March Madness First Round Predictions | Full Bracket Reaction & Upset Picks

MARCH MADNESS IS HERE! The bracket is officially set, and we’re reacting LIVE to every major matchup in the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

Spence and James break down the first round (Round of 64), analyzing matchups, spreads, coaching advantages, conference strength, and upset potential across every region.

We lock in the heavy favorites like Duke, UConn, Florida, Houston, Arizona, Gonzaga, Alabama, Michigan, Virginia, and Iowa State—but the real story is the upset picks

Upsets & Toss-Ups We Targeted:

TCU vs Ohio State (split decision)

Northern Iowa over St. John’s (Spence)

South Florida over Louisville (both)

UCF over UCLA (both)

Clemson over Iowa (both)

VCU over North Carolina (both)

High Point over Wisconsin (James)

Missouri over Miami (Spence)

St. Louis over Georgia (both)

Akron over Texas Tech (both)

Santa Clara over Kentucky (both)

We also highlight key weaknesses—like Iowa State’s free throw struggles—that could shake up your bracket.

👇 Join the conversation:
What’s your biggest upset in the first round? Who’s busting brackets this year?

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00:00 Duke vs Siena Opener
00:53 Duke Dominance Breakdown
03:00 Ohio State vs TCU Tossup
04:29 St. John’s Upset Alert
06:31 Kansas vs Cal Baptist
08:05 South Florida Upset Pick
09:12 Michigan State & Izzo Impact
10:06 UCLA vs UCF Upset
11:48 UConn Rolls On
12:21 South Region Begins (Florida)
13:51 Clemson vs Iowa (8 vs 9)
14:51 Vanderbilt vs McNeese Drama
16:41 Nebraska vs Troy Pick
17:44 UNC vs VCU Upset
18:23 Illinois Advances
19:55 Saint Mary’s vs Texas A&M
20:59 Houston Advances Easily
21:36 15-Seed Upset History
22:48 West Region Favorites
23:40 Key 8/9 & 5/12 Picks
25:43 Bracket Challenge Plug
26:37 Arkansas, BYU, Gonzaga
29:31 Miami, Missouri, Purdue
31:58 Midwest Region Begins
33:54 Akron Upset Case
36:11 Tennessee & Virginia
38:59 Kentucky Fade Pick
40:32 Iowa State & Wrap

Transcript

Spencer 0:00

the first matchup in the East, the one versus 16, the Duke Blue Devils. Versus Sienna who let me get their mascot. We always gotta put respect on their names.

James 0:11

You gotta put respect on the names.

Spencer 0:13

We gotta put respect on the sna

James 0:16

Bulldogs.

Spencer 0:17

Bulldogs.

James 0:18

Oh crap. What a good guess. I was like, Hey, this is even more fun. Now we're just guessing.

Spencer 0:22

I didn't know it was a guest.

James 0:24

Oh no. It wasn a

Spencer 0:24

guess. Is it? I saw those. Are they really the bulldogs?

James 0:28

Oh man. I thought you list all that.

Spencer 0:30

I don't know. I don't know. I

James 0:31

see the logo.

Spencer 0:32

Quick Google.

James 0:32

Look at that.

Spencer 0:33

Right. It doesn't have it on my, in my article,

James 0:34

they just said, sorry, Sienna, you can't even put your, can't even put your name out there, man.'cause you know you're gonna get B

Spencer 0:40

Oh, they are not the Bulldogs,

James 0:42

they're the

Spencer 0:43

disrespect. They're the saints.

James 0:45

Wow. I wouldn't

Spencer 0:46

not have the Sienna Saints.

James 0:47

Wow. Sienna Saints. That looks like a bulldog on their logo. Okay. Yeah,

Spencer 0:51

it does. Keep it rolling. James, do you have any. Feeling that this could be a 16 beating a one seed here. Duke, to me, has looked like the best team in the country for a while. They're the number one overall seed in the entire tournament.

James 1:04

Yeah.

Spencer 1:05

What's say,

James 1:05

Vince, I'm not gonna lie, I think, see, Anna is going to not do this, man, let's just get this out the way. Cameron Boozer man, could be the top pick, could be the best player in this hole. Bracket and Duke has just been nonstop, like runaway train. They should finish. They're at a 29 and a half point favorite. Spence, they should get beaten down. The Sienna Saints by 36.

Spencer 1:33

Yeah. This is, there is no doubt this is gonna be Duke winning by multiple dozen points. It's gonna be an absolute blowout. What's the line right now, James?

James 1:42

29 and a half. Duke favorite?

Spencer 1:44

Yeah. We're betting Duke on this one. Duke is gonna be a team. Just spoiler alert, I'm gonna have them going very far in my bracket. I just think they have been so elite this season and they are just a couple of last possessions, of the game away from having a perfect 34 and oh record, but. Slipped up twice, but tons of impressive victories. You mentioned Cameron Boozer, obviously their best player. I'm really starting to like John Shire. This isn't the same blue dude devil. Yeah. This isn't the same blue Devil team that, coach K had back in the day that it always felt like they were douche bags. I'm sure some people still will always hate on Duke, but I actually like John Shire a lot and I think this Duke Blue Devil team. Is gonna go very far. So I've got them winning round one. All right, let's go to the next matchup. It's the eight verses nine seed. By the way, just to set the stage, me and James are live reacting to these bra, these bracket matchups. This is really the first time we've seen them all. We knew brackets came out a few hours ago, but I have intentionally not been looking at them because I wanted to live, react with James and all of y'all hanging out with us right now.

James 2:53

Yeah, I'll, I don't even know who's in. We're, Hey, we're gonna just see it and we're gonna just. Boom,

Spencer 2:58

we're gonna see it and react accordingly. So now we have the eight nine matchup In the East, it's Ohio State versus TCU. James, what do we have The line here?

James 3:08

We have Ohio State as a two and a half point favorite. Now this game is in South Carolina. So no real home court advantage in this game, but still interesting line. These eight nines are always gonna be nitty gritty depending on, either the skill play. As you can see, both of these teams. Sort of similar in the ranking. So this is going to be a good game. I'm gonna lean TCU on this game just because their record may say that, but I feel like they play in a tougher conference than the Big 10. And that's just me personally. I think TCU is a very good team.

Spencer 3:42

Yeah, I'm actually leaning the other way on this one, and this is always a matchup number that I go back and forth on the eight versus nine.

James 3:49

You'll gonna flip it back and forth. You won't even know by,

Spencer 3:52

by Thursday. Yeah, exactly. I don't know what I'm gonna end up right now though. I'm gonna put in Ohio State just because I like the shooting a bit better than what I've seen from T-C-U-T-C-U. Yes. Played in a much more difficult conference top to bottom than Ohio State did in the Big 10. The Big 12 was an absolute gauntlet this year. Some of the most elite teams in the tournament mm-hmm. Played in the Big 12. But that being said, TCU is still a team that lost early on in the Big 12 tournament, or we're talking about a 22 and 11 team. And yeah, they play a lot of great defense, but I want the team that shoots the ball and Ohio State, when they get hot, they can really shoot it lights out. All right. Moving on five verses 12, and this is always a dangerous one, so let's talk about this one at length. James St. John's, the five seed from the Big East is playing the 12 seed, Northern Iowa. What do you have the line at James?

James 4:43

When I hear that Northern Iowa team Spence, it reminds me of when they played that a and m game. Mm-hmm. Many years ago. Yep. And I'm just like, oh man. But right now

Spencer 4:53

the Panthers, by the way, the Northern Iowa Panthers.

James 4:56

We got Rick Patino, we got the St. John's team minus 11 and a half. In this game now, of course, they just won the big Easts. Rick Mattino, the only coach to win five conference Champions ships with five different teams. Spence. Goat status in college basketball. This game is in San Diego now. Last year, St. John's team could not shoot a lick. And of course it hurt them as they got, down to the Elite eight Sweet 16 area. But I'm gonna go St. John's, man. I'm not playing around. I love Rick Patina's team. I think they are. Aggressive, and this is I hope they can get to the Elite Eight this year.

Spencer 5:32

Yeah. I am actually gonna pick, this is gonna be one of my first upsets and I don't know where, I'll go back and forth on this one, but I'm gonna pick Northern Iowa to win this game. I'm gonna pick them to upset St. John's. Why? Part of it's because of Coach Patino. I know he's one of the all time greats. He's got two national championships, seven final four appearances. Dude,

James 5:54

don't do this.

Spencer 5:55

He just hasn't been there in so long. And last year they lost in the second round, the round of 32 because they just went ice cold from three. And this is a team that I could see them going and going super cold again. I don't know. They just don't seem to have the same magic that those Louisville teams that Rick Pitino used to coach. I'm not a believer in the Big East this year either. Oh, yeah. So I think Northern Iowa is gonna be my first upset pick. All right. We're only in game three.

James 6:26

Game three already out of the gates. Okay, man. Let's get it going.

Spencer 6:29

All right, let's move on then. The four verses 13 C. This is Kansas versus the Cow Baptist. James, what do you have the line at?

James 6:40

Oh man, I don't know. Sp if you saw the highlights and the Cow Baptist, how they won their conference championship to get here, man to totally incredible way to win. I thought they were gonna lose for the longest There are. They are a 13 and a half point underdog, Kansas now, Spence. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not saying this is the upset of the year for me. But if there's one thing I love seeing the eye test and I don't know if Darren Peterson's gonna play at fir, after the second half. After the first half. So can Cal Baptist get some shots up, maybe make it competitive? I don't think so, but this is, the game is in San Diego. So a little bit of a home court advantage from Cal Baptist. But hey Bill, self better get this through, man, I think. I think this is an easy. Easy win for them. They should be easy, but it seems like when it comes to putting that ball in the hoop, Vince, you know it, anything can happen.

Spencer 7:31

That's right. It's the madness. I'm gonna pick Kansas in this one, but this is not one I'm gonna feel confident about. After Darren Peterson, Kansas is full of very inconsistent play at the guard spot. I, I love the talent there. And Bill Self, been there, done that, and he has, he's someone unlike Rick Pitino who has won this recently the athletic is giving them a 53% chance to make it to the sweet 16 and a 5% chance to make the final four. I'm gonna go ahead and pencil in Kansas. And we'll come back to that one to see where they end up from there. Speaking of Louisville, you know we talked about them a little bit already. Yeah. Louisville is the six seed playing South Florida. The American Conference champions.

James 8:16

Hell yeah.

Spencer 8:17

James, who you got in this one? What's the

James 8:19

line? This is my first upset. Give me South Florida there. Plus five and a half underdog. I like this team a lot. I know Louisville is probably the better team on paper, but you know me, man, I, you gotta find the diamond in the rough. And I feel like that is South Florida. They have won five straight. So let's keep that ball rolling. And this game is in Buffalo, New York. I don't know what that means for either of these two teams, but. Hey man, let's get it going.

Spencer 8:45

Yeah, I like that. Both these teams gritty. And I really liked what I saw from South Florida today. I actually was at the gym catching the end of the American Conference Championship. Between South Florida and Wichita State. Yeah, and South Florida. They were dominant in that game. So I am going to, I'm gonna ride with you on this one. I'm gonna go with South Florida as well. All right. There we go. So I got two upsets already in this bracket. All right, let's go. Tom Izzo, the three seed. Michigan State Spartans taking on North Dakota State from the Summit Conference. James, what's the line?

James 9:23

S Michigan State minus 16 and a half points. Big favorite. And of course, I don't blame it, Hey, this game's in Buffalo, New York, Tom Izzo, you know how bl, I know they wear green, but this is a blue blood and man. I don't see North Dakota state doing it. Man, I gotta go with Tom izo. I feel like these coaching stuff matters, but I'm gonna go Tom izo man. Let's keep it rolling. Spins.

Spencer 9:46

Yeah, I'm with you. Tom izo is not someone I ever think will lose in the opening round of the March Madness Tournament when he has a team that's, it's a good team. I don't see Tom Izzo losing in the opening weekend. I think he's going to punch his ticket to the Sweet 16. But we'll come back to that one in a moment. Mm-hmm. Seven 10. The UCLA Bruins taking on Oh yeah. UCF from the Big 12. James, I bet this line's gonna be an interesting one. Where is it sitting right

James 10:17

now? Yeah. So this is not as close as you thought. South Florida? No, south Florida, central Florida. Too many Floridas. God dang. We're already talking Central Florida plus six and a half underdog. But this is where I'm riding. I'm going Central Florida. There's something about that UCLA team that is so inconsistent for me. I think, central Florida can find a way to steal a victory. I know they haven't played their best coming to the tournament, but that's okay. Because in, in all honesty, hey, am I, UCLA has to travel all the way to Philadelphia, so let's try to get something out of this.

Spencer 10:54

Yeah, I'm with you and I will tell you this right now. I'm going to pick UCF and I'm going to lock them in. Right now. There's, right now this is gonna be one matchup I'm not gonna sway on this week because I can't stand UCLA's head coach Mick Cronin. No, I think he is a complete. Jerk and I would love nothing more than after all the drama that has been surrounding him and his program this season. It would be a beautiful way for him to go out this season. Just a nasty, upset in round one. Losing to the 10 seat and you mentioned it UCF in the Big 12. That's a tough conference. They are battle tested. They have some impressive wins on their resume. Yeah. They also have a lot of big blowouts to really quality teams. But I don't put UCLA in that same hemisphere of some of those teams that were taking out that uh, UCF was having to face in the Big 12. So I'm going UCF.

James 11:47

Yeah.

Spencer 11:47

All right. And rounding out the Eastern region, we have Yukon versus Ferman. James, I don't know if you remember, but Ferman is a darling of Euros and ours.

James 11:57

It was that one year back in the day versus Virginia, and it made us look beautiful. But they playing Yukon. Man, just let's move forward. Let's move forward.

Spencer 12:06

I, yeah. I'm not betting against Danny Hurley. He's a crazy person. Yeah, he will get it done. I'm going Yukon.

James 12:13

Yeah,

Spencer 12:13

in the

James 12:14

first

Spencer 12:14

round, UCON

James 12:15

Yukon. 14 and oh against the spread their last 14 games. I'm not betting against Ucon to lose.

Spencer 12:21

Alright, let's move down to the south and, ooh, this one has some interests for both of us and we'll get to those as we come to those matchups. But the first one. We have the Florida Gators, the number one seed of the tournament, I'm sorry, the number one seed of the region. They're going to either take on Prairie View a and m, or Lehigh James. Either of those teams spark inspiration to pull off a upset

James 12:49

man. No. Mm-hmm. No, I know. I it is, it's hard. We don't want to be the. The Mr. Obvious, no, no. 16 seed will ever win. Of course we've seen it twice. But Florida is a, is another animal. I'm not,

Spencer 13:03

yeah. I'm gonna be honest, I don't think I'll ever, I'm gonna fill out a March Madness bracket every single year.'cause it's one of my favorite things to do. Like we talked about it at the beginning,

James 13:10

right?

Spencer 13:11

I don't think I will ever fill out a bracket. I have a 16 seed beating, a one seed ever. I don't think I'm ever gonna be the guy that called it because it's just so stupid. If you don't get it right, you just look so, so dumb. You're a legend if you get it right. If you had Farley Dickinson and then I who is it? U-U-M-B-C-U-M-U-M-B-C. That upset Virginia. That's it. Those are the only two teams that have ever done it. All right.

James 13:39

The Labradors,

Spencer 13:40

I don't ever feel so strongly about a 16th seed that I'm gonna be the guy to call it. I'm happy taking my l on that ones, but you can always pencil into one seeds on my brackets.

James 13:50

Correct.

Spencer 13:51

Alright, let's go to the eight nine matchup in this ooh, region. We got Clemson of the A CC taking on Iowa an eight nine matchup. James, where does this one currently sit?

James 14:02

We love the eight nine matchups. This is also, Hey again. Clemson, a two and a half point underdog. Iowa's already went up one full point from one and a half to two and a half. This game is in Tampa. So this is gonna be fun. I'm not gonna lie. This is me, Spence. I'm going Clemson, I'm you see that record with Iowa in the top 25? I get it. They probably lost all those games, the big teams and the big 10. But let's just move on with Clemson. Usually I like these matchups'cause I like the nine seeds, but I'm going Clemson on this one.

Spencer 14:34

Yeah, I'm going with you as well. That one versus, or one in eight in the top 25. I know they had a good showing in the tournament. In the Big 10 Tournament to at least get a nod in here. A nod. Yeah. I'm going with you there. I'm going with Clemson. Alright. Number five 12 in, this is the Vanderbilt Commodores runners up in the SEC tournament. They're taking on McNee. James McNeese. We got Ora Khan. He got his back. Oh my God. He'll be in the building for this matchup in the south. But James, do you think McNeese does it again? Do you think they pull off the upset in the first round?

James 15:18

Man? Just because I saw it like as soon as I saw that they said he's back. Come on Vandy. Let's get him packing bro. We gotta get this guy packing Vandy 11 and a half point favorites in this matchup. Now Mc McNee does have a lot of steam coming in winning their last five games. Of course, Vandy pulled off almost the you the remarkable, in the SEC tournament. But this game's in Oak, Oklahoma City. Let's see, man. Let's see what these guys got. I'm gonna go Vandy in this one. I feel like this year, Spence, and I don't know maybe I could be wrong. I seem like these five and 12 seeds, the point spreads are really high this year. Yeah, I don't know why. I just feel like other years that we have a five 12 would be like. Five and a half points,

Spencer 15:57

The 12 seed every single year is so, so dangerous. But this year, I think Vanderbilt, this is a really strong five seed in my opinion. Mm-hmm. So I'm with you. I'm going Vanderbilt, I'm sorry. Shout out to our McNee state friends. Shout out Johnny, if he's, yeah. If he's hanging out. I know he actually, fun fact, James, I don't know if you knew this, he's actually a part of their social media team, so he'll probably be there on the sidelines. I think he actually told me he's gonna be there on the sidelines, so we'll have to keep an eye out for our boy, Johnny.

James 16:24

Oh,

Spencer 16:24

I

James 16:25

hope he doesn't. I hope he doesn't post this clip and put it on McNees social yeah, I don't do this. Team's got a shot and then. You know what? Hey,

Spencer 16:32

hey.

James 16:32

Good publicity, bad publicity.

Spencer 16:34

We'll take the, we'll take the negative comments in our on our videos telling us how stupid we are. We will take it. All right, we will take it. All right, James. The Nebraska Corn Huskers are taking on Troy and the four and 13 matchup in this region. Nebraska is a team that you have some rooting interest with. James, who you got in this one.

James 16:54

I'm gonna go to Nebraska'cause of the rooting interest, but this would be the 13 seat I pick. If I had to pick one,

Spencer 17:00

ooh,

James 17:01

this would be mine. I one thing about Nebraska, I feel like, and this is gonna come off bad as an analogy, I feel like Nebraska is like the New England Patriots won a lot of games and it's just something about them that just doesn't. Feel right with me. I hope they proved me wrong.'cause of course my father rest in peace. He'll love this team going down, freak to the sweet 16. But I'm going with Troy to cover the spread at 13 and a half. But this would be my team. I would pick if it wasn't for Nebraska playing.

Spencer 17:31

Yeah. I'm gonna go in Nebraska on this one. For a lot of the reasons you said I Troy also, I just don't see like in the Sunbelt. They weren't challenged much and they got blown out by Kentucky last year. I think we get more of the same this year. Six versus 11. We have the North Carolina Tar Heels taking on. is a team that historically makes a lot of noise in the tournament. They have a very high net rating. James, what's the spread on this one?

James 17:56

Yo, the spread is North Carolina minus two and a half. Put VCU we're, we know we're not. So every game is a toss up with me. C'S been injured prone most of the season, but without K Wilson put VCU up there, that is disrespectful for the users. 29% like I'd have been okay if it was like 60 40 okay. Damn. 29% VCU. Come on. VCU. Move over.

Spencer 18:21

Yeah, I'm with you. I got VCU moving on. Alright, let's go to the next one, three versus 14. We have Illinois taking on Penn. This is the Ivy League team. This year is Penn. Now James, the Ivy League nerds, every single year

James 18:36

do something.

Spencer 18:37

They do something, they make things interesting, but Penn is not one of those teams that we typically hear a lot from. Illinois definitely had stretches this season where they were the best team in the nation you could make a case for,

James 18:50

right?

Spencer 18:51

Where do you see this one ending up, James?

James 18:53

Yeah. The last time Spents, I was actually, and I don't know if the seeding was three 14, but I remember I. Watching Princeton Live beat Arizona in Sacramento, the, one of those big Ivy League teams beating a team like Arizona. You're right, I haven't heard nothing from Penn. I ain't heard anything from Penn since the swimming controversy. I'm not gonna dive into that, but man, lemme get Illinois. I ain't playing around. Give me Illinois. Illinois, 23 and a half point favorite.

Spencer 19:20

Yeah, 23 and a half points. It's not happening for the Ivy League nerds this year. But they are someone that a lot of times the Ivy League team is a team that gets picked a lot in bracket. So I would advise those picking this matchup. Let your friends in your tournament challenge, let them be the ones to pick the nerds. Let them pick the Ivy League team. Yeah. You just roll with Illinois and the chalk.

James 19:44

If you want bet pen. Dude. Bet pen. To cover the spread. They're 18 and nine as a spread team. Eight and two. The last 10. But don't pick'em in your bracket. Just cover the spread. Move on.

Spencer 19:55

Alright. Seven 10 in the south is St. Mary's taking on the Texas a and m Aggies. The Aggies were an SEC team. They were in the, I believe they've lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament, but you can see they are pretty battle tested. Good net ranking. Do they have what it takes to pull the upset here, James?

James 20:17

No a and m. You pissed me The F off. Losing by 20 plus. The Oklahoma I had you in as like a, yeah, you're a bubble team. You should make it, but how you performed? Hell no. Gimme St. Mary's man. I always trust St. Mary's. Ever since Patty Mills and them boys. A let, I always try St. Mary's over everyone. They'll be fine. They'll be fundamentally coached. I like St. Mary's to go through and St. Mary's is a two and a half point favorite.

Spencer 20:43

Ooh, okay. We like that. It's a slim margin there and I think that's just gotta be because of. The SCC play for Texas a and m. Yeah. Versus what St. Mary's had to go through.

James 20:53

Yeah. There'll be a lot of a and m fans games in Oklahoma City, so we should expect a lot of a and m fans.

Spencer 20:57

Yeah. But I got the Gales in that one as well. And final matchup, my Houston Cougars. Day two C, they're taking on Idaho.

James 21:07

Hey man. Idaho. They ain't got no shot. Ahoe in this game, bro. Yeah, gimme, gimme you of h super dominant team. I, I, one thing about Houston, I, we joked off air a little bit. I'll always bet Houston to go very far in these final, in these finals.'cause of course, coach. Coach is a phenomenal team defensively, pressure wise, we just, they should have won it last year. Man, I don't care what anyone says. I don't wanna bring up bad memories, but hey man, so

Spencer 21:36

painful.

James 21:37

I will say, man, hey man. Hey, Idaho's won five straight bro. They might get these six, bro. If they even got they Yo Idaho, you just shoot the, nevermind. Nevermind. I don't go this far.

Spencer 21:47

I can't think of the last time a 15 seed pulled the upset. This one happens occasionally though. It's not super common, but this one is a little, yeah,

James 21:56

I'm

Spencer 21:56

trying to think. You've gotta come correct, but I can't think of the last one. The last one, I think, I wanna say two. I remember

James 22:01

Missouri. It might have been Duke. I remember the one team Missouri, they were two seat. They lost to a 15 seat. I don't remember their coach. I forget his name, but he used to coach Miami. That's the only reason why I knew that. But you might be right about Duke. They might have been the last, but I remember Missouri when they were a two seat, I think they lost to Norfolk State, I think.

Spencer 22:22

Well, we just were talking about it. Here it is. It is Princeton, the nerds.

James 22:26

Oh, it

Spencer 22:27

was two 50. It's 2023.

James 22:29

Oh,

Spencer 22:29

they defeated Arizona 59 55. Before that, it was St. Peter's beating Kentucky.

James 22:35

Oh wow. So I was at the two and 15, I don't know why that was three 14.

Spencer 22:38

It's happened 11 times. All time though. Houston, Kelvin Sampson. They are not about to be in number 12. I'm going Houston.

James 22:46

Yeah, let's move over.

Spencer 22:47

Alright. Top of the bracket. We are going to the West James Arizona, taking on LIU. Now, the LIU has been a fun story, but Arizona has been one of the most dominant teams in the country. What's this line at right now, James?

James 23:04

This line is, I'm just gonna tell you it is gross. Just because you mentioned we, and even with these games, I'm not gonna lie, Spence, I don't like betting these high lines just because of. I don't want to bet on the backdoor cover. So these games I usually bet on Hey, just Arizona score the living points out of everything, the spread is minus 30 and a half. I think you hit the mute

Spencer 23:26

button. Yeah. Arizona. Yeah, I did. Arizona has been so dominant and yo, LIU has been a fun story. Yo. Fins up, but it ends early for LIU and the sharks we're going Arizona. Correct. All right. Eight, nine Villanova versus Utah State, James. Ooh. And eight to nine matchups are always tricky. I, I think I'm leaning towards Utah State on this one because Vi Villanova this year was just very disappointing. What's the line looking like right now?

James 23:55

Yeah, so right now you can get some lines. Right now the majority's at minus two and a half Utah State, but there is plus three for Villanova on BET 360. This game's in San Diego. I'm going Utah State as well. Just because the trip for Villanova. Jay Wright. If he was still coaching, I'd probably go Villanova. It's just one of those things.

Spencer 24:17

Yeah, they've had a lot of disappointment this year. They scratched and clawed and crashed and burned to get to the tournament. So I think Utah State Mountain West teams have a bad pass in the tournament, but I think Utah State I think they do enough. They, I think they'll shoot the ball well enough that they will they'll be just fine. Yes. And they'll get it done against Villanova. Alright. Five verses 12 in this region. Wisconsin Badgers versus High Point. James, what's the line on this one? This one? Could this one be a 12 versus five upset?

James 24:50

This one is our one closest upset. It is still a lot of points. 10 and a half, but we definitely gotta go. High point man. We gotta go. High point.

Spencer 24:59

I sell me on High Point for a sec.

James 25:01

You know what, man? Hey look, you see it right there. They've won their last 10 games. I'm going through it. Nah, I can't sell you anything after that. This is just vibes, man. After that, man, look, offensively, hey, they score. They're really efficient. I will say offensively scoring it as they as it has third in points 49, seventh and two point percentage. Eighth and field goal percentage. 62 in three point percentage maybe. Can they shoot the lights out? I don't. Let's see. This game's in. Portland, Oregon. So this is a travel for both teams. I'll definitely go the under in this game, but this is probably the game I'll probably hit the high point spread at plus 11 and a half.

Spencer 25:38

All right.

James 25:38

If I get

Spencer 25:38

it, I'm gonna put high point down for now.

James 25:40

Yes. There we go

Spencer 25:41

for now. Okay.

James 25:43

Spin. It's just, you gotta vibe check it.

Spencer 25:45

Yeah, for sure. And the vibes will change throughout the week again. This bracket I'm setting right now. If you're just joining us, this is the first attempt, right? This is my one and only bracket, but I'm gonna make a bunch of edits to this. Between now and Thursday, I'm gonna read more articles, I'm gonna do some digging, I'm gonna watch some film, and meanwhile there's gonna be someone else that's just like, oh my gosh, they have a great color scheme and they're gonna pick them to win. Yeah. And that's gonna be the person that wins the bracket challenge. Yep. Speaking of, if you're joining us, we have a big game Energy bracket challenge. The link to the group is in our Instagram bio, but make sure you are following us on Instagram and TikTok as well as subscribe to us here on YouTube. That is the only way you're eligible for our$200 cash prize contest is free to enter, so go get us on Instagram to join. Alright James, this one's gonna be a quick one for me, Arkansas, the four C versus Hawaii the 13th seed. I am so impressed with Arkansas right now. James. They won the SEC tournament. Darius Acuff looking like a bonafide superstar in the making. Mm-hmm. He translates very well to the NBA level. He will be a top five pick. This is the one year he's playing for Arkansas. I do not see them losing this game.

James 27:03

Yeah, whoever's funding, I know them Tyson chicken nuggets. However they prep them nuggets before the game for the SEC tournament. Let's move Arkansas over, man. Arkansas has been impressive. I cannot deny it. They might be my team to win it all. Spence.

Spencer 27:18

All right. Six BYU is going to be taking on either Texas or NC State. James, where's this one sitting right now? Look, do we have a line on this one?

James 27:28

Actually, no, we don't. We don't have a line, obviously, because Texas is in the, first four. But the line for Texas to advance is, versus NC State, they're a one and a half point favorite. So it could be NC State, could be Texas. This, that game is in Dayton, Ohio. So I'll probably go NC State because one, who the hell likes Texas Horns down Mother. But even that's how it

Spencer 27:52

rolls here.

James 27:53

But even then, even if NC State makes it a I, there are some use of words I'd love to say about our guy, AJ Bansta. Let's just say that. Move it over. BYU bro. Move BYU over man. That guy. Yeah, I'm with you. Is my guy. I'm just gonna say it like that.

Spencer 28:11

Yeah, I he's very much looking like he's gonna be the first overall pick. Now that teams are kind of souring on Darren Peterson for a variety of reasons and Devonta just keeps balling out. Balling. I don't know if I'm gonna have BAYU going very far though, James. But I definitely think they get past the 11 seed. Whoever it ends up being,

James 28:30

I will be watching. I'll be watching BYU probably more than anyone probably.

Spencer 28:35

Alright, Gonzaga, the three seed taking on Kennesaw State of Conference. USA. James, what's the line on this one?

James 28:43

You know what I don't even care what the line is. You said Kennesaw State One Conference USA, which should have been God day. Liberty, but liberty just had to freaking choke. 19 point a half point. Favorite Gonzaga. I know we joked about Coach View and few of these, he, they're gonna find a way to get past this one. I can't see Gonzaga losing this one.

Spencer 29:03

Yeah. As much as I wanna have a spicy. I want to pick the third the 14 C Kennesaw State, because I not a big believer in Gonzaga usually, but I can't do it. I might, that might be one I come back to when eyeball later this week, but I'm not doing it right now. We're putting Gonzaga through.

James 29:20

We ain't doing it right now, but guess what? Guess what you will say. A-U-C-B-Y-U versus Gonzaga. Few of those. BYU onto the next, bro,

Spencer 29:29

we'll come back to that one in a moment. Seven 10 is Miami versus Missouri a CC versus SEC. James, what's the line on this one?

James 29:39

Yeah, this one is actually one of, one of the close ones, one of the tight ones, hey, it's all good, man. Hey, Miami. Sports. Hey, Nat, in, in the national championship one year you're, this year you're in the March Madness this year as well, Miami one and a half point favorite. I'm not gonna lie, this is a bias pick for me. I'll probably roll with the canes just'cause of the turnaround. With Coach Lucas, he has made this team really, really, really, really watchable. I know a lot of people probably go with Missouri just because. SEC. This ain't football motherf man. Move Miami over Spence.

Spencer 30:14

Man, I'm actually not going to, I'm gonna put Missouri in for now. I'm gonna need to do a little bit more research on Miami, but Missouri, I like the SEC bias here. And look, when we're looking at how they've played the season I'm always looking at teams. That played well throughout their tournament, played well throughout the season, and Missouri's been a little up and down, but Miami's been a team. I've just. Maybe it's just narratives, but I've just heard how disappointing they are. James, it's hard for me to pick them to win this

James 30:47

one. I know. It, it can be disappointing, but you mentioned Missouri, they've lost three in a row. Like why not pick Miami? Miami lost to Virginia. Who now I might have Virginia going to the Final Four, possibly now outta all teams. I didn't think Virginia was that good. Even though we'll get to them later.

Spencer 31:01

Yeah, we'll get to them in just a sec. Last matchup in the West is Purdue versus Queens.

James 31:09

All right, Spence, hold up before you say anything. Now we always hate Purdue. We don't hate Purdue. We just know Purdue's the biggest choker outta some of these teams.

Spencer 31:17

They do it a lot,

James 31:18

but Spence be honest with me, and I found this out earlier and I was shocked. Where do you think Queens is? Where do you think Queens plays basketball? I

Spencer 31:27

would assume in Queens, New York.

James 31:30

Hell no, bro. They play in North Carolina.

Spencer 31:34

Okay. Well I still thought it could have been New York'cause they're in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

James 31:39

No, but still I thought the same. I was like, oh, Queens. Queens, New York. And then someone popped it up and said they actually play. In a 1500, capacity gym in North Carolina. And I was

Spencer 31:49

like, oh, of course they do. Yeah. Hey, Farley Dickinson, those type of vibes. I'm going Purdue. And we're going Purdue confidently. Yeah, on that one. All right. Last region. The Midwest, Michigan will take on one of the 16 C playoffs teams, either UNBC, we remember them, or Howard. It. James, do we see more UMBC magic this year?

James 32:13

Look,

Spencer 32:13

or does Michigan continue to dominate?

James 32:16

I'm gonna say it like this, Spence, we want UMBC to make it, because if Howard makes it and then Michigan beats the brakes off of Howard, I don't wanna see people on, social media saying A PWI beat on A-H-B-C-U. So let's get UNBC, let's get the Labradors in and let's get the wolverines. Making it through pretty,

Spencer 32:35

yeah, I was gonna say, where are we going with this? Yeah, we're Michigan all the way through. Like I said, no, 16 seeds will be winning on this bracket

James 32:43

there.

Spencer 32:43

Alright, eight verse nine. We have the Georgia Bulldogs versus St. Louis. Yeah, James, I bet this is probably gonna be yet another eight, nine matchup. That's a coin flip. What's the line at right now?

James 32:52

Yeah, it is another coin flip. I'm actually been more surprised with Georgia's basketball team this year. Usually they're not known for playing basketball. I know Anthony Edwards, but this is a two and a half point favorite Georgia team at the eight C. This game's in Buffalo. I'm gonna go St. Louis. That's just me. I know it was a heartbreaker for St. Louis and you know how they lost to Dayton, and hopefully that doesn't roll into Buffalo and they're just all eerie, dreary. But guess what, St. Louis, bro, you could say you beat Georgia Dog. Not a lot of teams ever beat Georgia, and I don't care if it is basketball, baseball, football, water polo. Yo, you beat Georgia, bro. Hey, let's get it. St. Louis, that's who I'm rolling with.

Spencer 33:35

You say that, James. But Georgia has not won a game in the NCAA tournament in almost 25 years, so I'm rolling with you. I'm rolling with St. Louis. I don't think this Georgia team's got an Anthony Edwards. Sitting on the back burners. Mm-hmm. Waiting to be unleashed. So I'm going with St. Louis. All right. Five 12 in this region, Texas Tech taking on Akron James.

James 34:01

Ooh,

Spencer 34:02

12 versus five.

James 34:03

Yep.

Spencer 34:04

Do we wanna do this?

James 34:06

I'm going the plus seven and a half. Akron the Zippy to make it on by and zip by the Texas Tech Red Raiders. I know. That'll make some of our friends. Friends upset. This game's in Tampa Tech has been on a losing streak as of late. Lost the last three course. Akron won, you know the max. So Booiaka, I know it wasn't Miami of Ohio, but hey, the zips. I like the zips. Hey, why not, man?

Spencer 34:31

Yeah. I'm also going with the zips just so solely because of something that Texas Tech couldn't control and that was losing their best player to torn A-C-L-J-T top. And when he went down. In my opinion, there went Texas Tech chances of contending in the tournament this year. You can see one of the toughest schedules in the entire country this year did pretty well with it. A 22 and 10, record 12 and six in the Big 12, but without their best player, it's really easy to see this team if they go down by eight to 10 points. In the second half, it's really easy to see a team fold like that. They do have a good coach. I like Grant McCaslin four and three in the NCAA tournament in his career. He's been there, done that a little bit, but I think, again, I want some upsets in my bracket. We don't just go all chalk. You can't go all chalk. I'm gonna pick the ZIPPs. To get it done. All right. James Zippy, your true love.

James 35:30

Oh,

Spencer 35:30

Alabama Crimson Tide

James 35:36

roll. Damn boys on. But this would probably be the one team that would lose, I'm not gonna lie, they'd find a way to shoot themselves out of the game. Everything with Bama live by the three, die by the three, they could score the point. If they hit by the three, they're gonna score 90 plus. You can see what they average. They average 91 a game, but look how much they give up. Yeah. So they shoot poorly.

Spencer 35:56

Yeah, I think that's the NATO special there, James. They, yes. They love to just get out and score score, score. So I, I'm rolling with the Crimson Tide here. Hofstra, thanks for coming out. We'll see you next time.

James 36:10

See you next time.

Spencer 36:11

Six verses 11. We have Tennessee taking on either SMU or. The darlings from the Mac that everyone told me how great they are and they deserve to be in the tournament.

James 36:25

Yeah. A couple people said you didn't know ball.

Spencer 36:27

I don't care, man. They lost, they did exactly what I said they should not do. They lost their opening game in the quarter finals of the Mac tournament, and so they get in as an at large bid as the. One of the final four into the tournament and they will be playing on Tuesday and Wednesday. I forget which one they're scheduled for. Against SMU. I don't expect Miami to win. And if they do win, this is gonna be another one of those flashy picks that people see the record, 31 and one. Oh wow. They've only lost one time and it was again in the Mack tournament. But they had a 245th easiest schedule in the country. I know they, they're dropping buckets, but this is a team that has just barely been scraping by. They could very easily have been closer to like 25 and seven and a 25 and seven team that didn't even win the Mac. They wouldn't be in the tournament. So I'm picking the six C Tennessee, but I don't, if I could pick that Miami doesn't even get to Thursday or Friday. I would,

James 37:35

yeah, I'm with you on this one. I think SMU beats them. It shows they're already a nine point favorite. You mentioned this is Miami team is somehow find a way to get the schedule merchant through, even if they were to win and everyone's gonna throw the money on. Miami, Ohio. Let's be sharp betters and let's just go Tennessee. Let's move Tennessee over.

Spencer 37:54

All right. We got Tennessee. Moving on. We got three more matchups of the first round. Next one, three versus 14. We have UV, A, Virginia. Taking on. Right. State the Raiders. James. The Raiders. Gimme a line on this one.

James 38:09

Yeah. So Virginia minus 18 and a half point favorites. I like Virginia. I'm just, I'm moving them over. I know. W right is all, somehow finds a way to get in this tournament as a low 14, 15 seed. It's one of those. Hey man. Thank you for coming out tonight, man. They won their last five and Virginia just lost. But I like Virginia actually a whole lot. They, it really impressed me beating the crap outta Miami and yeah, I'm moving Virginia over.

Spencer 38:35

Yeah, me too. I'm gonna go back and I'm gonna pick a 14 somewhere. To beat a three seed or a 13 to be a four seed. I'm gonna go back and add some of those upsets. I don't think I've picked a 13 or a 14 to win anywhere so far.

James 38:49

And it's gonna happen.

Spencer 38:50

I'm gonna pick at least one somewhere and'cause they happen every year at least one. I just gotta figure out which one's gonna be my darling. I don't know which one that's gonna be right now though. Alright. Seven seed Kentucky taking on Santa Clara from the west coast.

James 39:05

Oh my gosh.

Spencer 39:05

James. Tell me about this matchup. What's the line?

James 39:08

Kentucky minus three and a half point favorite. This game is in St. Louis, Missouri. I'm not gonna lie, Spence, this is the one team. I'm gonna bet against I'm going Santa Clara. This is me too, man. I heard all year this team paid so much and they couldn't even do this, do that. I didn't even think this team even was gonna make it, losing three outta their last five. Santa Clara I feel like can keep up with this team. Maybe offensively they may not be the best, but at the end of the day. We're going with the upsets. The, these are the upsets I usually pick a lot. Are those? Mm-hmm. 10, seven. Six six ten seven, six eleven. When we get to the fives, man, that, that's where I struggle.

Spencer 39:46

Yeah. I'm with you here. I'm going Santa Clara. I think for me, like you said, Kentucky's been a very disappointing team in terms of all the talent that they have. Mark Pope really hasn't made his mark there as a Kentucky head coach. Could we see him on the hot seat if they lose this game? Potentially. I'd say it's possible.

James 40:04

It is possible.

Spencer 40:05

They don't have a true point guard, and that's another thing too. I really look for with the teams I'm picking in March Madness. I love teams that have great guards. Guard play is so important in March Madness. You have to have someone that can control the floor, set the offense up. Get everyone in their spots and move the ball around. It all starts with the good floor general. You get Kentucky not having that has hurt them. Mm-hmm. They've been playing below 500 for the last month. I'm going Santa Clara and the final matchup, the two seat Iowa State cyclones taking on Tennessee State from the Ohio Valley Conference. James, this one's probably gonna be a blowout. What's the line?

James 40:46

Oh man, this line is huge. I didn't even wanna look at this line'cause it's just so huge. But I like Iowa State. I like Iowa State a lot. Of course, I know you will as well. Man, why can't I not find it all of a sudden Iowa State? See, that's why it doesn't matter because Iowa State's gonna be, I think there are 27 point favorite. Let me double check. I'm scrolling so fast. I might have slipped by. You know what? I can't. Why can't I find this? Vince, this is poor. This is poor. 25 and a half there. I was close 25 and a half versus Tennessee State. We're rolling with the cyclones I think.

Spencer 41:18

Wow.

James 41:18

I just lost all my

Spencer 41:19

picks.

James 41:20

Wow. Look at that.

Spencer 41:21

That's crazy. They

James 41:22

all, that's crazy. But guess what, you know what that means? We finished our round ones and guess what? You have to be back for next week.

Spencer 41:28

Yeah we'll call it there actually, I guess'cause I don't want to go through trying to figure out which ones we all did, but there is. The entire first round. We went through it all. James, we got done in about an hour. That's pretty good for us. Good. We'd be ya too much. By the way, just to put a pin on Iowa State there. In fact, actually I will. Hang on, let's bring it back up.'cause I do just wanna 0.1 thing out. Iowa State. One, I always like to look for teams in March Madness. They shoot their free their threes, they make their free throws. Those two things I love. Looking at Iowa State Elite making three pointers, right? Shooting around 39%. They are elite. Mm-hmm. They're free throw percentage. They are one of the worst teams, not just in the Big 12 where they were the worst team in the Big 12. They're one of the worst free throw shooting teams. In the country. Yikes. So if it is a close game with two minutes left in the game and it's close and there starts to be foul competitions and we start shooting free throws. Iowa State could be on upset watch. If I was going to pick a 15 seed, I'm not, but if I was going to, it would be the, this one 15 seed Tennessee State to upstate Iowa State. But I'm going with, like I said, we're going with Iowa State here,

James 42:42

351st in the nation, shooting free the what? The, who the hell they got on their team. All Shaqs. What the,

Speaker 42:49

but y'all let us know in the comments what was the worst contract that was given out in NFL Free Agency, this off season. Let us know down below and we'll see you next time on Big Game Energy.

Speaker 2 43:00

Anyone who signs with the Jets is probably a horrible ass of signing.

Speaker 43:05

Shout out Gino.

Speaker 2 43:08

Shout out Mika Fit. Patrick, I