The biggest storylines of Thursday's first round of March Madness 2022

Strap in. The action is about to begin. Now that we've trimmed the teams from 68 to a neat 64, the first round of the 2022 NCAA men's tournament is set to commence. Sixteen teams will take to courts in Buffalo, Fort Worth, Indianapolis on Thursday, but there are no guarantees on who will make it through to Saturday. Will 1-seeds Gonzaga, Baylor and Kansas survive? Will No. 2 seed Kentucky handle Saint Peter's and avoid the fate that befell 2-seed Ohio State against Oral Roberts in 2021? Which player will save his team from elimination and become a household name?

ESPN's college basketball team of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi considered all those questions and made some predictions for the first round of March Madness.

Brackets are open! Head to the Tournament Challenge and fill out your bracket now!

All times Eastern

12:15 p.m.: 11 Michigan Wolverines vs. 6 Colorado State Rams, CBS12:40 p.m.: 13 South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs. 4 Providence Friars, truTV1:45 p.m.: 9 Memphis Tigers vs. 8 Boise State Broncos, TNT2 p.m.: 16 Norfolk State Spartans vs. 1 Baylor Bears, TBS2:45 p.m.: 14 Longwood Lancers vs. 3 Tennessee Volunteers, CBS3:10 p.m.: 12 Richmond Spiders vs. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes, truTV4:15 p.m.: 16 Georgia State Panthers vs. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs, TNT4:30 p.m.: 9 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels, TBS6:50 p.m.: 12 New Mexico State Aggies vs. 5 UConn Huskies, TNT7:10 p.m.: 15 Saint Peter's Peacocks vs. 2 Kentucky Wildcats, CBS7:20 p.m.: 12 Indiana Hoosiers vs. 5 Saint Mary's Gaels, TBS7:27 p.m.: 9 Creighton Bluejays vs. 8 San Diego State Aztecs, truTV9:20 p.m.: 13 Vermont Catamounts vs. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks, TNT9:40 p.m.: 10 San Francisco Dons vs. 7 Murray State Racers, CBS