The 16th-seeded Norfolk State Spartans will try to pull off a monumental upset on Thursday when they take on the East Region's top seed, the Baylor Bears, in a 2022 NCAA Tournament First Round matchup. The Spartans (24-6) are in the tournament for the second straight year as the MEAC champion. They lost by 43 to Gonzaga last year after edging Appalachian State in the First Four. The Bears (26-6) are the defending NCAA champion and rank fourth in the nation but come in off a 72-67 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.  

Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The Bears are 20.5-point favorites in the latest Norfolk State vs. Baylor college basketball odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the Over-Under is set at 136.5 (Head over to our college basketball odds page for up-to-date odds on every game). 

Before you make any Baylor vs. Norfolk State picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows the Bears have been dominant all season, on both ends. They rank in the top 30 in the nation in both scoring offense (76.5 per game, 30th) and defense (63.6, 27th). They play excellent defense on the perimeter, limiting opponents to 29.9 percent from 3-point range (21st). LJ Cryer (13.5 points per game) is out with a foot injury, but fellow guards James Akinjo (13.4) and Adam Flagler (13.4) can give opponents fits. 

The model also has considered that Norfolk State is the school that stunned second-seeded Missouri 86-84 in its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012. The Spartans are led by MEAC Player of the Year Joe Bryant, who leads the team in points (16.8 per game), assists (3.3) and steals (1.5). Fellow senior guard Jalen Hawkins averages 13.4 points, and forwards Kris Bankston (11.3) and Dana Tate (9.9) make up a formidable front court that limited teams to 38.6 percent shooting, the sixth-best mark in the nation.

Now, the model has broken down the Norfolk State vs. Baylor matchup from every angle and revealed its results. We can tell you the model is leaning Over the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in more than 60 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Baylor vs. Norfolk State in their 2022 NCAA Tournament opener? And which side of the spread hits more than 60 percent of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Norfolk State vs. Baylor spread you should be all over Thursday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!