Men's College Basketball

The chaos of the first full day of the NCAA men's basketball tournament put four double-digit seeds into the second round. 

The carnage gave us a No. 7-versus-No. 15 seed battle that will produce an unexpected Sweet 16 participant out of the East Region. The Murray State Racers are favored to get past this year's Cinderella, the Saint Peter's Peacocks, who upset the Kentucky Wildcats. 

Kentucky's loss was one of a few NCAA tournament departures that cleared the path for power-conference programs to reach the second weekend. The Providence Friars received a gift after the red-hot Iowa Hawkeyes were upset by the Richmond Spiders. 

Richmond could still be a tough opponent for Providence, but it matches up much better against the Spiders than the Hawkeyes. 

Updated NCAA Tournament Bracket

Second Round Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

West Region: No. 9 Memphis vs. No. 1 Gonzaga (-10.5) (Over/Under: 155)

West Region: No. 12 New Mexico State vs. No. 4 Arkansas (-6.5) (O/U: 139.5)

South Region: No. 11 Michigan vs. No. 3 Tennessee (-5.5) (O/U: 136)

East Region: No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 1 Baylor (-5.5) (O/U: 149.5)

East Region: No. 5 Saint Mary's vs. No. 4 UCLA (-3.5) (O/U: 126)

East Region: No. 15 Saint Peter's vs. No. 7 Murray State (-9.5) (O/U:

Midwest Region: No. 9 Creighton vs. No. 1 Kansas (-10) (

Midwest Region: No. 12 Richmond vs. No. 4 Providence (-2.5) (O/U: 134.5) 

Predictions

No. 15 Saint Peter's (+9.5) vs. No. 7 Murray State

Saint Peter's and Murray State could be drawn into a defensive battle on Saturday.

Murray State ranks 26th in three-point defense and 40th in defensive adjusted efficiency, while Saint Peter's sits in the top 15 in three defensive metrics, per KenPom. 

Saint Peter's gave up 75 points in its win over Kentucky, but it held the Wildcats to 26.7 percent from three-point range. The also Peacocks shot 50.9 percent from the field and hit half of their 18 three-point attempts. They also won the battle at the free-throw line, as Kentucky shot 20 percent worse from the charity stripe. 

Murray State only shot 28.6 percent from three-point range in its overtime win over San Francisco and it lost starting guard Carter Collins to an injury early in the first half. 

If the Racers can't improve their shooting from deep, they may not be able to put away Saint Peter's.

The Peacocks' defense should keep them in the contest, and if they do not win, they can cover the 9.5-point spread in a low-scoring battle. 

No. 12 Richmond vs. No. 4 Providence (-2.5) 

Providence was a popular team to fade when it entered the NCAA tournament, but now it should be backed to reach the Sweet 16 in a fairly easy manner. 

Providence proved in its first-round win over South Dakota State that it can lock down a tough offense and play from in front. 

The Friars had a knack for coming from behind and winning overtime games in the regular season. There was no doubt about their nine-point victory on Thursday. 

The Big East regular-season champion has the perfect combination of players to quell the threats posed by Richmond's Jacob Gilyard and Grant Golden.

Jared Bynum, AJ Reeves and Al Durham can combine to slow down Gilyard's play out of the backcourt and Nate Watson can go head-to-head with Golden in the paint. 

Ed Cooley's team ranks inside the top 55 in two-point and three-point defense on KenPom. The Friars can use their defense to slow down Gilyard and Golden, just like they did with South Dakota State's Baylor Scheierman. 

As long as Providence contains Richmond's two stars and holds the Spiders around the 60-point mark, it should secure its spot in the Sweet 16. 

Gambling Problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369).

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).

Odds and lines subject to change. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.

Basketball fans sing it with me: "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

March Madness is upon us as the NCAA tournament is set to begin this week. It's a time when even the most casual sports fan becomes a men's college basketball expert, using in-depth analysis to forecast who will emerge as champion out of 68 teams.

So it's time to prove your expertise, and we've got you covered with a full printable bracket that can be found here.

Here's a look at some of the favorites in this year's tournament to help you make the right picks.

West: Gonzaga

Could this finally be the year when the Bulldogs win the national championship?

Gonzaga is again a favorite to cut down the nets after earning the No. 1 overall seed for the fourth time in five tournaments. The Bulldogs won the WCC championship, defeating Saint Mary's in the tournament final to avenge a loss from two weeks ago.

Five players average over 11 points per game for the Zags. Junior forward Drew Timme leads the way with 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds, followed by star freshman Chet Holmgren's 14.2 points and 9.6 rebounds.

The Bulldogs have a consistent rotation and can match up against any team in the tournament. After losing in last year's title game, Gonzaga will be hungry to finish the job this season.

South: Arizona

The Arizona Wildcats finished off a strong year with an undefeated run in the Pac-12 tournament for their first conference championship since 2018. They had just one loss in their last 13 games of the regular season.

Sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin had a breakout year with 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while second-year forward Azuolas Tubelis is adding 14.5 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Arizona is not a team that should be slept on. It took care of business against top competition in the conference, going a combined 3-1 against USC and UCLA.

East: Baylor

After a stretch of midseason struggles, the national champions looked like they were clicking at the right time. Baylor closed out the regular season by winning five straight games and seven of its final eight.

But the Bears fell short once again in the Big 12 tournament, suffering an upset loss to Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. However, it wasn't enough to knock Baylor from the No. 1 line.

The Bears are led by a three-headed backcourt monster consisting of Adam Flagler, LJ Cryer and James Akinjo. Each of them average over 13 points per game.

The Bears went 5-3 against ranked competition this season, but this is an experienced team with just three freshmen on the roster that is hungry to defend its title.

Midwest: Kansas

Kansas suffered two losses in its last four regular-season games, but a championship win in the Big 12 tournament was exactly what the team needed to steal a No. 1 seed.

The Jayhawks are a dangerous team with sharpshooter Ochai Agbaji leading the charge. The senior has poured in 19.7 points per game this season. Christian Braun is also a strong contributor with averages of 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Kansas went just 4-4 against ranked opponents during the regular season. However, a strong performance in the conference tournament should provide a boost in confidence heading into the Big Dance.

Other Teams to Watch

Auburn looked to be on its way to a No. 1 seed, but a loss to Texas A&M in the SEC tournament quarterfinals derailed those plans. The Tigers are powered by star freshman Jabari Smith, who has exceeded the hype with averages of 17.1 points and 7.0 rebounds.

Kentucky is led by arguably the best big man in the country in Oscar Tshiebwe, who is a force on both ends of the floor.

A junior transfer from West Virginia, the 22-year-old has dominated this year with 17.0 points, 15.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

Duke is extra motivated to win a championship in Mike Krzyzewski's final season. Star freshman Paolo Banchero has had just two games under 10 points this year.

Purdue was the class in the Big Ten until back-to-back losses near the end of the regular season. 

Parity has been the theme of this year's men's college basketball season, so it wouldn't be out of the question to see some surprises in the tournament. Teams such as Villanova, Tennessee, Wisconsin and UCLA have had strong seasons and could make a run if they peak at the right time.

Let the Madness begin.

The 2022 NCAA men's tournament bracket was released Sunday, and the 68 teams now know the paths they will need to navigate to cut down the nets. Fans looking to fill out brackets and compete in office pools won't have long to do their research, either, as the First Four games begin Tuesday.

Here is a look at the bracket and a championship prediction.

2022 NCAA Men's Tournament Bracket

Championship Prediction

Picking the nation's best team may not be as exciting as predicting upsets when it comes to filling out brackets in March, but it's probably the best way to win your office pool.

And the best team this season is the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

They landed the overall No. 1 seed in Sunday's bracket reveal, and they will win the necessary six games to cut down the nets as national champions for the first time in school history after coming so close last season before losing in the title game to Baylor.

One look at the Bulldogs' resume shows how talented they are this season.

They lost just three times overall and once in West Coast Conference play but avenged that defeat to Saint Mary's in the conference tournament championship game. Their two nonconference losses were nothing to be ashamed of, either, considering they came via a combined 12 points to Duke and Alabama.

Mark Few's team also notched impressive nonconference wins against Texas, UCLA and Texas Tech. Every one of its league victories came by double digits, including the 13-point win over Saint Mary's in the tournament championship game.

The thing that makes Gonzaga so dangerous is its ability to win on both ends of the floor.

The Bulldogs are No. 1 in KenPom.com's offensive efficiency rankings and No. 7 in defensive efficiency. They are the only team in the country that finished in the top 10 in each category, which means they will not be reliant on their offense or defense alone to make a deep run.

Gonzaga also has the star power to take over in crunch time.

There may not be a better frontcourt in the nation than Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme, and the presence of both on the floor means opponents will have to pick and choose when to double-team.

The backcourt trio of Julian Strawther, Andrew Nembhard and Rasir Bolton is also formidable, and all three of them can capitalize from three-point range when Timme and Holmgren attract extra attention in the frontcourt.

Perhaps no game underscores how dangerous the entire group can be than the conference tournament championship win over Saint Mary's. With the Gaels focused on at least containing Timme and Holmgren, the three guards combined to shoot 8-of-11 from deep in an offensive clinic.

It looked like a championship formula, and the Bulldogs will attempt to unleash it in the Big Dance.

Syracuse star Buddy Boeheim was suspended one game by the ACC for hitting Florida State's Wyatt Wilkes during their ACC tournament matchup Wednesday. 

Later on Wednesday, Wilkes said in a video that he didn't believe Boeheim threw a punch and didn't think he should have been punished by the league. 

"I don't think he should be suspended, personally," Wilkes said. "That's just me. Obviously I'm not part of the [ACC] or anything like that, or doing a review. Everyone can have their own opinion. ... I've been hit with about 30 elbows in my career that were a whole lot worse than that one. From his perspective, I think that he felt like I cracked down on him a little hard on the box out. Obviously the play was clean, but just from the angle ... I did box out hard. I really didn't want him getting that rebound."

The punishment split opinion after the fact, with some arguing that the suspension was warranted and others finding it incredibly harsh:

Boeheim and Wilkes spoke on the court after Syracuse's 96-57 win. Boeheim also apologized in a statement. 

Both coaches from the game—Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, Buddy's father, and Florida State's Leonard Hamilton—downplayed the incident. 

"I saw the play, the kid pushed him twice," Jim Boeheim told reporters. "I think it was inadvertent. It wasn't much of a punch."

"I don't want anything to take away from how well they played and what type of fine young man he is," Hamilton added. "The game is physical. We expect guys to go out and bang and be aggressive. If something inadvertently happens sometimes we want to categorize it in one way or another. I've lost my composure sometimes. I've made some mistakes."

Unless Syracuse (16-16) beats Duke on Thursday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, Boeheim's college career may be over. While he technically has one year of eligibility remaining after the shortened 2019-20 COVID-19 season, both Buddy and Jim Boeheim have indicated in the past that the senior guard likely won't play next season. 

Boeheim leads Syracuse in scoring (19.3 PPG) this year, adding 3.1 assists per contest while shooting 40.8 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from three. Without Boeheim, the Orange are even bigger underdogs against No. 7 Duke (26-5) on Thursday. 

Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim appeared to take a shot at Florida State's Wyatt Wilkes during Wednesday's ACC tournament game.

Midway through the first half, it looked as if Boeheim punched Wilkes in the stomach as the former turned to get back on defense after Joseph Girard III made a three-pointer for the Orange.

After Syracuse's 96-57 win over the Seminoles, Boeheim offered an apology for the incident. 

"I swung my arm while turning to go back up the court," he said, via TMZ Sports. "It was wrong to act out in frustration. I apologized to Wyatt Wilkes multiple times in the handshake line. I pride myself in respecting the game and our opponent. I will not react that way again."

Even though Wilkes doubled over for a few moments, there was no foul called and no review conducted by the officials.

Boeheim was ultimately suspended one game by the ACC.

Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton didn't call timeout as Wilkes recovered, and play continued.

"There's not a better kid in the ACC than Buddy Boeheim," Hamilton said after FSU's 96-57 loss. "... We are going to move on and let how well they played be what people talk about related to this game."

Boeheim is a son of Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. The senior led the team in scoring during the regular season (19.3 points per game). He has never been ejected from a game in his college career or assessed a flagrant or technical foul.

Syracuse is the No. 9 seed in the tournament after going 9-11 in conference play and 15-16 overall. It hasn't finished with a losing record since 1968-69 (9-16).

Wilkes is a senior guard for the Seminoles. He averaged 4.0 points per game during the regular season.

Florida State (17-13, 10-10 in the ACC) ended the regular season with eight losses in its final 12 games. The Seminoles entered the ACC tournament as the No. 8 seed and are trying to make their fifth consecutive NCAA tournament.