NCAA Tournament: Preview & Picks for Friday’s Early Games

The madness keeps on rolling into Friday as more first-round games are set to tip off as we complete the field for the Round of 32. We look at all 16 games on Friday’s slate and discuss which team we see advancing.

NCAA Picks: Afternoon Games | Early-Evening Games | Late-Night Games

12:15 p.m. ET | #10 USC vs. #7 Michigan State | CBS

We can call this a semi-home game for Michigan State in Columbus, and it’s quite the travel for USC to make it over two time zones for the first game of the day. Tom Izzo and Andy Enfield are strong coaches when March rolls around, but we’ll give the edge oh so slightly to Sparty and their elite three-point shooting. They rank fourth in the nation, knocking down nearly 40 percent of their threes.

ATS Pick: Michigan State -2.5

12:40 p.m. ET | #14 Kennesaw State vs. #3 Xavier | truTV

This Kennesaw State team is damn tough. The Owls knocked off Liberty twice to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history just three seasons after going 1-28. Unfortunately, Xavier’s offense is levels above anything Kennesaw State has gone up against this season. Sean Miller should have his guys prepared for a win in X’s first NCAA Tournament since 2018. Lay it with the Musketeers in this spot.

ATS Pick: Xavier -12.5

1:30 p.m. ET | #14 UC Santa Barbara vs. #3 Baylor | TNT

You should really only throw a dart on one or two 13+ seeds pulling off any upsets in the opening round, and we’re calling our shot on this one. UC Santa Barbara is an old, experienced team with high-major talent and size that will help them compete with Baylor. The Bears have been brutal on the defensive end this season and will help the Gauchos stay in this game. UCSB loves to score their points in the paint, an area in the Baylor defense that is especially weak. This is your spot if you want a long-shot moneyline for Friday’s action.

ATS Pick: UC Santa Barbara +10.5 | ML Pick: UC Santa Barbara +450

2:00 p.m. ET | #12 VCU vs. #5 Saint Mary’s | TBS

This is a popular upset, but we’ll sit this one out. Saint Mary’s often doesn’t get the credit it deserves for being an elite team since it plays its games in the WCC. But this Gaels team is legit and will go a long way to stifle an otherwise mediocre VCU offense. I just can’t see where the points come from here for the Rams to pull this one out, so we’ll take a team total in this spot.

Total Pick: VCU Team Total u59.5