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Jay Bilas Correctly Predicts First Round NCAA Tournament Upset
© Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jay Bilas Correctly Predicts First Round NCAA Tournament Upset

Originally posted on Athlon Sports  |  By Max Escarpio  |  Last updated Mar 20, 2025 10:02 PM ET

The first round of the NCAA Tournament is underway, meaning the chaos of March Madness has officially arrived. 

A few teams have already advanced to the second round of the tournament, including Houston, Tennessee, Arkansas, BYU, McNeese State and Creighton. 

In the matchup between the No. 9 Creighton Bluejays and No. 8 Louisville Cardinals, the team out of the Big East pulled off the upset. 

Creighton entered the game as a 3.5-point favorite, per ESPN BET. 

Just before the NCAA Tournament begun, college basketball analyst Jay Bilas revealed his official bracket, showcasing his picks for the first round. 

When predicting the first round, Bilas predicted Creighton would upset the Cardinals, mainly crediting his pick to Bluejays star Ryan Kalkbrenner. 

Kalkbrenner proved to be too much for the Cardinals to handle as Bilas suggested before the matchup. He had an extremely efficient game, posting 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks, shooting 6-of-8 from the field.  

The Bluejays also had an incredible showing from Jamiya Neal who recorded 29 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. 

Creighton will now advance to the Round of 32, set to play the No. 1 Auburn Tigers. 

Auburn recently defeated the No. 16-seeded Alabama State Hornets 83-63, dominating their first-round matchup. 

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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