Why Wichita State Will Win: Vanderbilt doesn’t force takeaways. It relies on the defensive interior to control games so there aren’t too many chances taken around the arc. That’s a problem considering Wichita State is amazing at forcing turnovers – second in the nation in turnover margin – while playing a soul-crushing defense.

What’s Going To Happen: It’s one team that won’t be able to score vs. another team that won’t be able to score. Wichita State is better at forcing other teams not to score.

Line: Wichita State -3 

Prediction: Wichita State 67, Vanderbilt 61  

Final Score: Wichita State 70, Vanderbilt 50

East Play-In

No. 11 Michigan (22-12) vs. No. 11 Tulsa (20-11)

Why Michigan Will Win: Tulsa can’t rebound at all. It can’t really shoot threes, either, so as long as Michigan is forcing shots from the outside and cleaning up the messes, there should be plenty of empty trips. The Wolverines don’t make a ton of mistakes and they can hit from deep. They can mount a comeback if needed; Tulsa probably can’t.

Why Tulsa Will Win: It’s not like Michigan is full of tough guy rebounders, either. There’s little to no presence in the interior and the overall defense is just okay. Like the Wolverines, Tulsa doesn’t turn the ball over or beat itself, and it can play a little bit of defense, too. 

What’s Going To Happen: Michigan can shoot threes, Tulsa can’t. Just when it seems like the Golden Hurricane will do something interesting, the Wolverines will come up with a big shot from deep.

Line: Michigan -3 

Prediction: Michigan 76, Tulsa 70

East Play-In

No. 16 Florida Gulf Coast (20-13) vs. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson (18-14)

Why Florida Gulf Coast Will Win: Fairleigh Dickinson can’t rebound, even a little bit. The defense doesn’t come up with enough stops, there’s no presence in the interior, and there’s no worry about missed shots. FGCU is ultra-aggressive on the glass and great at winning the rebounding margin. This could get ugly at times for the Knights if the shots aren’t falling, but …

Why Fairleigh Dickinson Will Win: FGCU doesn’t bomb away from deep. It generates points off of rebounds and transition, but forget about threes and it’ll be a nightmare if this comes down to free throws. The Knights are great at forcing turnovers and they can hit from beyond the arc just enough to get by.

What’s Going To Happen: Fairleigh Dickinson is going to get absolutely doornailed on the boards. FGCU can’t really shoot from outside of a few feet, but there will be plenty of second chance points.

Line: FGCU -6 

Prediction: FGCU 68, Fairleigh Dickinson 63

Final Score: FGCU 96, Farleigh Dicknson 65

West Play-In

No. 16 Holy Cross (14-19) vs. No. 16 Southern (22-12)

Why Holy Cross Will Win: The Patriot League champion in its first ever NCAA Tournament got on a hot streak winning its last four games after losing its previous five. What can the Crusaders do well? Turnover margin. They can’t really score, and they can’t rebound, but they can hit the occasional three and they can force mistakes and capitalize. Southern is among the worst teams in the country at ball movement and can’t really shoot, either.

Why Southern Will Win: The Jaguars are aggressive and force lots and lots of steals. Holy Cross struggles as is to get its offense going, and now it’s going to get pressured and bothered all game long. This is a decent all-around defensive team that’s playing someone its own size – literally – when it comes to attacking the glass.

What’s Going To Happen: This should be highly entertaining. The Jaguar defense has been impressive over the last few games, with the forced mistakes playing enough of a role to get the right to go on to lose to Oregon by a gajillion.
Line: Southern -2.5 

Prediction: Southern 68, Holy Cross 62

MORE: Campus Insiders’ 2016 Interactive NCAA Tournament Bracket

South Region

No. 1 Kansas (30-4) vs. No. 16 Austin Peay (18-17)

Why Kansas Will Win: One of the strongest teams in the country in field goal percentage, the Jayhawks hit close to half of their shots and are phenomenal from three. Austin Peay doesn’t have enough size and gets lit up. The Governors are 291st in the country in field goal percentage defense.

Why Austin Peay Will Win: What can Austin Peay do really, really well? Lately, light it up. The offense has been terrific over the last several weeks, especially on the run to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament title scoring 80 points or more in five of their last six games. With Chris Horton inside and Josh Robinson outside, the Governors can fill it up.

What’s Going To Happen: Kansas is on a roll, will dominate the interior, and end up crushing the Governors after a big second half.

Line: Kansas -24.5 

  

Prediction: Kansas 86, Austin Peay 56

No. 8 Colorado (22-11) vs. No. 9 Connecticut (23-10)

Why Colorado Will Win: The Buffs should dominate on the boards. UConn has a quick backcourt, but its front line is just okay at generating second-chance points. Colorado attacks rebounds as well as anyone in the tournament and won’t let anything happen inside.

Why Connecticut Will Win: This should be a little bit of a low-scoring grinder with the Huskies controlling in the backcourt. Aggressive on threes and a bit better at Colorado at keeping the ball – along with leading the nation in free throw shooting – they have a big advantage in crunch time.

What’s Going To Happen: Colorado’s Josh Scott vs. UConn’s Amida Brimah inside should be worth the price of admission. Expect a low-scoring game with the Huskies closing it out in the final minute.

Line: Connecticut -3 

Prediction: Connecticut 71, Colorado 67

No. 4 Maryland (25-8) vs. No. 13 South Dakota State (26-7)

Why Maryland Will Win: The South Dakota State guard play is just okay. There isn’t a lot of ball movement and the guards don’t make enough key defensive plays. The Terps have way too much balance and are way too good in the backcourt.

Why South Dakota State Will Win: There might not be too many massive signature wins, but the RPI – 31st – is outstanding. The Jackrabbits get on the boards and don’t allow many second chances. This is a frustrating defensive team that can keep games under control.

What’s Going To Happen: Really, really dangerous for the Terps, there will be some long dry patches that’ll eventually be overcome by Melo Trimble and the guards. Maryland has too much offensive balance.

Line: Maryland -8 

  

Prediction: Maryland 78, South Dakota State 69

No. 4 California (23-10) vs. No. 13 Hawaii (27-5)

Why California Will Win: Talent, talent, talent. It was a young Cal team, but it was a flaky-good one. Once everything kicked in, though, from February on the Bears were fantastic. This is a deliberate team that keeps the tempo down – Cal will control the Hawaii quickness and speed.

Why Hawaii Will Win: Cal doesn’t force turnovers. Hawaii does, and it does it at a high level. This is a fast team with dangerous guards who annoy teams that don’t like to place at the same pace. Keep the ball moving, use the great guards, wreak havoc on D.

What’s Going To Happen: Always take talent. Hawaii is going to biff its free throws late, but it’ll be having NBA talent in Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb who help keep the Bears moving.

Line: California -6.5 

Prediction: California 77, Hawaii 70

No. 6 Arizona (25-8) vs. No. 11 Wichita State (25-9)

Why Arizona Will Win: Wichita State isn’t going to outrebound the Wildcats. The Shockers were able to beat Vanderbilt on the boards and hit their key shots from three. Arizona is among the nation’s leading teams at rebounding – it’ll get the second-chance points Vandy didn’t.

Why Wichita State Will Win: The defense is at a whole other level. The nation’s top scoring defense didn’t allow the Commodores to breathe, especially on threes. Vandy hit just 16% of their three-pointers and was bothered all game long. Arizona is going to be harassed.

What’s Going To Happen: Could Wichita State go on a nice run? Absolutely. The problem for the Shockers is that Arizona isn’t afraid to muck it up at times and is too good at shooting inside and out.

Line: COMING

Prediction: Arizona 64, Wichita State 57

No. 3 Miami (25-7) vs. No. 14 Buffalo (20-14)

Why Miami Will Win: Ninth in the final RPI, this is a battle-tested team that had a few puzzling clunkers, but has the type of tough defense that could be a thorn in the side of good teams down the road. Buffalo isn’t careful with the ball – the Hurricanes will turn plenty of steals into points.

Why Buffalo Will Win: The Bulls are aggressive and force plenty of mistakes. The defense might not be all that great, but the MAC champion has scorers who attack the basket and know how to crank up the offense. The Bulls scored 87 points or more in six of their final eight games.

What’s Going To Happen: The Hurricanes are going to put up a huge number. Buffalo can’t defend, and Miami can. Miami is going to be dangerous.

Line: Miami -13.5 

Prediction: Miami 84, Buffalo 70

No. 7 Iowa (21-10) vs. No. 10 Temple (21-11)

Why Iowa Will Win: Temple can’t really score. The Owls don’t really rebound, don’t force enough turnovers, and can’t hit the three. If Iowa can get on a good early run, this should be over fast.

Why Temple Will Win: The Hawkeyes were disastrous down the stretch. They came into late January on a roll, but lost seven of their last 12 games and five of their last six. Temple might not score, but the defense has started to clamp down coming into the tournament coming off a good month.

What’s Going To Happen: Temple doesn’t do much well, but it takes care of the ball, slows games down, and it can play just enough D to keep the Iowa threes from falling.

Line: Iowa -7 

  

Prediction: Temple 69, Iowa 67

No. 2 Villanova (29-5) vs. No. 15 UNC Asheville (22-11)

Why Villanova Will Win: The Wildcats just don’t screw up. This is a high-powered scoring team that can bomb away, get running, or grind it out – it can play any style. UNC Asheville doesn’t have the outside firepower to get back in the game if it gets down early.

Why UNC Asheville Will Win: The Bulldogs attack defensively. Villanova is careful with the ball, but UNC Asheville doesn’t mess up, either, and it’s fantastic at taking the ball away. They’ll harass the Wildcats and make this a bit of a fight for a while.

What’s Going To Happen: You think Villanova is a wee bit ticked about giving the No. 1 see away against Seton Hall? UNC Asheville doesn’t have the firepower to keep up.

Line: Villanova -16.5 

  

Prediction: Villanova 82, UNC Asheville 68

MORE: Campus Insiders’ 2016 Interactive NCAA Tournament Bracket

West Region

No. 1 Oregon (28-6) vs. No. 16 Holy Cross/Southern winner

Line: COMING Prediction: COMING

No. 8 St. Joe’s (27-7) vs. No. 9 Cincinnati (22-10)

Why St. Joe’s Will Win: It takes a very careful, stingy team to beat the Cincinnati defense. That’s St. Joe’s. The Hawks don’t turn the ball over enough to be a problem, and they move the ball well to potentially get around the Bearcat D. This is also a strong rebounding team that doesn’t take second chances.

Why Cincinnati Will Win: Defense, defense, defense. St. Joe’s doesn’t have the long-range bombers to soften up the UC D, and forget about getting inside on this group. The Hawks don’t make a slew of big mistakes, but Cincinnati is even better at not screwing up.

What’s Going To Happen: This should be a terrific First Round game, but don’t expect a lot of scoring. Every possession will be vital, but Cincinnati will hut just a few more threes to get by.

Line: Cincinnati -2 

Prediction: Cincinnati 71, St. Joseph’s 68

No. 5 Baylor (22-11) vs. No. 12 Yale (22-6)

Why Baylor Will Win: Yale lives on the boards, ranking second in the nation averaging 12 more rebounds a game than their opponents. Here’s the problem – Baylor is the wrong team to try to win against on rebounds. The Bears move the ball around so well, and they get up and down the court so effectively, Yale’s main advantage will be taken away.

Why Yale Will Win: This is the same team that pushed SMU so hard early in the year and comes in winning 17 of its last 18 games. There’s a chance Yale might be able to grind this game down to a dead stop, hit its threes, handle the boards in a half-court game, and keep this close late.

What’s Going To Happen: This is the right matchup for Baylor. Yale doesn’t hit its free throws and it can’t keep up offensively if the Bears go on a big run.

Line: Baylor 5.5 

  

Prediction: Baylor 74, Yale 65

No. 4 Duke (23-10) vs. No. 13 UNC-Wilmington (25-7)

Why Duke Will Win: UNC-Wilmington can’t hit the three, Duke can. It’ll be hard enough for the Seahawks to keep up the pace on the move, but forget about doing much in the half court set. Duke’s guards don’t mess up enough to create easy chances.

Why UNC Wilmington Will Win: The Seahawks should be able to score midrange. They rebound just well enough to battle the Blue Devils and make this a fight on key possessions. They don’t turn the ball over and they’re great at pressuring the ball and creating mistakes. If Duke is looking ahead at all, there will be a problem.

What’s Going To Happen: This will be more of a fight than Duke might like. This is a hot UNCW team coming in with just a few bad nights over the last few months. It’ll keep this close.

Line: Duke -9.5 

  

Prediction: Duke 78, UNC-Wilmington 70

No. 6 Texas (20-12) vs. No. 11 Northern Iowa (22-12)

Why Texas Will Win: UNI can’t win if it doesn’t hit the three, and Texas has the perimeter defense to be just good enough to keep that from happening. Texas is going to have problems with the long teams that attack that glass – that’s not UNI at all. It’s this simple – stop the three, stop the Panthers.

Why Northern Iowa Will Win: But if the Panthers are connecting from the outside, there’s going to be a major problem for the Longhorns. UNI doesn’t turn the ball over enough to be a problem, and it got on a late season roll by doing a great job of cranking up the defense while bombing away from deep. Texas is just flaky enough to mess this up.

What’s Going To Happen: Both teams beat North Carolina, and both are going to be interesting outs, whenever that happens. UNI hits free throws and connects from three, and Texas doesn’t do either one as well.

Line: Texas -4.5 

  

Prediction: Northern Iowa 74, Texas 71

No. 3 Texas A&M (26-7) vs. No. 14 UW Green Bay (23-12)

Why Texas A&M Will Win: Green Bay might be fantastic at taking the ball away, but it doesn’t do anything to stop teams from scoring in bunches. It’s this simple – the Aggies have too much scoring punch in transition and making the extra pass for the easy points. UWGB needs A&M to turn the ball over, and that’s not going to happen.

Why UW Green Bay Will Win: How are the Phoenix getting it done? They don’t turn the ball over and they create lots and lots of steals. Second in the nation, Green Bay comes up with 9.8 steals per game in a running transition offense that cranks up points in bunches. The Phoenix can keep up the pace.

What’s Going To Happen: Take the over. This is going to be a run and stun game with lots of scoring and lots of fun in the track meet. A&M will do it better, but it’ll get gassed.

Line: Texas A&M -13 

  

Prediction: Texas A&M 86, UW Green Bay 75

No. 7 Oregon State (19-12) vs. No. 10 VCU (24-9)

Why Oregon State Will Win: Can Gary Payton II be too good? VCU lives on opponent mistakes, and if Payton is dominant, the Ram guard play becomes negated. Oregon State can shoot the three every bit as well – and a big more effectively – than VCU, and it plays far stronger defense overall.

Why VCU Will Win: Lots of steals, lots of takeaways, lots of transition baskets. Oregon State is generally careful with the ball, but the Rams are great at making teams screw up in a big way. VCU’s one big tournament weakness late in games will be poor free throw shooting, but Oregon State is just as bad.

What’s Going To Happen: VCU will outrebound the Beavers, force more turnovers, and hit a few more late threes to pull off the upset. The Ram D will be the difference.

Line: VCU -4 

  

Prediction: VCU 75, Oregon State 72

No. 2 Oklahoma (25-7) vs. No. 15 CSU Bakersfield (24-8)

Why Oklahoma Will Win: Threes, threes, and more threes. OU is among the best deep shooting teams in the country, while UC Bakersfield really, really isn’t. The Roadrunners average just over five threes a game, instead relying on nasty defense and half-court game to get by. The Sooners could be three shots away from putting this out of reach at any time.

Why UC Bakersfield Will Win: If the Roadrunner D is up to the snuff of the regular season, and if the threes aren’t falling for the Sooners, this could be a long day. The defense is outstanding, the rebounding is strong, and the ball movement is terrific. Can the improved defense hold on against the high-octane offense?

What’s Going To Happen: At the very least, this will be a nice early test for the Sooners. They’ll have to deal with the Bakersfield aggressive defense and keep on doing what it’s doing. The Roadrunners just can’t shoot well enough.

Line: Oklahoma -13.5 

  

Prediction: Oklahoma 78, CSU Bakersfield 66

MORE: Campus Insiders’ 2016 Interactive NCAA Tournament Bracket

East Region

No. 1 North Carolina (28-6) vs. No. 16 FGCU (21-13)

Why North Carolina Will Win: FGCU isn’t going to be able to hammer the boards on North Carolina like it did against Farleigh Dickinson. The Tar Heels are too good at moving the ball and too good at attacking the glass – they’ll negate the Eagles’ big advantage.

Why Florida Gulf Coast Will Win: This is an attacking, fearless team that has no problems selling out to get a rebound or crank up the pressure. The Eagles are able to convert rebounds into points, and since North Carolina doesn’t/can’t shoot threes, they might be able to hold their own inside.

What’s Going To Happen: It’s not going to be a 16-over-1 win, but there will be moments of fright. FGCU is just dangerous enough to make this fun for a half, and then the Tar Heels will wake up.

Line: COMING

Prediction: North Carolina 81, Florida Gulf Coast 64

No. 8 USC (21-12) vs. No. 9 Providence (23-10)

Why USC Will Win: The Trojans aren’t going to kill the Friars on the boards, but they’ll hold a substantial margin. This isn’t a great-shooting Providence team, so if USC creates several one-and-done possessions, this could get ugly for a while.

Why Providence Will Win: Can the Friars move the ball around for a better look and a better shot? They’re stingy when it comes to hanging on to the ball and not giving away easy baskets, and they can make free throws. USC can’t.

What’s Going To Happen: USC’s outside shooting and interior presence on the glass will be just enough to get by in an interesting battle with plenty of ebbs and flows.

Line: Providence -2

Prediction: USC 77, Providence 73

No. 5 Indiana (25-7) vs. No. 12 Chattanooga (29-5)

Why Indiana Will Win: The Hoosiers are simply too good shooting the ball inside and out. They might not always be consistent, but they outside shooting and attacking style should be just good enough to crank up the offense against an okay – not great – Moc defense.

Why Chattanooga Will Win: The Mocs know how to apply the defense. They don’t shoot from the outside like IU – almost no one does – but they’re great in the defensive interior and they’re great at forcing mistakes. They have the potential to bother IU just enough to keep the outside gunners from every getting comfortable.

What’s Going To Happen: Indiana will be in for a dogfight from the word go. Chattanooga won’t miss from the line and will create just enough mistakes to make this close until the final moments.

Line: Indiana -11.5

Prediction: Indiana 76, Chattanooga 72

No. 4 Kentucky (25-8) vs. No. 13 Stony Brook (26-6)

Why Kentucky Will Win: The two teams do a lot of the same things well, but one’s Kentucky, and the other is Stony Brook. The both block shots, they both hit the glass well, and they both are great at interior defense. Again, though, one is Kentucky, and the other isn’t. However …

Why Stony Brook Will Win: This really is an air-tight team. The Seawolves have lost twice since December 12th, doing an amazing job of owning the inside with Jameel Warney a machine on the boards and blocking shots. Four players average in double figures on a team full of veterans.

What’s Going To Happen: You know how sometimes it takes a frightening game in the first round for a talented team to exhale before it goes on a great tournament run? This is going to be it for the Wildcats.

Line: Kentucky -14

Prediction: Kentucky 79, Stony Brook 71

No. 6 Notre Dame (22-11) vs. No. 11 Michigan/Tulsa winner

Line: COMING Prediction: COMING

No. 3 West Virginia (26-8) vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (27-5)

Why West Virginia Will Win: Can SFA possibly handle the high-tempo? Yeah, but there haven’t been a slew of wins over strong teams to make the great stats standout. Yeah, the Lumberjacks have won 20 straight, and yeah, it was back in November, but they got annihilated by Baylor. The ultra-aggressive WVU defense will cause a nightmare of problems for the SFA backcourt.

Why Stephen F. Austin Will Win: West Virginia is No. 1 in the nation in steals, and SFA is No. 1 in the nation in turnover margin. The Lumberjacks use their tremendous passing game to keep things moving to avoid the pressure, and they know how to fill it up – they’ll keep up the pace.

What’s Going To Happen: Thank you, committee, for this one. It’ll be a high-scoring, high-pressure game with both teams landing lots of big blows. West Virginia is better at playing this way.

Line: West Virginia -7

Prediction: West Virginia 83, Stephen F. Austin 74

No. 7 Wisconsin (20-12) vs. No. 10 Pitt (21-11)

Why Wisconsin Will Win: This is a strange Badger team that might be built for a game like this. Pitt might have a decent defense, but it doesn’t take the ball away and it doesn’t bring a ton of pressure to the backcourt. The Badgers don’t need to be pushed – they’re a bit more deliberate. They have the D to make this an ugly slugfest.

Why Pitt Will Win: Pitt dominates on the boards. As bad as the Panthers have been over the last month, they’re playing the right team for them. The Badgers aren’t nearly as physical on the glass as their reputation might make it seem, and the rebound margin could get ugly. On both sides of the ball, Pitt plays a lot like Wisconsin used to.

What’s Going To Happen: Pitt would be the easy pick matchup-wise except for one problem – it’s been AWFUL over the last month. After a sloppy loss to Nebraska in the B1G tournament, the Badgers will bounce back.

Line: Wisconsin -1.5

Prediction: Wisconsin 67, Pitt 62

No. 2 Xavier (27-5) vs. No. 15 Weber State (26-8)

Why Xavier Will Win: Weber State has way, way too many problems forcing errors on defense and making them on offense. There won’t be any easy transition points and there will be major problems when the three isn’t falling. Xavier should be able to dominate on the boards creating a slew of easy defensive stops.

Why Weber State Will Win: Can the Wildcats start bombing and keep hitting? They don’t do enough to take care of the ball, and they don’t create steals, but they can shoot the lights out when they get on a roll. If the three are falling, look out.

What’s Going To Happen: Weber State is decent on the boards, helped by its great shooting, but Xavier will get on the run too easily. Fast break points will be a big deal.

Line: Xavier -13.5

Prediction: Xavier 80, Weber State 71

MORE: Campus Insiders’ 2016 Interactive NCAA Tournament Bracket

Midwest Region

No. 1 Virginia (26-7) vs. No. 6 Hampton (21-10)

Why Virginia Will Win: Hampton might never score. Virginia’s defense is so suffocating and so strong, and Hampton’s outside shooting is so weak, and the guards turn it over so much, that it could be excruciating for the Pirates to squeeze out points. One early run from the Cavaliers should end this.

Why Hampton Will Win: The Pirates can get on the boards. This is going to be a slow slugfest, so if Virginia isn’t hitting early on, and if Hampton can do everything to attack the glass and create a slew of one possession trips, they have a shot to make this interesting. Keep it slow, hope for the best.

What’s Going To Happen: If Virginia really tries, and if it has the intensity right away, it should be able to dominate in a very, very ugly game.

Line: Virginia -23

Prediction: Virginia 81, Hampton 53

No. 8 Texas Tech (19-12) vs. No. 9 Butler (21-10)

Why Texas Tech Will Win: Can the Red Raiders be careful with the ball and can they get up early? When Butler has been off over the last month, it’s been really off with the offense slowing to a dead crawl. Texas Tech has to crank up the defensive pressure right away.

Why Butler Will Win: Outside of a win over Oklahoma, Texas Tech hasn’t been very good at college basketball over the last month. There’s not enough outside shooting, there aren’t enough takeaways to create easy baskets, and the defense has broken down. Butler can shoot the three, and at times, Texas Tech can’t.

What’s Going To Happen: The Bulldogs will outbomb the Red Raiders. Texas Tech looked way off over the finishing kick, but Butler can’t get cold from the outside.

Line: Butler -3

Prediction: Butler 81, Texas Tech 73

No. 5 Purdue (26-7) vs. No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock (28-4)

Why Purdue Will Win: Dominant on the glass, this is a physical and aggressive Boilermaker team that’s going to be the hot pick from the 5 seed. There might not be any steals, but overall Purdue makes up for the problems by keeping the ball moving. Few teams in the region are better at creating the open shot.

Why Arkansas-Little Rock Will Win: This is a really, really, really dangerous team that can defend, force a ton of mistakes, and can hit the three. There might not be too many signature wins other than the Tulsa victory back in November, but the Trojans have been dominant at times. After the 65-53 loss to Texas Tech just before Christmas, UALR is 13 points away from closing out perfect.

What’s Going To Happen: This might be a far more dangerous game for Purdue than facing Iowa State or Iona in the second round. The Boilermakers will win, but they’ll be bloodied.

Line: Purdue -8

Prediction: Purdue 77, Arkansas-Little Rock 71

No. 4 Iowa State (21-11) vs. No. 13 Iona (22-10)

Why Iowa State Will Win: Sort of the it team despite a slew of losses over the last month, the Cyclones have a high-octane offense that’s phenomenal and hitting everything inside and out. Few teams move the ball around better, and considering the Iona defense gives up a ton of points and doesn’t get on the glass, Iowa State should put a huge number on the board.

Why Iona Will Win: This is hardly the team Iowa State wanted to see in the first round. The Gaels can bomb away from the outside, they move the ball around every bit as well as the Cyclones, and they attack the guards well and force a ton of mistakes. On a roll, they’ve won their last eight games and 12 of their last 13.

What’s Going To Happen: Take the over in what should be a wild and fun shootout. Each team will have moments of big spurts, but Iona will spurt just well enough late from three to give the Cyclones yet another disastrous tournament run.

Line: Iowa State -7.5

Prediction: Iona 83, Iowa State 79

No. 6 Seton Hall (25-8) vs. No. 11 Gonzaga (26-7)

Why Seton Hall Will Win: The Pirates might be peaking at just the right time, improving over the last month of the season to win 12 of their last 14 games including the Big East title. How? Great interior defense, great rebounding, and timely shots. Gonzaga doesn’t take the ball away and doesn’t create enough turnovers.

Why Gonzaga Will Win: The Bulldogs can hit the glass, too. They’re terrific offensively, even if it sacrifices the defense a bit, and they make just about everything inside and, though not as much, out. They should be able to shoot their way to a win – Seton Hall doesn’t have the same firepower.

What’s Going To Happen: Really, you’re going to pick against the Zags early in the tournament? Haven’t you learned your lesson by now?

Line: Gonzaga -1.5

Prediction: Gonzaga 76, Seton Hall 71

No. 3 Utah (26-8) vs. No. 14 Fresno State (25-9)

Why Utah Will Win: The Utes might have been obliterated by Oregon, but before that it was one of the hotter teams in the Pac-12 over the last few weeks. This is a fantastic-shooting team from the interior that could just outbomb its way out of the first round – Fresno State doesn’t hit threes. Utah might not have the big-time three-point shooting, but it’s ultra-efficient in the interior and strong on the boards.

Why Fresno State Will Win: How did Fresno State get hot on the way to win the Mountain West? It was great at not making mistakes and always winning the turnover margin. Other teams wilted, and the Bulldogs took advantage with plenty of easy points. They create a ton of steals and generate a ton of pressure. Utah might be great on the inside, but Fresno State might be able to keep the ball from getting into the interior.

What’s Going To Happen: Fresno State might be on a roll, but Utah is too good and too sound to succumb to the pressure.

Line: Utah -8.5

Prediction: Utah 77, Fresno State 67

No. 7 Dayton (25-7) vs. No. 10 Syracuse (19-13)

Why Dayton Will Win: Dayton is limping a bit into the tournament. Syracuse is getting wheeled in on a stretcher. The Orange have lost five of their last six games with the offense going into the tank. Syracuse can shoot the three, but it can’t come up with rebound and it’s not a good shooting team. Dayton might be having issues, but the defense has been solid.

Why Syracuse Will Win: The Orange should be able to clamp down with their defense. The Flyers turn the ball over too much and make too many mistakes, and they don’t shoot threes well. No, Syracuse can’t really score, but it comes up with a ton of steals and can generate a few easy baskets – it’ll need to.

What’s Going To Happen: Yuck. Syracuse got its big break and got into the tournament, so is it about to start playing like it’s ready to go on a roll? Nope. Don’t expect a ton of points, but it’ll be interesting late.

Line: PICK

Prediction: Dayton 67, Syracuse 63

No. 2 Michigan State (28-5) vs. No. 15 Middle Tennessee (24-9)

Why Michigan State Will Win: The Big Ten champion is coming in as one of the hottest teams in the country. You don’t think it’s a bit peeved for being a two seed after winning 13 of its last 14, with the one loss coming in overtime. The last three losses have come by a total of three points. The best-shooting team in the country, and the best rebounding team in the country, good luck with this, Blue Raiders.

Why Middle Tennessee Will Win: What does Middle Tennessee do well? Shoot the three. It’ll get ripped up on the boards, but Michigan State won’t force turnovers and won’t generate too many easy points. Can the Blue Raiders come up with just enough steals and hit enough threes? It might be able to stay alive by bombing away.

What’s Going To Happen: As long as Michigan State is grouchy about not be a No. 1 seed, this is going to be ugly from the start.

Line: Michigan State -17

Prediction: Michigan State 81, Middle Tennessee 61

MORE: Campus Insiders’ 2016 Interactive NCAA Tournament Bracket