NCAA Bracket 2014: First- and Second-Round Schedule, Odds for Top Teams
March Madness is finally here, which means it's time for everyone to fill out their brackets and prepare for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament coming up this week.
On Tuesday, 68 teams will begin fighting to make it to the Final Four in Arlington, Texas, and eventually to the national championship game on April 7. There will be upsets, Cinderella stories and amazing finishes, as the college basketball season seems to get extra crazy once the tournament begins.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the schedule for the first and second rounds as well as odds for the top teams and a couple of predictions for the second-round games.
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You can view the official NCAA bracket here.
First- and Second-Round Schedule
| Tue, March 18 | (16) Albany vs. (16) Mt. St. Mary's | 6:40 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Tue, March 18 | (12) NC State vs. (12) Xavier | 9:10 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Wed, March 19 | (16) Cal Poly vs. (16) Texas Southern | 6:40 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Wed, March 19 | (11) Iowa vs. (11) Tennessee | 9:10 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (11) Dayton vs. (6) Ohio State | 12:15 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (15) American vs. (2) Wisconsin | 12:40 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (9) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Colorado | 1:40 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (12) Harvard vs. (5) Cincinnati | 2:10 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (14) Western Michigan vs. (3) Syracuse | 2:45 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (10) BYU vs. (7) Oregon | 3:10 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (16) Albany/Mt. St. Mary's vs. (1) Florida | 4:10 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (13) Delaware vs. (4) Michigan State | 4:40 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (10) Saint Joseph's vs. (7) Connecticut | 6:55 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (15) Wofford vs. (2) Michigan | 7:10 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (12) NC State/Xavier vs. (5) Saint Louis | 7:20 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (12) North Dakota St. vs. (5) Oklahoma | 7:27 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (15) Milwaukee vs. (2) Villanova | 9:25 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (10) Arizona State vs. (7) Texas | 9:40 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (13) Manhattan vs. (4) Louisville | 9:50 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Thu, March 20 | (13) New Mexico St. vs. (4) San Diego State | 9:57 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (14) Mercer vs. (3) Duke | 12:15 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (11) Nebraska vs. (6) Baylor | 12:40 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (10) Stanford vs. (7) New Mexico | 1:40 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (16) Weber State vs. (1) Arizona | 2:10 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (11) Iowa/Tennessee vs. (5) Massachusetts | 2:45 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (14) LA-Lafayette vs. (3) Creighton | 3:10 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (15) Eastern Kentucky vs. (2) Kansas | 4:10 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (9) Oklahoma State vs. (8) Gonzaga | 4:40 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (9) George Washington vs. (8) Memphis | 6:55 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (16) Cal Poly/Texas Southern vs. (1) Wichita State | 7:10 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (11) Providence vs. (6) North Carolina | 7:20 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (12) Stephen F. Austin vs. (5) VCU | 7:27 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (16) Coastal Carolina vs. (1) Virginia | 9:25 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (9) Kansas State vs. (8) Kentucky | 9:40 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (14) North Carolina Central vs. (3) Iowa State | 9:50 p.m. | TNT | March Madness Live |
| Fri, March 21 | (13) Tulsa vs. (4) UCLA | 9:57 p.m. | truTV | March Madness Live |
Odds
| Florida | 11-2 |
| Kansas | 6-2 |
| Arizona | 15-2 |
| Wichita State | 8-1 |
| Duke | 10-1 |
| Michigan State | 10-1 |
| Syracuse | 16-1 |
| Wisconsin | 18-1 |
| Louisville | 18-1 |
| Villanova | 18-1 |
| Michigan | 20-1 |
| Virginia | 20-1 |
| Creighton | 28-1 |
| Field (any other team) | 30-1 |
| San Diego State | 40-1 |
| Kentucky | 40-1 |
| North Carolina | 40-1 |
| Oklahoma State | 45-1 |
| Iowa State | 45-1 |
| Iowa | 55-1 |
Predictions
Stephen F. Austin Becomes This Year's Cinderella Story
Every year, one team emerges as a true Cinderella story, coming out of nowhere to make a surprisingly deep run. Last year, it was the No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, who made it all the way to the Sweet 16 before falling to the Florida Gators.
This year, that team might be the Southland Conference's Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
It's been a terrific year for the Lumberjacks, who went 31-2 with a perfect 18-0 conference record. Their losses came against Texas and East Tennessee State.
One of the big reasons for the Lumberjacks' success has been their ability to distribute the ball. They've averaged an impressive 16.6 assists per game this season, ranking eighth in the nation. Their perimeter defense has been strong as well, allowing just 136 three-pointers all year.
Former Indiana player and current radio host Dan Dakich had the Lumberjacks as one of his teams to look out for in the tournament:
The Lumberjacks will start the tournament against a former Cinderella team in the VCU Rams, who are heading into the tournament after losing to Saint Joseph's in the A-10 championship. If SF Austin can get through the Rams, it will play either UCLA or Tulsa, both of which could be winnable games if the Lumberjacks stay hot.
It's pretty difficult to predict which team will come out of nowhere in the tournament, but the Lumberjacks look like a pretty safe bet to be this year's Cinderella story.
Kansas Falls in Second Round to Eastern Kentucky
In the past two NCAA tournaments, three No. 2 seeds lost to No. 15 seeds. Last year, it was Florida Gulf Coast beating Georgetown. In 2012, it was Lehigh taking down Duke and Norfolk State upsetting Missouri.
This year, the Kansas Jayhawks are on upset alert.
Despite tons of young talent on the Kansas roster, this team has struggled with consistency at times, especially as the season has wound down. Over the last five games, the Jayhawks have gone just 2-3, losing to Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Iowa State.
To make matters worse, the Jayhawks are going to be without one of their best players for the first week of the tournament. According to KUAthletics.com, head coach Bill Self had this to say about Joel Embiid, who hasn't played since March 1 against Oklahoma State due to a back injury:
"Based on that, this weekend (in the Big 12 Championship) is out. Next weekend, we feel like is a longshot, but the doctors are hopeful that if Joel works hard in rehab and progresses that it is possible that he could play in the later rounds of the NCAA Tournament if our team is fortunate enough to advance.
"
Despite being a No. 15 seed, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels aren't going to be pushovers. They have an extremely efficient offense, averaging 79 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the field. Their scoring comes from everywhere, as they have five players averaging at least nine points per game. Glenn Cosey is leading the way with 18.8 per contest.
Anything can happen in the NCAA tournament, so the Jayhawks better be focused heading into this game; otherwise, they could be leaving much earlier than expected.
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