Outside of a few exciting upsets, like Oakland vs. Kentucky, most of the tournament favorites won their games and will continue their championship drive in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8.
All four No. 1 and No. 2 seeds remain in the tournament, with a few interesting matchups this round. UConn and San Diego State will match up in a rematch of last season’s National Championship game. North Carolina and Alabama have the highest total in pregame odds. Iowa State’s defense will clash with Illinois’ offense.
Keep reading to see the pregame lines, spreads and totals from each of the opening round matchups.
Odds by ESPN BET 
as of publication time.
Thursday
(6) Clemson Tigers
(2) Arizona Wildcats -6.5
crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, 7:09 ET
Money line: Clemson (+240) Arizona (-290) Total: 151.5
Clemson: 21-11, 11-9 in ACC play
Arizona: 25-8, 15-5 in PAC-12 play
BPI Projection: Arizona by 8.9 points, straight up 79% of the time
(5) San Diego State Aztecs
(1) UConn Huskies -10.5
TD Garden, Boston, 7:39 ET
Money line: San Diego State (+475) UConn (-700) Total: 135.5
San Diego State: 24-10, 11-7 in MW play
UConn: 31-3, 18-2 in Big East play
BPI Projection: UConn by 11.1 points, straight up 86.2% of the time
(4) Alabama Crimson Tide
(1) North Carolina Tar Heels -4.5
crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, 9:39 ET
Money line: Alabama (+150) North Carolina (-175) Total: 173.5
Alabama: 21-11, 13-5 in SEC play
North Carolina: 27-7, 17-3 in ACC play
BPI Projection: Alabama by 0.6 points, straight up 52.2% of the time
(3) Illinois Fighting Illini
(2) Iowa State Cyclones -1.5
TD Garden, Boston, 10:09 ET
Money line: Illinois (+110) Iowa State (-130) Total: 146.5
Illinois: 25-8, 14-6 in Big Ten play
Iowa State: 27-7, 13-5 in Big 12 play
BPI Projection: Iowa State by 2.2 points, straight up 58.4% of the time