NCAA Bracket 2022: Forecasting Potentially Epic 1st-Round Matchups

On March 13, the 68-team field for the 2022 men's NCAA tournament will be announced. By April 4, only one team will be left standing, celebrating a national championship victory to cap the 2021-22 season.

March Madness is always one of the best sporting events of the year thanks to the unpredictability of what may unfold. Some heavy favorites may reach the Final Four in New Orleans, but there's always the potential for a Cinderella run by an underdog.

Before any of that happens, the field will need to be set. The winners of the 32 conference tournaments will receive automatic bids to the NCAA tourney, while the other 36 teams will be chosen by the selection committee.

Based on recent projections by bracketology experts, here's a look at several exciting first-round matchups that could take place.

Michigan State vs. Notre Dame

Michael Allio/Associated Press

Michigan State may not be having its best season, but head coach Tom Izzo has proved he's capable of getting the Spartans to play their best basketball in March. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has been one of the top teams in the ACC this year and may be capable of a deep NCAA tournament run.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi is projecting these two teams could face off in the first round, with Michigan State as a No. 7 seed and Notre Dame as a No. 10 seed. Things could change based on how the Big Ten and ACC tournaments go, but it would be exciting to watch the Spartans and Fighting Irish face off.

Although Michigan State opened the season with 14 wins in its first 16 games, it has gone 5-9 since. But if the Spartans can get hot in their conference tourney, they have proved they can reel off wins.

Notre Dame has won 12 of its past 15 games, which helped it secure the No. 2 seed in the ACC tournament. If the Fighting Irish fare well in the conference tourney, they could greatly improve their projected seeding for the Big Dance. But they may have a hard time taking down teams such as Duke or North Carolina.

These are two strong programs that could put on a thrilling March Madness contest, one that would likely be among the best of the first round.

Iowa vs. Creighton

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Iowa is putting together a strong finish to the regular season, having won eight of its past nine games entering its matchup with Illinois on Sunday night. The Hawkeyes also boast one of the top scorers in the country, as sophomore forward Keegan Murray ranks fourth in the nation with 23.3 points per game.

However, Iowa will face some challenging opponents in the Big Ten tournament, and Jerry Palm of CBS Sports is projecting the Hawkeyes to be a No. 8 seed. Still, Murray is the type of player who could power a team to a strong performance during March Madness.

If Iowa ends up as a No. 8 seed, it could face a solid team in the first round of the NCAA tourney, which Palm is projecting to be No. 9-seeded Creighton. The Bluejays have fared well this season, going 12-7 in Big East play, and they have four players averaging double digits in points.

As is often the case in games between Nos. 8 and 9 seeds, a matchup between Iowa and Creighton could go either way. So it would be exciting to see whether Murray could lead the Hawkeyes past the Bluejays' balanced scoring attack.

LSU vs. Wyoming

Matthew Idler/Associated Press

It's difficult to predict which teams could be Cinderellas in March Madness. One team that stands out this season is Wyoming, which could have a strong showing in the Mountain West tournament as the No. 4 seed and solidify its spot in the NCAA tourney.

The Cowboys would have a difficult path in March Madness, though. Both Lunardi and Palm are projecting Wyoming to play LSU in the first round as the lower-seeded team. But if the Cowboys got past the Tigers, it could spark a deep underdog run for them.

Wyoming has a formidable duo in sophomore forward Graham Ike (19.9 points per game) and senior guard Hunter Maldonado (18.7). But that doesn't mean LSU couldn't slow them, as the Tigers have been tested by tough SEC competition all season and could benefit from that when the NCAA tourney arrives.

If this matchup comes to fruition, Wyoming could pull off one of the bigger upsets of the opening round. But LSU wouldn't make it easy on the Cowboys, setting the stage for this to be a fun matchup.