First Round Upsets: March Madness 2022 Betting Guide

It’s an all too common feeling, you take hours to craft the perfect bracket after watching college basketball all season long. Then it happens, #11 Virginia Tech beats #6 Texas in the first round and it’s all over. Your bracket is busted and to make it worse, your coworker Janet got it correct since she thinks longhorns are cute when they’re babies and now you won’t hear the end of it.

Well, with March Madness about to start, it’s almost a guarantee that there will be a handful of first round upsets. For this reason, we did some research to figure out in advance who is most likely to beat the odds and move on to the round of 32 when the deck was stacked against him. This way you can win that work league, show Janet what’s up, and brag to your friends about the upset you knew was bound to happen all along. To keep up with the latest basketball knowledge, be sure to check out our basketball betting tips.

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#13 South Dakota State over #4 Providence

I understand that most people see a #13 vs. a #4 and do not see an upset. However, I think we can all agree that the Vegas and online sports betting sites generally know their stuff when it comes to setting lines. Currently Providence is only a one and a half point favorite so the experts seem to believe this game could be a lot closer than the seeding committee might lead you to believe.

South Dakota is shooting 45% from three and 53% from the floor in general. If they can hit shots at the clip they normally do, Providence won’t be able to keep up. Let’s not look past the fact that Providence has lost three of its last seven games and aren’t coming into the tournament playing their best ball.

Get the best odds on South Dakota vs. Providence

#13 Vermont over #4 Arkansas

Vermont is another 13 seed that cannot be ignored in the lead up to their game vs. fourth ranked Arkansas. The Catamounts average close 75 points per game and have scored over 80 multiple times this season. If Arkansas can’t stand up defensively, Vermont will run them out of the gym and pour it on in the process.

Get the best odds on Vermont vs. Arkansas

#10 Davidson over #7 Michigan State

A ten beating a seven isn’t a huge upset, but it’s an upset nonetheless. Michigan State has struggled all year on offense and I don’t see that changing when the pressure is on. The Spartans rank 160th in the country for scoring offense while Davidson ranks 65th. This also is a revenge game for Davidson Junior Foster Loyer who attended Michigan State his first two seasons. He’s been shooting threes at 45% this season and with some added inspiration of facing his previous team he could potentially shoot Michigan State and Coach Izzo straight out of the tourney.

Get the best odds on Davidson vs. Michigan State

#11 Virginia Tech over #6 Texas

Here’s another matchup in which plenty of the top bookmakers are smelling an upset. Sixth ranked Texas is only a one point favorite over eleventh ranked Virginia Tech. The Hokies have proven they have what it takes to beat good competition with wins over Notre Dame, Clemson, and a blow out win over North Carolina that came before their dominant performance against Duke in the ACC title game.

Virginia’s Hunter Cattoor only averages ten points per game this season, but he’s shown he can explode into a gamebreaking force. He dropped 31 against Duke and 27 against Florida State a few games before that. Tech’s only dropped two games out of their last 14 and will have momentum that should carry them through to the round of 32.

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There you have it, my favorite first round upsets for your March Madness 2022 bracket. What upsets are you taking in this year’s tournament that I didn’t mention here, and why? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to check back for even more March Madness content.