March Madness 2022 officially gets started prior to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, will cut the bracket down from 68 to 64 teams.

Here are predictions against the spread for the 2022 First Four games. Betting odds come from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Tuesday, March 15

No. 16 Texas Southern (-3.5) vs. No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 137

Without a single player that averages double digits in points, Texas Southern scores fewer than 70 points per game. The Tigers’ offense improved during conference play, but the unit could struggle in its biggest game of the season. Texas A&M-CC has won four straight games by an average of 9.8 points. They could be primed to pull off the short upset.

Prediction ATS: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

No. 12 Wyoming (+4) vs. No. 12 Indiana, 132

Indiana made its way into the First Four by defeating Michigan and Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament. Does that mean the Hoosiers have turned their season around? Ten of their 13 losses have come against NCAA Tournament teams. Wyoming will have its hands full with Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is averaging 22 points on 64.9% shooting in the last five games.

Prediction ATS: Indiana

Wednesday, March 16

No. 16 Wright State (-2) vs. No. 16 Bryant, 152.5

Bryant has already overcome significant odds, making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs did so in dominant fashion, defeating Wagner 70-43 in the NEC Championship Game. Bryant has 15 wins in its last 16 games, and guard Peter Kiss leads the nation with 25.1 points per game. Wright State has 12 losses against teams that failed to make the Big Dance.

Prediction ATS: Bryant

No. 11 Rutgers (PK) vs. No. 11 Notre Dame, 132

Rutgers can play with anyone. The Scarlet Knights seem to raise their level of play against the toughest opponents. Rutgers has marquee wins over Purdue, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Illinois. Aside from an early-season win over Kentucky, Notre Dame doesn’t own a victory over a team seeded higher than No. 8 in the March Madness bracket. After going 15-5 in a weak ACC, the Fighting Irish won’t make it to the first round.

Prediction ATS: Rutgers

First-Four-NCAA-March-Madness-2016
The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles meet in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 15, 2016, in Dayton, Ohio. Joe Robbins/Getty Images
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