NCAA Bracket 2022: Highlighting Favorites and Cinderella Teams for March Madness

If the loss of one precious hour of sleep Sunday morning didn't already make it clear for you, it is March. And while seasonal allergies and surprise snowstorms are some of the month's less enjoyable harbingers, the beginning of March Madness is exciting enough to make us (mostly) forget about all that. 

In the evening on Selection Sunday, after the conclusion of the conference tournaments, the 68-team field for the NCAA men's Division I basketball tournament bracket was revealed. The First Four is set to kick off on March 15 and the first round on March 17. 

For the second consecutive year, Gonzaga earned a No. 1 seed, with the other three going to Arizona, Kansas and Baylor.

The last four teams in were Indiana, Notre Dame, Rutgers and Wyoming. The first four out were Dayton, Oklahoma, SMU and Texas A&M. 

Let's take a closer look at this year's favorites as well as Cinderella teams and break down how you should approach filling out your bracket. More information for tuning in to March Madness action is below. 

2022 NCAA Tournament Dates

March 13: Selection Sunday

March 15-16: First Four

March 17-18: First round

March 19-20: Second round  

March 24-25: Sweet 16

March 26-27: Elite Eight

April 2: Final Four (Caesars Superdome, New Orleans)

April 4: Championship (Caesars Superdome, New Orleans)

Favorites to Watch

Gonzaga's ascent to college basketball's highest ranks has been exciting to watch, and after going 26-3, the Bulldogs find themselves with a top seed heading into the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard were on last year's team that made the national championship.

Could the Bulldogs address their unfinished business this year? It's a safe bet. Gonzaga comes into the tournament outscoring its opponents by an average of 23 points per game. Its KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency (121.8) is the best in the nation. 

Gonzaga faces No. 16 Georgia St. in the first round. 

No. 1 seed Arizona, unsurprisingly, also has a top-five adjusted offensive efficiency (119.6) and is the second No. 1 seed in the top five. (Nos. 2 through 4 are Iowa, Purdue and Kentucky, which are five, three and two seeds in the Big Dance.)

The Wildcats will face the winner of the first four matchup between No. 16 Wright State or Bryant. They are powered by Bennedict Mathurin, who has been one of the nation's best players, averaging 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. 

Gonzaga is the favorite to win it all at +300 odds (bet $300 to win $100), followed by Arizona at +650 and Kentucky at +800, according to DraftKings. 

Cinderella Teams to Watch 

Conventional wisdom holds that the best Cinderella picks are No. 12 seeds against No. 5 seeds, and for a time, that was true.

Since the NCAA tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there have been 51 12-5 upsets, per NCAA.com. In that same span, however, 54 No. 11 seeds have defeated No. 6 seeds.

In the last five years, No. 11 seeds have gone 11-9 against their No. 6 counterparts, making this the matchup du jour when choosing Cinderella teams. Just think of last year's No. 11 UCLA Bruins team that defeated BYU and advanced all the way to the Final Four.

This year's No. 11 seeds are either Rutgers or Notre Dame in the West, Virginia Tech in the East, Michigan in the South and Iowa State in the Midwest. 

Of those teams, Virginia Tech is one to watch. The Hokies are on a tear after defeating No. 1 Duke in the ACC Championship Game, their first ever ACC title. They entered as a No. 7 seed. 

After going 23-12 in the regular season, Virginia Tech will face No. 6 Texas in the first round. Though the Longhorns are building for postseason success under coach Chris Beard, Virginia Tech is a nice pick here. Texas last won an NCAA game in 2014 and has lost its last four first-round matchups. 

For an even deeper Cinderella team, if you think Duke losing two of its last four entering the tournament signifies deeper troubles for the Blue Devils, make No. 15 Cal State Fullerton one of your first-round fliers. The Big West champions are led by graduate transfer E.J. Anosike.

Sure, Duke faltering in a weak ACC still makes them a safer bet than a team making its fourth March Madness appearance ever in Cal State Fullerton, but the Titans come into the Big Dance strong after winning their last four. 

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