The NCAA Tournament is here and once again, there is potential for some upsets in the first round of March Madness.
Make that a lot of upsets. Which favored teams could be in trouble on Thursday, the first day of the NCAA Tournament?
Check out our picks and predictions for every NCAA Tournament first-round game on March 21. We're predicting quite a few upsets, with several double-digit seeds winning their first-round games.
Could Illinois, Gonzaga, Texas Tech, Kansas, South Carolina and Dayton all lose to lower seeds? March Madness could become March Insanity according to these picks, with Samford, Morehead State, Oregon, Nevada, McNeese and NC State potentially set to bust some NCAA Tournament brackets.
All times Pacific. Click on each game for more picks and predictions for that matchup.
Thursday's March Madness picks, predictions: Michigan State vs Mississippi State | Duquesne vs BYU | Akron vs Creighton | Long Beach State vs Arizona | Morehead State vs Illinois | Oregon vs South Carolina | Nevada vs Dayton | Oakland vs Kentucky | McNeese vs Gonzaga | South Dakota State vs Iowa State | Saint Peter's vs Tennessee | NC State vs Texas Tech | Samford vs Kansas | Drake vs Washington State | Wagner vs North Carolina | Colorado State vs Texas
Friday's March Madness picks, predictions: Northwestern vs Florida Atlantic | Colgate vs Baylor | UAB vs San Diego State | Western Kentucky vs Marquette | Stetson vs UConn | New Mexico vs Clemson | Yale vs Auburn | | Vermont vs Duke | Charleston vs Alabama | Longwood vs Houston | James Madison vs Wisconsin | TCU vs Utah State | Grand Canyon vs Saint Mary's | Colorado vs Florida | Grambling State vs. Purdue
March Madness NCAA Tournament first-round game predictions for Thursday
9:15 a.m.: (9) Michigan State vs. (8) Mississippi State, CBS, Charlotte, North Carolina (stream with free trial from FUBO)
The tournament opens up with one of the more intriguing games of the first round. Which MSU will win? Neither team looked particularly good down the stretch, but Mississippi State did beat Tennessee in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
Prediction: Mississippi State 65, Michigan State 63
March Madness Thursday schedule: How to watch 16 NCAA Tournament games on TV today
9:40 a.m.: (11) Duquesne vs. (6) BYU, truTV, Omaha, Nebraska (stream with Sling TV)
The Dukes have won eight straight games, including the Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship, but the Cougars are better than any team Duquesne has faced this season.
Prediction: BYU 75, Duquesne 68
10:30 a.m.: (14) Akron vs. (3) Creighton, TNT, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (stream with Sling TV)
The Zips are the Mid-American Conference champions, but the Bluejays are still one of the best teams in the Big East, even after bowing out in the first round of the conference tournament.
Prediction: Creighton 70, Akron 61
11 a.m.: (15) Long Beach State vs. (2) Arizona, TBS, Salt Lake City, Utah (stream with Sling TV)
Arizona has a history of early NCAA Tournament departures, but this isn't the same team that lost to Princeton in the first round as a No. 2 seed in 2023.
Prediction: Arizona 90, Long Beach State 72
March Madness predictions: ESPN game predictor's NCAA Tournament picks, win probabilities
11:45 a.m.: (16) Wagner vs. (1) North Carolina, CBS, Charlotte, North Carolina (stream with free trial from FUBO)
We didn't think that Wagner would beat Howard in the First Four. We really don't think they have a chance to beat North Carolina in the first round.
Prediction: North Carolina 84, Wagner 63
12:10 p.m.: (14) Morehead State vs. (3) Illinois, truTV, Omaha, Nebraska (stream with Sling TV)
Some double-digit seeds are going to shock their first round opponents. Morehead State could easily be one of those teams after playing very impressive basketball down the stretch in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Prediction: Morehead State 70, Illinois 69
1 p.m.: (11) Oregon vs. (6) South Carolina, TNT, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (stream with Sling TV)
Oregon has had a lot of injuries this season, but showed what it can do on its way to the Pac-12 Championship. It can beat South Carolina in the first round.
Prediction: Oregon 70, South Carolina 65
1:30 p.m.: (10) Nevada vs. (7) Dayton, TBS, Salt Lake City, Utah (stream with Sling TV)
This is a tough one to predict. We're going to go with another double-digit seed getting the win in this one, although the odds say that it isn't an upset.
Prediction: Nevada 65, Dayton 61
3:50 p.m.: (10) Colorado State vs. (7) Texas, TNT, Charlotte, North Carolina (stream with Sling TV)
We're tempted to go with the Rams after their dismantling of Virginia, but Texas is a lot better than Virginia and won't struggle to score like the Cavaliers did.
Prediction: Texas 78, Colorado State 74
4:10 p.m.: (14) Oakland vs. (3) Kentucky, CBS, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (stream with free trial from FUBO)
Oakland is another double-digit seed to monitor in the first round after winning the Horizon League Tournament, but we don't think the Golden Grizzlies will be able to keep up with the Wildcats.
Prediction: Kentucky 90, Oakland 71
March Madness game odds: Point spreads, moneylines, over/unders for NCAA Tournament 2024
4:25 p.m.: (12) McNeese vs. (5) Gonzaga, TBS, Salt Lake City, Utah (stream with Sling TV)
No. 12 seeds seem to have a knack for beating No. 5 seeds. 30-3 McNeese can beat Gonzaga. The Cowboys have impressed all season.
Prediction: McNeese 75, Gonzaga 72
4:35 p.m.: (15) South Dakota State vs. (2) Iowa State, truTV, Omaha, Nebraska (stream with Sling TV)
Some thought the Cyclones deserved a No. 1 seed after they beat Houston in the Big 12 Tournament Championship. They shouldn't have a problem with the Jackrabbits.
Prediction: Iowa State 71, South Dakota State 57
6:20 p.m.: (15) Saint Peter’s vs. (2) Tennessee, TNT, Charlotte, North Carolina (stream with Sling TV)
Saint Peter's dazzled America a couple years back. This is not the same team and Tennessee got a wake-up call in the SEC Tournament.
Prediction: Tennessee 77, Saint Peter's 60
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6:40 p.m.: (11) NC State vs. (6) Texas Tech, CBS, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (stream with free trial from FUBO)
NC State lost its final four regular season games before rallying to win five straight games on its way to the ACC Tournament title. This is a double-digit seed that could do some damage in the tournament.
Prediction: NC State 80, Texas Tech 75
6:55 p.m.: (13) Samford vs. (4) Kansas, TBS, Salt Lake City, Utah (stream with Sling TV)
We seem to be picking a lot of upsets on the first day of the tournament. Will this be another one? Samford is 29-5 and trending up. Kansas, racked with injuries, is trending down. Give us more madness.
Prediction: Samford 80, Kansas 74
7:05 p.m.: (10) Drake vs. (7) Washington State, truTV, Omaha, Nebraska(stream with Sling TV)
Drake is another mid-major that could do some damage, but Washington State surprised in the Pac-12 this season and should be ready for the Bulldogs.
Prediction: Washington State 73, Drake 68
March Madness TV schedule: Television channels, streaming, how to watch NCAA Tournament
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STREAM THE GAMES:Watch March Madness games on truTV, TBS, TNT with Sling TV
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Thursday March Madness NCAA Tournament game picks, predictions, upsets