March Madness 2014: Bracket Predictions, Odds, Tips for 2nd-Round Day 1 Schedule

The Madness is finally here, and the first day of Round 2 promises to provide some thrilling matchups fans won't soon forget.

Fans know the drill. Every seed is in action, and no team—minus the No. 1 seeds—are safe to advance to the next round given the parity of the collegiate basketball world. Conference, records and mostly the seeds themselves go out the window on a neutral site in the sporting world's biggest event.

In other words, don't miss out on any of the action. The following is a complete schedule for Thursday and odds for the field.

All Your Bracket Essentials:

• Download the Printable Bracket
• Follow the Latest Bracket Updates Live
• Play the Free Bracket Challenge

Bleacher Report

Round 2 Day 1 Schedule

South Region
East Region
West Region
Midwest Region
Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream	Prediction
No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Dayton	Noon	CBS	March Madness Live	Dayton
No. 8 Colorado vs. No. 9 Pittsburgh	1:30 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live	Pittsburgh
No. 3 Syracuse vs. No. 14 Western Michigan	2:45 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live	Syracuse
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Albany	4:10 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live	Florida
Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream	Prediction
No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 12 Harvard	2:00 p.m.	TNT	March Madness Live	Cincinnati
No. 4 Michigan State vs. No. 14 Delaware	4:40 p.m.	TNT	March Madness Live	Michigan State
No. 7 Connecticut vs. No. 10 Saint Joseph's	6:55 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live	Saint Joseph's
No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 15 Milwaukee	9:25 p.m.	TBS	March Madness Live	Villanova
Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream	Prediction
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 15 American	12:30 p.m.	Tru	March Madness Live	Wisconsin
No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 BYU	3:10 p.m.	Tru	March Madness Live	Oregon
No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 N. Dakota St.	7:27 p.m.	Tru	March Madness Live	Oklahoma
No. 4 San Diego St. vs. No. 13 New Mexico St.	9:57 p.m.	Tru	March Madness Live	San Diego St.
Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream	Prediction
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Wofford	7:10 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live	Michigan
No. 5 Saint Louis vs. No. 12 NC State	7:20 p.m.	TNT	March Madness Live	Saint Louis
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Arizona State	9:40 p.m.	CBS	March Madness Live	Arizona St.
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 Manhattan	9:50 p.m.	TNT	March Madness Live	Louisville

NCAA Tournament Odds

Team	Odds
Florida	5-1
Michigan State	11-2
Arizona	8-1
Louisville	8-1
Kansas	10-1
Wichita State	15-1
Syracuse	18-1
Duke	18-1
Virginia	18-1
Wisconsin	20-1
Michigan	30-1
Creighton	35-1
Villanova	35-1
Iowa State	40-1
UCLA	45-1
North Carolina	50-1
Kentucky	50-1
Oklahoma State	60-1
San Diego State	65-1
Ohio State	65-1
Oklahoma	75-1
Baylor	75-1
UConn	80-1
VCU	90-1
Cincinnati	90-1
Pittsburgh	95-1
Oregon	100-1
Tennessee	115-1
New Mexico	115-1
UMass	125-1
Iowa	125-1
Memphis	125-1
Gonzaga	125-1
Texas	125-1
Saint Louis	125-1
Providence	225-1
Stanford	225-1
Kansas State	300-1
St Joseph's	350-1
Nebraska	450-1
Dayton	500-1
BYU	500-1
Colorado	500-1
Xavier	500-1
Arizona State	500-1
George Washington	500-1
N.C. State	900-1
Harvard	1000-1
North Dakota State	1000-1
Field (Any Other Team)	100-1

Odds via VegasInsider.com

No. 8 Colorado vs. No. 9 Pittsburgh (-6.5)

Given the seeds (which certainly deserve a double-take at first glance), this one has the makings of one of the tournament's first upsets.

Outside of the obvious, such as the Pittsburgh Panthers playing a brutal schedule in the ACC, there are plenty of reasons to roll with them—and even take them to win by more than the provided spread.

For one, the Buffaloes have struggled against bigger programs all season, with notable losses to the likes of Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA. Those teams tout strong defenses, which is something that already concerns Colorado as they prepare for the matchup with the Panthers.

Coach Tad Boyle spoke about the aggressive Pittsburgh defense and the challenges it presents, according to Tom Kensler of The Denver Post:

"

Pittsburgh is a very physical team, a very good defensive team. We're going to work with Josh (on double-teams). In the game of basketball, if there are two guys on you, then somebody's open.

We have to find that open guy. We have to get the ball moving. We have to get Pittsburgh's guys in rotations. The fact that they double the post at times can be a good thing for us if we handle it the right way.

"

Colorado is going to have a tough time scoring consistently, and things won't be much prettier on the opposite end of the court. The combination of Lamar Patterson (17.6 points per game) and Talib Zanna (12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds) will have too much firepower for the Buffaloes to match in a defensive encounter.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 73, Colorado 64

No. 7 Connecticut (-4.5) vs. No. 10 Saint Joseph's

The tale of the tape between the Huskies and Hawks is pretty simple—the two tout opposite strengths, as Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports points out:

While perhaps becoming a risky Cinderella pick given the publicity it has received, Saint Joseph's has the potential to breeze by Connecticut en route to bigger things.

The reasons abound. There's senior Langston Galloway, one of the bracket's better overall scorers as noted by his 17.5 points per game average. There's also seniors Halil Kanacevic (10.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game) and Ronald Roberts Jr. (14.4 points, 7.4 rebounds) down low.

Notice a trend? The Hawks are experienced, and that goes a long way in the Big Dance. It's great the Huskies feature strong guard play, but with the lanes clogged thanks to the aforementioned duo, a live-or-die strategy from distance is not a good gamble.

When push comes to shove, the Hawks have what it takes to win under the rim.

Prediction: Saint Joseph's 69, Connecticut 64