NCAA Bracket 2022: Picks, Odds Advice, Schedule After Tuesday's First 4 Games

The Indiana Hoosiers have the look of a team that could become the next First Four winner to earn multiple victories in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Mike Woodson's team will likely have to win a second straight low-scoring contest to join the likes of the 2021 UCLA Bruins and 2018 Syracuse Orange as First Four winners to make runs in March Madness.

Indiana enjoys playing at a slow pace, and so do the Saint Mary's Gaels, which means every possession will be valuable Thursday in Portland, Oregon.

Saint Mary's opened as a slight favorite for the No. 5-No. 12 battle. The Hoosiers should keep the contest close and low scoring, which is why the under of 126.5 points is in play as well.

The Texas Southern Tigers were Tuesday's first winner in Dayton, Ohio. The Tigers also pride themselves on their defense, and that could help them cover the large spread against the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks.

Updated NCAA Tournament Bracket

Odds Advice

No. 12 Indiana (+2.5) vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's 

Indiana and Saint Mary's have no problems playing games in the high 50s and low 60s.

The Hoosiers came into Tuesday with the seventh-best two-point defense, per KenPom.com, and the 23rd-best team in defensive effective field-goal percentage.

Woodson's team did not look out of a rhythm in its low-scoring first half against the Wyoming Cowboys on Tuesday. Indiana grinded out a halftime lead in a game wherein reaching 25 points felt like a struggle in the first half.

Trayce Jackson-Davis was fantastic down low in a 29-point performance in the 66-58 victory over Wyoming.

Jackson-Davis must be effective again Thursday for the Hoosiers to deal with one of the slowest teams in the country.

Saint Mary's plays at the 338th-rated adjusted tempo, per KenPom, and it held the Gonzaga Bulldogs to 57 points in its regular-season finale. In fact, the Gaels closed out the WCC regular season with four concessions below 65 points.

The Gaels will force Indiana to be as efficient as possible on offense to win the contest, but the Hoosiers can pull the upset if Jackson-Davis remains strong down low.

Saint Mary's does not have a high-scoring paint threat who can match Jackson-Davis, and the guard advantage it has against most teams in senior Tommy Kuhse could be cancelled out by Xavier Johnson.

If Jackson-Davis plays the way he did Tuesday, Indiana has a chance to not only cover and win as an underdog in the first round but also do it in future matchups if it beats Saint Mary's.

No. 16 Texas Southern (+21.5) vs. No. 1 Kansas

Kansas has been a No. 1 seed in the men's NCAA tournament seven times since 2010.

The Jayhawks have an average margin of victory of 20.3 points in their six contests against No. 16 seeds over the past 11 years. Kansas produced a similar level of dominance in nonconference play this season, beating five of its seven opponents ranked outside the top 100 on KenPom by 20 or more points.

Texas Southern comes into Thursday as the No. 186 team in the KenPom rankings, so you would think the Jayhawks will have an easy time with the Tigers. However, Texas Southern has been in this situation two previous times and lost both contests by under 20 points.

The Tigers fell to the Michigan Wolverines by 16 points last season after winning their First Four contest.

The SWAC tournament champion also remained within 20 points in six of its seven losses to begin the season. It capped a tough nonconference slate with a win over the Florida Gators.

Texas Southern's defense should be the key to covering the spread. The Tigers rank 18th in two-point defense and 20th in three-point defense on KenPom.

Kansas possesses some similar defensive metrics, such as its 24th-ranked three-point defense, but only four of its 17 wins in the Big 12 came by more than 20 points.

The Jayhawks may pull away with ease, and if that happens, it could use some of its second-string players to close out the contest, which may result in Texas Southern getting within the 21.5-point spread in defeat.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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