It wouldn’t be March Madness without a few upsets, right? With No. 2 seed Kentucky in my final four, the 85-79 overtime loss to No. 15 Saint Peter’s was painful at best. Kentucky’s defeat marked the 10th instance of a No. 15 seed beating a No. 2 seed. Nonetheless, cheers to the underdogs — it keeps the tournament refreshing. Speaking of, No. 12 seed Richmond beat No. 5 seed Iowa, No. 12 seed New Mexico State beat No. 5 seed UConn, and No. 11 seed Michigan beat No. 6 seed Colorado State. While these wins were unexpected, day one of first round games went — mostly — according to plan.
No. 1 seed Baylor claimed an 85-49 victory over No. 16 Norfolk State, No. 1 Gonzaga beat No. 16 Georgia State (93-72), No. 1 Kansas beat No. 16 Texas Southern (83-56), and No. 3 Tennessee beat No. 14 Longwood (88-56). While Gonzaga secured the win, Georgia State put up a fight. Shooting just 28.6% in the first half, GSU trailed only 35-33 at halftime because of an 11-1 edge in second-chance points. Texas Southern never stood a chance, as Kansas skyrocketed to an early 34-point lead. Despite their loss to Saint Mary’s, kudos to the Indiana cheerleader who saved the game (momentarily).
It’s anybody’s guess what will happen on day two of first round games. With Duke in my final four, I’m crossing my fingers we don’t see another Kentucky-like upset. But as the story goes with March Madness, anything can happen in the Big Dance.
The 2022 March Madness bracket is up-to-date as of Friday, March 18 (following day one of first round games).
GAMES | TIME | TV | CITY | VENUE |
First Round — Friday, March 18 | ||||
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago | 12:15 p.m. | CBS | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | PPG Paints Arena |
No. 2 Auburn vs. No. 15 Jacksonville State | 12:40 p.m. | truTV | Greenville, South Carolina | Bon Secours Wellness Arena |
No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 Montana State | 1:45 p.m. | TNT | San Diego, California | Viejas Arena |
No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 14 Yale | 2 p.m. | TBS | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Fiserv Forum |
No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 15 Delaware | 2:45 p.m. | CBS | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | PPG Paints Arena |
No. 7 Southern California vs. No. 10 Miami (Fla.) | 3:10 p.m. | truTV | Greenville, South Carolina | Bon Secours Wellness Arena |
No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Notre Dame | 4:15 p.m. | TNT | San Diego, California | Viejas Arena |
No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Virginia Tech | 4:30 p.m. | TBS | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Fiserv Forum |
No. 4 Illinois vs. No. 13 Chattanooga | 6:50 p.m. | TNT | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | PPG Paints Arena |
No. 2 Duke vs. Cal State Fullerton | 7:10 p.m. | CBS | Greenville, South Carolina | Bon Secours Wellness Arena |
No. 6 LSU vs. No. 11 Iowa State | 7:20 p.m. | TBS | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Fiserv Forum |
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Wright State | 7:27 p.m. | truTV | San Diego, California | Viejas Arena |
No. 5 Houston vs. No. 12 UAB | 9:20 p.m. | TNT | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | PPG Paints Arena |
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Davidson | 9:40 p.m. | CBS | Greenville, South Carolina | Bon Secours Wellness Arena |
No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Colgate | 9:50 p.m. | TBS | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Fiserv Forum |
No. 8 Seton Hall vs. No. 9 TCU | 9:57 p.m. | truTV | San Diego, California | Viejas Arena |
Second Round — Saturday, March 19 | ||||
No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 8 North Carolina | 12:10 p.m. | CBS | Fort Worth, Texas | Dickies Arena |
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 9 Creighton | 2:40 p.m. | CBS | Fort Worth, Texas | Dickies Arena |
No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Michigan | 5:15 p.m. | CBS | Indianapolis, Indiana | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
No. 4 Providence vs. No. 12 Richmond | 6:10 p.m. | TNT | Buffalo, New York | KeyBank Center |
No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 5 Saint Mary’s | 7:10 p.m. | TBS | Portland, Oregon | Moda Center |
No. 7 Murray State vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s | 7:45 p.m. | CBS | Indianapolis, Indiana | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 12 New Mexico State | 8:40 p.m. | TNT | Buffalo, New York | KeyBank Center |
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Memphis | 9:40 p.m. | TBS | Portland, Oregon | Moda Center |
Don’t see your game? You can view and purchase all NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tickets here.