March Madness kicked off Thursday afternoon, and brackets across the country are sure to bust within the coming hours. Even for the college basketball’s top analysts.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his full bracket before Thursday’s games kicked off, and while he went mostly chalk, he did pick a handful of upsets. The nation’s premier bracketologist tabbed Davidson to beat Duke in the second round, and he also picked North Carolina to advance to the Elite Eight.
So who else did Lunardi pick to survive-and-advance through March? Check out his fill crop of picks below.
WEST
First Round
No. 1 Gonzaga over No. 16 Georgia State
No. 8 Boise State over No. 9 Memphis
No. 5 Connecticut over No. 12 New Mexico State
No. 4 Arkansas over No. 13 Vermont
No. 6 Alabama over No. 11 Notre Dame
No. 3 Texas Tech over No. 14 Montana State
No. 10 Davidson over No. 7 Michigan State
No. 2 Duke over No. 15 CSU Fullerton
Second Round
No. 1 Gonzaga over No. 8 Boise State
No. 5 UConn over No. 4 Arkansas
No. 3 Texas Tech over No. 6 Alabama
No. 10 Davidson over No. 2 Duke
Sweet 16
No. 1 Gonzaga over No. 5 UConn
No. 3 Texas Tech over No. 10 Davidson
Elite Eight
No. 1 Gonzaga over No. 3 Texas Tech
EAST
First Round
No. 1 Baylor over No. 16 Norfolk State
No. 8 North Carolina over No. 9 Marquette
No. 5 St. Mary’s over No. 12 Indiana
No. 4 UCLA over No. 13 Akron
No. 11 Virginia Tech over No. 6 Texas
No. 3 Purdue over No. 14 Yale
No. 10 San Francisco vs. No. 7 Murray State
No. 2 Kentucky over No. 15 Saint Peter’s
Second Round
No. 8 North Carolina over No. 1 Baylor
No. 5 St. Mary’s over No. 4 UCLA
No. 11 Virginia Tech overNo. 3 Purdue
No. 2 Kentucky over No. 10 San Francisco
Sweet 16
No. 8 North Carolina over No. 5 St. Mary’s
No. 2 Kentucky over No. 11 Virginia Tech
Elite Eight
No. 2 Kentucky over No. 8 North Carolina
SOUTH
First Round
No. 1 Arizona over No. 16 Bryant
No. 9 TCU over No. 8 Seton Hall
No. 5 Houston over No. 12 UAB
No. 4 Illinois over No. 13 Chattanooga
No. 11 Michigan over No. 6 Colorado State
No. 3 Tennessee over No. 14 Longwood
No. 10 Loyola Chicago over No. 7 Ohio State
No. 2 Villanova over No. 15 Delaware
Second Round
No. 1 Arizona over No. 9 TCU
No. 4 Illinois over No. 5 Houston
No. 3 Tennessee over No. 11 Michigan
No. 2 Villanova over No. 10 Loyola Chicago
Sweet 16
No. 4 Illinois over No. 1 Arizona
No. 3 Tennessee over No. 2 Villanova
Elite Eight
No. 3 Tennessee over No. 4 Illinois
MIDWEST
First Round
No. 1 Kansas over No. 16 Texas Southern
No. 8 San Diego State over No. 9 Creighton
No. 5 Iowa over No. 12 Richmond
No. 13 South Dakota State over No. 4 Providence
No. 6 LSU over No. 11 Iowa State
No. 14 Colgate over No. 3 Wisconsin
No. 10 Miami (Fla.) over No. 7 USC
No. 2 Auburn over No. 15 Jacksonville State
Second Round
No. 1 Kansas over No. 8 San Diego State
No. 13 South Dakota State vs over No. 5 Iowa
No. 6 LSU over No. 14 Colgate
No. 2 Auburn over No. 10 Miami (Fla.)
Sweet 16
No. 1 Kansas over No. 13 South Dakota State
No. 2 Auburn over No. 6 LSU
Elite Eight
No. 1 Kansas over No. 2 Auburn
FINAL FOUR
No. 1 Gonzaga over No. 2 Kentucky
No. 1 Kansas over No. 3 Tennessee
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
No. 1 Gonzaga over No. 1 Kansas
Even Joey Brackets couldn’t help but do some last-minute tinkering, evidently. His ESPN men’s tournament challenge submission has a few differences from the picks he gave to Jason Fitz.
Notably, he has Purdue beating Virginia Tech before falling to Kentucky in the East Region. In the same region, he also has Murray State instead of San Francisco, in the South Region he went with Colorado State instead of Michigan in a game the Wolverines won on Thursday.
His biggest switch, however, came in the West, where he has Wisconsin fending off Colgate in the first round and reaching the Elite Eight against Kansas instead of South Dakota State, a wise pick as the Jackrabbits lost to Providence on Thursday. The ESPN.com bracket also has Miami upsetting Auburn, while his bracket with Jason Fitz has Auburn in the Elite Eight.
More College Basketball Coverage:
- Expert Predictions for the 2022 Men’s NCAA Tournament
- Region-by-Region Men’s Tourney Breakdowns
- The 10 Men’s Teams Most Likely to Win March Madness
- Ten Years After the No. 15 Seed Stunned the No. 2 Seed Blue Devils
- Ranking the Cinderellas That Could Bust Your Bracket
