NCAA Bracket 2022: Updated Schedule and Predictions After Thursday’s 1st Round | Bleacher Report

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 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. 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 a squad 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. 

     

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