March Madness 2022 Betting Guide: First Round Upsets

Look, we’ve all been there before, you’ve been watching college basketball all season long and feel like you have a good grasp on all 64 teams playing in the tournament only to have number 13 Vermont beat number four Arkansas. While it destroys your bracket, of course your cousin Kevin who knows nothing about basketball picked it right since he doesn’t the razorbacks because he’s opposed to pork.

Anyways, with the first round of March Madness about to start, there’s always going to be upsets in the first round. That’s exactly why I’m gonna give you some of my top bracket buster predictions so you can be that friend who brags about how you knew that upset would happen all along. For even more knowledge head over and check out our basketball betting tips.

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#13 South Dakota State over #4 Providence

First up, here’s why you should take number 13 South Dakota State over number four Providence. Most of the top bookmakers only have this game as a one and half point spread, so the experts seem to think this game will be a lot closer than the seedings would lead us to believe.

South Dakota State shoots 45% from behind the arc and 53% overall so if this team gets hot they could be all but untouchable in this game. Don’t forget that Providence has lost three out of its last seven games so they’re not riding momentum into this matchup.

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#13 Vermont over #4 Arkansas

Another 13 seed that shouldn’t be ignored is Vermont who’s looking to knock off number four Arkansas. The Catamounts put up points in bunches averaging close to 75 points a game. They’ve scored over 80 points in a game multiple times this year and could very easily win a shootout against Arkansas if their shots start to fall early.

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#10 Davidson over #7 Michigan State

Although it wouldn’t be as big of an upset, you should take number ten Davidson over number seven Michigan State. One of the reasons for this is the Spartans continued struggles on offense as they rank 160th in the country for scoring offense.

Davidson meanwhile ranks 65th in the country scoring over 75 points per game on average. Foster Loyer could shoot Michigan right out of the gym with his 44% three point shooting.

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#11 Virginia Tech over #6 Texas

I’m not the only person out there to love number 11 Virginia Tech to send number six Texas home early. In fact, Texas is only a one point favorite right now on most sports betting sites. The Hokies have already beaten Notre Dame, Clemson, and blew out North Carolina before dominating Duke in the ACC title game.

Junior Hunter Cattoor has only averaged ten points per game over the season, but can explode like when he put up 31 against Duke and 27 against Florida State. Virginia Tech’s only lost two games in their last 14 so look for them to ride that momentum straight into 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.