Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: Picks for Day 1 of the 2024-2025 season

The season is here and that means that the games count and the betting markets are going to be open for business until early April. Happy Tip-Off

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Michael Ajayi (1) watches his shot from the three-point line during the first half of their exhibition game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Michael Ajayi (1) watches his shot from the three-point line during the first half of their exhibition game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. | Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Happy tip off to all of you college hoops junkies out there. It is now finally time for the picks of the day to come back. It will be a be a daily post where I will highlight the big stories from the day before and then give you my picks for every game of the next day. These picks are going to be based on who I think will win the matchup. They are straight up winners and I do not pick using point spreads. 

Today is a huge day as it is opening day. I will only preview the games between two division 1 teams. The games against non division 1 competition will not be featured. Lets get into it the picks for day 1 of the 2024-2025 season are below.

Charleston over Southern Illinois

Santa Clara over Saint Louis

Stanford over Denver

Harvard over Marist

Liberty over Valparaiso

Temple over Sacred Heart

Purdue over Texas A&M Corpus Christi

McNeese over South Dakota State

Delaware over Bucknell

Appalachian State over Miami Ohio

St. John’s over Fordham

Butler over Missouri State

Duke over Maine

Tennessee over Gardner-Webb

Texas A&M over UCF

Cincinnati over Pine Bluff

Kentucky over Wright State

UNC Greensboro over Florida Gulf Coast

Columbia over Loyola Maryland

Penn over NJIT

Michigan State over Monmouth

Coastal Carolina over Western Michigan

Troy over Toledo

Ohio over James Madison

Georgia Southern over Northern Illinois

Old Dominion over Buffalo

Georgia State over Ball State

Brown over Siena

Saint Bonaventure over Cal State Northridge

NC State over South Carolina Upstate

UMass over New Hampshire

Dayton over St Francis

George Mason over NC Central

Pitt over Radford

Miami over Fairleigh Dickinson

Florida State over Northern Kentucky

Providence over Central Connecticut

South Carolina over North Florida

Maryland over Manhattan

West Virginia over Robert Morris

Syracuse over Le Moyne

Princeton over Iona

Louisville over Morehead State

Clemson over Charleston Southern

VCU over Bellarmine

Saint Joseph’s over Navy

La Salle over American

Florida Atlantic over Indiana State

UAB over Vermont

Boston University over Northeastern

Xavier over Texas Southern

Seton Hall over Saint Peter’s

Penn State over Binghamton

Mississippi State over West Georgia

Georgia over Tennessee Tech

Kansas over Howard

Nebraska over Texas Rio Grande Valley

Houston over Jackson State

Iowa State over Mississippi Valley State

Vanderbilit over Maryland Eastern Shore

Illinois State over Tennessee-Martin

Bradley over Southeast Missouri

Wichita State over Western Kentucky

Albany over Army

Yale over Quinnipiac

Louisiana over Kent State

Texas State over Eastern Michigan

South Alabama over Central Michigan

Southern Mississippi over Bowling Green

Arkansas State over Akron

Charlotte over Presbyterian

Rhode Island over Fairfield

George Washington over Mercyhurst

Villanova over Lafayette

DePaul over Southern Indiana

Wisconsin over Holy Cross

Northwestern over Lehigh

Iowa over Texas A&M Commerce

Missouri over Memphis

Duquesne over Lipscomb

Michigan over Cleveland State

Illinois over Eastern Illinois

TCU over Florida A&M

Virginia Tech over Delaware State

Boston College over The Citadel

Wake Forest over Coppin State

Marquette over Stony Brook

Florida over South Florida

Ole Miss over Long Island

Loyola Chicago over Chicago State

SMU over Tarleton State

Alabama over UNC Asheville

North Carolina over Elon

Oklahoma over Lindenwood

Grand Canyon over Fullerton

New Mexico over Nicholls

South Dakota over Southern

Utah over Alcorn State

Oklahoma State over Green Bay

Colorado over Eastern Washington

Colorado State over North Dakota

North Alabama over Air Force

Arizona over Canisius

Texas over Ohio State

Oregon State over Utah Tech

Saint Mary’s over Towson

San Jose State over Western Illinois

Nevada over Sam Houston

USC over Chattanooga

Cal Baptist over Incarnate Word

UCLA over Rider

Oregon over Riverside

Washington State over Portland State

Gonzaga over Baylor

UNLV over Alabama State

California over Bakersfield

There are a lot of pretty good games on the opening night slate. No game is going to be better than Gonzaga and Baylor. Everyone gets a top-10 matchup on opening night. The first big game of the day in the Field of 68 showcase of Charleston and Southern Illinois is a game between two very good mid-major teams. Texas and Ohio State and Missouri and Memphis will be good games as well. West Georgia and Mercyhurst make their Division 1 debuts.