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MGN The first day of the first round of March Madness on Friday was predictably, unsurprisingly and delightfully off the rails. The first game featuring Florida and Virginia Tech went to overtime, No. 3 seed Arkansas got a good scare by a team that shares the namesake of a famous toothpaste, and No. 2 seed Ohio State got outmatched by No. 15 seed Oral Roberts in overtime, becoming the ninth No. 2 seed ever to fall to a No. 15 seed. And that was half of the first round. Saturday has even more drama in store for fans. There are another 16 games ready to tip off throughout the day, and it all begins on CBS at 12:15 p.m. ET with Georgetown vs. Colorado. Also slated to take the floor on Saturday are a pair of No. 1 seeds in Michigan and Gonzaga. The Bulldogs begin their tournament run with plenty of pressure as the favorites to win it all. They are also looking to make history and be the first team since 1976 to complete an undefeated season as national champion. There are 16 games in total as the field will be reduced to 32 by Saturday night. Our team of experts has analyzed the games and made picks straight up and against the spread for each of them below. Odds via William Hill Sportsbook (12) Georgetown vs. (5) Colorado Time: 12:15 p.m. ET | Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse TV: CBS | Live stream: March Madness Live Colorado hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2012, but it also hasn’t been seeded this well in modern times. Georgetown may be a trendy pick because of its impressive run through the Big East Tournament, but the Buffaloes have the right combination of size, 3-point shooting, experience and depth to handle business here and cover a five-point spread. Prediction: Colorado 71, Georgetown 64 — David Cobb (13) UNC Greensboro vs. (4) Florida State Time: 12:45 p.m. ET | Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse TV: truTV | Live stream: March Madness Live Florida State picked up a nasty habit of playing down to its competition this season. It can beat any team in the country on its best night, but it has a tendency to fool around against inferior opponents. So I like UNC Greensboro – a team that won 21 games and has some very good size – to cover the number here. Seminoles win, Spartans ATS. Prediction: Florida State 71, UNCG 67 — Kyle Boone (14) Eastern Washington vs. (3) Kansas Time: 1:15 p.m. ET | Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum TV: TBS | Live stream: March Madness Live Eastern Washington kept it close with a trio of Pac-12 opponents in the first couple weeks of the season and will not be intimidated by a shorthanded Kansas team. The Jayhawks will be without leading rebounder Jalen Wilson, and that should help the Eagles keep it close enough to cover a 10.5-point spread. If Kansas looks as bad as it did against lowly UTEP earlier this month, an upset is possible. Prediction: Kansas 84, Eastern Washington 80 — Cobb (9) St. Bonaventure vs. (8) LSU Time: 1:45 p.m. ET | Location: Assembly Hall TV: TNT | Live stream: March Madness Live LSU and its top-five offense is efficient and lethal enough to wipe out or scare any team in the country, evidence being it took SEC champion (and No. 2 seed) Alabama to the brink less than a week ago. That presents an interesting matchup for the A-10 winning Bonnies, whose defense is far and away their forte. But I’ll ride with the SEC talent led by the league’s scoring leader Cameron Thomas, who averaged 22.6 points per game as a freshman this season. Prediction: LSU 75, St. Bonaventure 64 — Boone (16) Texas Southern vs. (1) Michigan Time: 3 p.m. ET | Location: Mackey Arena TV: CBS | Live stream: March Madness Live Expect the Wolverines to come out with a chip on their shoulder. Some are counting them out due to the uncertain status of injured forward Isaiah Livers. But this team has a hulking advantage on the interior in this game with seven-footer Hunter Dickinson. With some good outside shooters around him, Michigan has the firepower to post a big number in this game and pull away in the second half.Prediction: Michigan: 92, Texas Southern 65 — Cobb (12) UC Santa Barbara vs. (5) Creighton Time: 3:30 p.m. ET | Location: Lucas Oil Stadium TV: truTV | Live stream: March Madness Live Creighton simply can’t be relied upon to cover a 7.5-point spread, not after the dud the Bluejays produced in a blowout loss against Georgetown in the Big East Tournament final. UCSB is a relative unknown due to its lack of games against power conference foes, but the Gauchos are sound enough to keep this one close. Leading scorer Jaquori McLaughlin is an Oregon State transfer more than capable of putting up numbers against a quality foe. Prediction: Creighton: 82, USCB, 80 — Cobb (15) Iona vs. (2) Alabama Time: 4 p.m. ET | Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse TV: TBS | Live stream: March Madness Live Rick Pitino taking Iona to the tournament despite numerous COVID pauses in a season where Louisville and Kentucky aren’t in the field is a fantastic story. But the Gaels are really just that. They stand no chance to strike a real fear into this Bama team that bombs 3-pointers away at a high rate and can absolutely lock teams down defensively. Prediction: Alabama 80, Iona 60 — Boone (11) Drake vs. (6) USC Time: 4:30 p.m. ET | Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse TV: TNT | Live stream: March Madness Live Drake is a quintessential March Madness mid major darling. Guard Joseph Ysufu emerged as a star for a program that just won its first tourney game in half a century. But with Shanquan Hemphill still coming back from injury and the Mobley brothers cleaning up on the glass, the Trojans do just enough to cover against a feisty Bulldogs team. Prediction: USC 68, Drake 61 — Ben Kercheval (15) Grand Canyon vs. (2) Iowa Time: 6:25 p.m. ET | Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum TV: TBS | Live stream: March Madness Live Grand Canyon’s frontcourt is solid, but the Antelopes will struggle to keep up with Iowa. The Hawkeyes are one of the top scoring team’s in the country partly because they ran up huge numbers on less-talented opponents early in the season. Sure, Grand Canyon may be able to do a decent job one containing Luka Garza. But Iowa has enough outside shooting to cover a 14.5-point spread. Prediction: Iowa 95, Grand Canyon 74 — Cobb (10) Maryland vs. (7) UConn Time: 7:10 p.m. ET | Location: Mackey Arena TV: CBS | Live stream: March Madness Live The Huskies look like a dangerous No. 7 seed now that star James Bouknight is back and healthy. To Maryland’s credit, though, they are as good at slowing things down as any team in the country. The under at 130 feels safe, but the Huskies do just enough offensively to get the win and the cover. Prediction: UConn 66, Maryland 60 — Kercheval (13) Ohio vs. (4) Virginia Time: 7:15 p.m. ET | Location: Assembly Hall TV: truTV | Live stream: March Madness Live Virginia was cleared to travel to Indianapolis on Friday for its first round game against Ohio on Saturday. That is not ideal. It is easily one of the most unique circumstances a team in the field is dealing with at present. But I’m taking UVA and laying the points here, effectively pledging allegiance to Tony Bennett and his staff. The Cavaliers may be rusty but their enigmatic style nonetheless will present real challenges to Ohio. Prediction: Virginia 68, Ohio 57 — Boone (9) Missouri vs. (8) Oklahoma Time: 7:25 p.m. ET | Location: Lucas Oil Stadium TV: TNT | Live stream: March Madness Live Not too many players will miss tourney games because of COVID, but Sooners guard De’Vion Harmon is one of them. Harmon’s absence puts more pressure on Austin Reaves offensively, and that should be reflected in the outcome. Prediction: Missouri 68, Oklahoma 65 — Kercheval (16) Norfolk State vs. (1) Gonzaga Time: 9:20 p.m. ET | Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse TV: TBS | Live stream: March Madness Live Gonzaga led the country in scoring margin this season, blowing out team after team en route to an undefeated regular season. So I won’t waste my air here: Gonzaga is going to win. But, with a spread approaching three dozen (!), I’ll happily take the points. Bulldogs should be up big early, so I’ll bank on a backdoor as they rest starters late.. Prediction: Gonzaga 80, Norfolk State 60 — Boone (11) UCLA vs. (6) BYU Time: 9:40 p.m. ET | Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse TV: CBS | Live stream: March Madness Live How about Mick Cronin’s squad with that comeback overtime win over Michigan State? The Bruins don’t make things simple, but they advance. But with Johnny Juzang’s injury, BYU’s under-the-radar efficiency should shine in a comfortable win. Prediction: BYU 78, UCLA 68 — Kercheval (14) Abilene Christian vs. (3) Texas Time: 9:50 p.m. ET | Location: Lucas Oil Stadium TV: truTV | Live stream: March Madness Live Fresh off a Big 12 Tournament title run, Shaka Smart’s Texas Longhorns have all the momentum at their sails with wins in each of their last five outings. This Texas team is deep, experienced and built around its trio of guards who can score at every level. That combo should mean a fairly easy day in the office for the Longhorns. Prediction: Texas 74, Abilene Christian 60 — Boone (10) VCU vs. (7) Oregon Time: 9:57 p.m. ET | Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum TV: TNT | Live stream: March Madness Live This is a fascinating matchup because I could see both of these teams making a run, especially if Oregon gets hot from beyond the arc. But the Rams’ defense is the difference in this 10-7 upset. Prediction: VCU 70, Oregon 68 — Kercheval