The NCAA Tournament has arrived. Many refer to it as March Madness, and it truly is madness. The first round features a total of 32 games. There are 16 games on Thursday, and 16 more on Friday. Once the first round is over, we are down to 32 teams in the NCAA Tournament odds. Let’s take a look at how we Preview the 2017 March Madness First Day.
Previewing 2017 March Madness First Day
On Thursday, the first game of the day features the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Princeton Tigers. The Irish finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tigers have won 19 in a row, and won the Ivy League. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are -7 over Princeton. The next game features the Virginia Cavaliers out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers are the 5th seed, and they will take on UNC Wilmington. Wilmington is looking for their 30th win of the season. Virginia is -7.5 in this game. The Butler Bulldogs and Winthrop Eagles will square off next. The Bulldogs are -11 over Winthrop. The Eagles are the winners of the Big South Conference. Next, the top seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs will take on South Dakota. The Bulldogs are the only team in the nation that lost just one game all season. South Dakota State is coming into the tournament following their Summit League title. Gonzaga is -22.
The next session of games features the West Virginia Mountaineers against Bucknell. The Bison are +13.5 in this game, and many feel they can hang with the Mountaineers. The next game features the Florida Gators out of the SEC against East Tennessee State. The Gators have dropped two straight games, but came to tournament teams. Florida comes into this game -10. Big Ten’s Minnesota Golden Gophers will take on Middle Tennessee State in a pick’em game, along with Northwestern’s Wildcats battling Vanderbilt in another pick’em game.
The evening games on Thursday start with Xavier taking on Maryland. The Musketeers are an 11 seed, while Maryland comes in at 6. Maryland is -2 in this game. The VCU Rams will take on the Gaels of St. Mary’s in the next game. These two “mid major programs” are both pretty good. The Gaels are -4.5 over the Rams in this game. The Purdue Boilermakers will take on Vermont. The big, tall Boilermakers are -8.5 over the Catamounts in this game.
In Orlando, the Florida State Seminoles will take on state rival Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. In this rivalry game, the Florida State Seminoles are -12. The final three games on Thursday include the Wisconsin Badgers as an 8 seed will take on the 9th seeded Virginia Tech Hokies. Wisconsin is -5.5. North Dakota is +16.5 against Arizona, and the final game on Thursday night features the Wolf Pack of Nevada against the Iowa State Cyclones.
There you have it. We have done our homework, and wanted to make sure we gave you our preview for the 2017 March Madness First Day. Best of luck with all your bets, and enjoy the tournament!
