and some cold offensive performances, they finished the season on a 4-game losing streak. The Bruins have an even offensive attack headlined by Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang and Tyger Campbell. Both programs have struggled this year, but UCLA has not looked like themselves since Chris Smith tore his ACL. The Spartans may have found their groove and will be a very tough opponent for the struggling Bruins.