March Madness Picks Against The Spread 2023: First-Round Predictions ATS For NCAA Tournament

Aside from simply filling out a March Madness 2023 bracket, many college basketball fans will be making picks against the spread for the NCAA Tournament. Bettors can make predictions on 32 first-round games Thursday and Friday.

Which teams will cover the spread in the first round? Here are March Madness predictions ATS for every first-round game. Teams that are in bold are the best picks against the spread.

The NCAA Tournament odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Thursday, March 15

No. 9 West Virginia (-2.5) vs. No. 8 Maryland

The teams have nearly the same offensive efficiency, but Maryland's defense ranks much better.

No. 13 Furman (+5.5) vs. No. 4 Virginia

Furman has won 14 of its last 15 games.

No. 10 Utah State (-1.5) vs. No. 7 Missouri

Utah State has lost eight straight first-round games.

No. 16 Howard (+22.5) vs. No. 1 Kansas

Kansas has won two of its last three first-round games by at least 23 points.

No. 16 Texas A&M CC (+23.5) vs. No. 1 Alabama

Texas A&M CC has a little bit of momentum after beating Southeast Missouri State in a First Four game.

No. 12 College of Charleston vs. No. 5 San Diego State

College of Charleston's 31-3 record is tied for the best mark of any team in the March Madness bracket.

No. 15 Princeton (+13.5) vs. No. 2 Arizona

Eight of Arizona's last nine wins against unranked opponents have come by double-digits.

No. 9 Illinois vs. No. 8 Arkansas

Arkansas has made two straight Elite Eight appearances.

No. 9 Auburn (-1.5) vs. No. 8 Iowa

Auburn couldn't make it to the second weekend of March Madness last season with Jabari Smith, and they probably won't reach the second round this year.

No. 12 Oral Roberts (+6.5) vs. No. 5 Duke

Oral Roberts has the second-best offense of any NCAA Tournament team and was last defeated on Jan. 9.

No. 15 Colgate (+13.5) vs. No. 2 Texas

Colgate is the best 3-point shooting team in March Madness, making 40/78% of its shots from behind the arc.

No. 10 Boise State (+1.5) vs. No. 7 Northwestern

Boise State's 113th-ranked offense will struggle against Northwestern's 18th-ranked defense.

No. 16 Northern Kentucky (+19.5) vs. No. 1 Houston

Houston is arguably the best team in March Madness and should be favored by more than 20 points.

No. 13 Louisiana (+11.5) vs. No. 4 Tennessee

Louisiana is 0-2 against teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament and was outscored by 40 total points in those games.

No. 10 Penn State (+2.5) vs. No. 7 Texas A&M

Before losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, No. 7 Texas A&M won six straight games against teams that are in the first round of March Madness.

No. 15 UNC Asheville (+17.5) vs. No. 2 UCLA

UCLA has the third-best defense of any NCAA Tournament team, while UNC Asheville only ranks 149th in offensive efficiency in the country.

Friday, March 16

No. 10 USC (+2.5) vs. No. 7 Michigan State

It's hard to pick against Tom Izzo when he's a favorite in the first round.

No. 14 Kennesaw State (+12.5) vs. No. 3 Xavier

Kennesaw State is 18-3 in its last 21 games.

No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (+10.5) vs. No. 3 Baylor

UC Santa Barbara made the NCAA Tournament without facing a single team that was selected to his year's March Madness bracket.

No. 12 VCU vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's

VCU has won seven of its last eight games by at least 12 points.

No. 15 Vermont (+10.5) vs. No. 2 Marquette

Marquette could ride one of college basketball's best offenses all the way to the Final Four.

No. 11 Pittsburgh (+3.5) vs. No. 6 Iowa State

With a mediocre offense, Iowa State is vulnerable to an upset against a Pittsburgh team that is coming off a First Four victory.

No. 11 Providence (+4.5) vs. No. 6 Kentucky

Kentucky last won an NCAA Tournament game in 2019 and could be headed for a second straight first-round upset.

No. 11 NC State (-5.5) vs. No. 6 Creighton

A preseason top-10 team that is loaded with offensive talent, Creighton is good enough to make a Final Four run.

No. 13 Iona (+9.5) vs. No. 4 UCONN

UCONN was briefly the top-ranked team in the country and should cruise to the second round.

No. 12 Drake (+1.5) at No. 5 Miami

The injury to leading rebounder Norchad Omier could ultimately cause Miami to suffer a first-round upset.

No. 14 Grand Canyon (+14.5) at No. 3 Gonzaga

Gonzaga has won its last three first-round games by a combined 102 points.

No. 9 Florida Atlantic (+1.5) vs. No. 8 Memphis

Memphis looked like a dangerous March Madness team when it won the AAC Championship.

No. 14 Montana State (+8.5) vs. No. 3 Kansas State

Montana State is 13-1 in its last 14 games and won't be an easy out in March Madness.

No. 13 Kent State (+4.5) vs. No. 4 Indiana

Kent State nearly upset Houston and Gonzaga early in the season, and they might be able to complete the job against Indiana.

No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson/No. 16 Texas Southern vs. No. 1 Purdue

No point spread available

No. 11 Arizona State/No. 11 Nevada vs. No. 6 TCU

No point spread available