Let the Madness continue! The First Four has come and gone and now it is time for the round of 64 to start. Hopefully you have a cool job or you’re your own boss where you sit back on Friday and watch all 16 games. Game 1 tips off at 12:15 PM EST and the last game doesn’t go off till about 10:10 PM EST. All day action, nothing better. Let’s get into it and give you my First-Round picks for every game on Friday.
No. 10 Santa Clara vs No. 7 Kentucky 12:15
The Broncos are an extremely talented team. They’re led by guard Christian Hammond and freshman Allen Graves. Coached well by Herb Sendek. Santa Clara is 17-4 in its 21 games with three of those losses coming from Gonzaga and one loss to Saint Mary’s. I don’t trust Kentucky and it’s hard to predict which Kentucky team will show up. Kentucky only being 3-point favorites tells me that the oddsmakers know something.
Pick: Santa Clara +3.5
No. 12 Akron vs No. 5 Texas Tech 12:40
This Red Raiders team is not the same one that beat Duke back in December. Losing JT Toppin to a torn ACL didn’t just cost the team one player, it cost them their identity. Toppin was a double-double machine and arguably a top 10 player in the nation. Akron, on the other hand, is coming off a MAC Tournament nail-biter vs Toledo. The Zips offense is no joke either. They can upset Texas Tech. Five different players shot 37.6% or better from 3 which puts the Red Raiders in a tough spot. I think the Zips defend the paint well and force turnovers at a high rate.
Pick: Akron +8
2026 NCAA Tournament: March Madness Picks for Friday, March 20th – First Round
No. 16 Long Island vs No. 1 Arizona 1:35
Let’s see if Tommy Lloyd can get his team deep into the NCAA Tournament this year. Arizona is no joke. The Wildcats have wins over Florida, UCLA, UConn, Alabama, and San Diego State. Their resume speaks for themselves. Arizona doesn’t rely on the three ball but instead this team is built around getting the ball inside. Long Island is in a tough position for this game because they haven’t played anyone near the level of Arizona. Twenty-two of the Sharks 23 wins have come against Quadrant 4 opponents. The free throw shooting and turnover rate are a real concern especially against an elite defense like Arizona’s. I don’t think this game will be close but laying 30.5 points is a little wild.
Pick: Long Island +30.5
No. 14 Wright State vs No. 3 Virginia 1:50
Virginia has really come on strong late in the year. The Cavaliers just can’t beat Duke and are 0-2 against them this year. But it seems like they can take care of everybody else besides the Blue Devils. The Raiders are coming into this game as Horizon League Champions in a crazy win vs Detroit. Wright State is led by two young guards in Michael Cooper and TJ Burch who can shoot the ball. They’re 15th in the country in points per game and 11th in field goal efficiency. I think the Raiders can keep this game closer than people think.
Pick: Wright State +18.5
2026 NCAA Tournament: March Madness Picks for Friday, March 20th – First Round
No. 15 Tennessee State vs No. 2 Iowa State 2:50
You have to be happy for Tennessee State as this is their first time dancing in 32 years. Now, obviously there is a big stylistic mismatch between these two teams. The Cyclones have a great offense, but this is arguably the weakest defensive unit they’ve brought to the tournament. The key to their defense is turnovers. If they aren’t forcing turnovers, the cracks show in the defense. What do the Tigers do well under Nolan Smith? This is Tennessee State’s lowest offensive turnover rate in over 20 years. They rebound the ball well and create second chances opportunities. If the Tigers can limit the turnovers and keep extra possessions off the board, they have enough perimeter shooting and offensive rebounding to make the Cyclones uncomfortable.
Pick: Tennessee State +24.5
No. 13 Hofstra vs No. 4 Alabama 3:15
Alabama is dealing with some distraction as Aden Holloway was arrested earlier this week and was dismissed from the team. Losing Holloway is a big blow for the Crimson Tide as he averaged 16.8 points per game and shot 44% from three. You can’t sleep on Hofstra either, this team won 24 games and shoots the ball well. 74% from the free throw line and 37% from behind the arch. With Alabama facing distractions and the recent momentum from Hofstra, I believe they can keep this game close.
Pick: Hofstra +11.5
No. 9 Utah State vs No. 8 Villanova 4:10
Not the best season for the Mountain West conference where only Utah State made the field. The Aggies are led by veteran guards MJ Collins and Mason Falslev. Villanova is a good team but played poorly in the Big East Tournament losing to Georgetown. You have to think Kevin Willard will make the adjustments to get his team ready. But this is exactly where Utah State wants to be. The Aggies are 6-0 this season when playing on a neutral court.
Pick: Utah State -1.5
2026 NCAA Tournament: March Madness Picks for Friday, March 20th – First Round
No. 11 Miami (Ohio) vs No. 6 Tennessee 4:25
The Redhawks proved last night having 0 Quad wins didn’t matter. Miami (Ohio) did what they do best, shoot threes, playing fast basketball. It was the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since 1999, when they made the Sweet Sixteen. Now, they get Tennessee who is a great rebounding team and they play tough defense. The Redhawks can rebound too, ranking eighth in the nation with a plus 15.4 rebounding differential. This will be a tough test for Miami (Ohio) but if they can maintain a decent perimeter shooting % against Tennessee, I think they can keep this one close.
Pick: Miami (Ohio) +11.5
No. 9 Iowa vs No. 8 Clemson 6:50
I’ll be having my eye on this game between Iowa and Clemson. Very good matchup but I think the right team is favored. Iowa’s guard Bennett Stirtz can take over this game for the Hawkeyes. He can defend, shoot the ball well, and hit his free throws. The Tigers are a good team, and I don’t expect them to just roll over and quit. But this isn’t the best Clemson team I’ve seen in recent years. I think Iowa pulls away late.
Pick: Iowa -2
No. 12 Northern Iowa vs No. 5 St. John’s 7:10
I love me some Rick Pitino. After winning the Big East, I feel like only getting a 5 seed wasn’t fair. Plus, Northern Iowa is a tough assignment for your first game. The Panthers who are your Missouri Valley champions are a good team. They play at a slow pace, they’re 24th in defensive efficiency and No. 363 in tempo, per kenpom.com. Northern Iowa can turn this game into a grinder, reducing the possessions for St. John’s and shorting the game.
Pick: Northern Iowa +9.5
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No. 10 UCF vs No. 7 UCLA 7:25
This is a very interesting matchup. I like both teams and think either of them can make a run. The good news for UCLA is that Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau will be back and starting for them. The bad news for the Bruins is that this game is in Philadelphia. UCLA has not fared well on long road trips. Central Florida can get hot from three and if they do, they can make this a fight.
Pick: UCF +5.5
No. 15 Queens vs No. 2 Purdue 7:35
Everyone is high on the Boilermakers again after beating Michigan for the Big Ten title. The oddsmakers surely love Purdue, making them a 25.5 point favorite. If they wind up having a large lead in the second half, I do expect Matt Painter to rest his starters. Queens, from North Carolina won 21 games this season and have six double-figure scorers. They shoot a lot of threes and play hard noise basketball. They were blown out early in the season, but the Royals are peaking at the right time. I don’t see a 26-point blowout for the Boilermakers.
Pick: Queens +25.5
No. 16 Prairie View A&M vs No. 1 Florida 9:25
You have to give Prairie View credit for their First Four win the other night vs Lehigh. But their time at the dance is going to end here. This is a massive step up in class and I think the Panthers are just happy to be here. Florida’s size, depth and defensive intensity create problems Prairie View hasn’t seen this year. If the Gators play to their standard defensively and dominate the glass like they have been they should control this game.
Pick: Florida -35.5
No. 13 Cal Baptist vs No. 4 Kansas 9:45
I give Bill Self a lot of credit this season. Being able to manage the Darryn Peterson situation would have had other coaches lose their mind. The Jayhawks are going to need his offense because they don’t necessarily shoot the ball well. Kansas ranked outside the top 150 in 2-point percentage and were barely inside the top 100 from three. They don’t rebound the ball well either. But they do play defense. Cal Baptist also is a great defensive team. This is a tough, physical program that makes it difficult to score the basketball. The Lancers need to make this a slow, grinding game to have any shot.
Pick: Cal Baptist +14.5
No. 15 Furman vs No. 2 UConn 10:00
This year’s UConn team isn’t what we saw in 2023 and 2024 but make no mistake, Dan Hurley has another top 10 roster. They have solid wins against BYU, Illinois and Kansas and also went 10-2 in games decided by six or fewer points. We can’t forget to mention Furman and their upset over Virginia in 2023 for their first NCAA Tournament win since 1974. But this isn’t the same Paladin team we saw three years ago. Furman gives the ball away freely and doesn’t take it away on the other end. UConn is simply too complete of a team not to blow out Furman.
Pick: UConn -20.5
No. 10 Missouri vs No. 7 Miami (FL) 10:10
The Hurricanes played well down the stretch despite a 22-point loss to Virginia in the ACC tournament. Miami has the ability to surprise some teams and make a run if they can get past Missouri. Their weakness is free-throw shooting (68.5%). Meanwhile, the Tigers getting to play close to home will have the home crowd advantage. Missouri is led by senior guard Mark Mitchell who can score at will. Mitchell scored 32 points in each of the last two games against Arkansas and Kentucky.
Pick: Missouri ML +110
