College GameDay: Picks for Saturday's NCAA Tournament Round of 32

ESPN brought the College GameDay crew on live to preview the Round of 32 ahead of an exciting slate of showdowns on Saturday. Starting with 8-seed North Carolina taking on 1-seed Baylor, there’s a bevy of matchups that could provide spectators with memorable upsets on the schedule.

First, the aforementioned  North Carolina Tar Heels (25-9) will be looking to eliminate the Baylor Bears (27-6) from defending their crown. The Tar Heels are coming off a huge victory over Marquette, where the game was never in-doubt. To illustrate, the Tar Heels defeated the Golden Eagles by a score of 95-63, led by the aforementioned Manek scoring 28 points. Additionally, guard Caleb Love showed his stuff, scoring 23 points in the victory.

On the other hand, Baylor eliminated all drama from their matchup against Norfolk State. Even while dealing with multiple injuries, the Bears defeated their opponent by 36. Leading the way was guard Matthew Mayer, scoring 22 points for Baylor in victory. Additionally, forward Jeremy Sochan added 15 off the bench for the Bears.

Elsewhere, Jay Bilas pointed to Tennessee vs. Michigan as the most intriguing matchup of the day.

“Michigan shot 60% in the second half against Colorado State and did an excellent job getting the ball inside to Hunter Dickinson, who had 21 points,” Bilas said during a SportsCenter segment. “Eli Brooks was terrific. Tennessee shot 60% for the game against Longwood and Santiago Vescovi had six threes in that game. He was 6 of 8. That’s the most threes in a game for Tennessee since Chris Lofton did it. That’s the company he’s in.

“Tennessee’s the better team, but can they beat a big shot in Michigan in the second round?”

Brackets may be busted already, but there’s still picks to be made. Here’s who the ESPN College GameDay crew is picking for Saturday’s NCAA Tournament slate.

College GameDay: Picks for Saturday’s NCAA Tournament Round of 32

North Carolina vs. Baylor: “I think it’ll be the North Carolina-Baylor game,” responded Ellis, when asked which game would be the closest. Still, everyone is on the Bears on Saturday.

Creighton vs. Kansas: None of the College GameDay analysts believe Kansas will be upset by Creighton on Saturday.

Michigan vs. Tennessee: Everyone is riding with Tennessee over Michigan.

Richmond vs. Providence: Alas, the lone game the crew differs on. Greenberg is picking Richmond, while the rest of the crew is on Providence.

Saint Mary’s vs. UCLA: Saint Mary’s could make it interesting, but everyone is on the Bruins on Saturday.

Saint Peter’s vs. Murray State: It was an awesome win for Saint Peter’s but the College GameDay crew is predicting Murray State advances.

New Mexico State vs. Arkansas: Bilas, Greenberg and Ellis all have the Muss-Bus and Arkansas continuing on.

Memphis vs. Gonzaga: The No. 1 team in the country won’t go down today — the crew is all on Gonzaga.

CGD Crew Picks:

Jay Bilas: Baylor, Kansas, Tennessee, Providence, UCLA, Murray State, Arkansas, Gonzaga

LaPhonso Ellis: Baylor, Kansas, Tennessee, Providence, UCLA, Murray State, Arkansas, Gonzaga

Seth Greenberg: Baylor, Kansas, Tennessee, Richmond, UCLA, Murray State, Arkansas, Gonzaga