NCAA Bracket 2015: March Madness Info Guide, Early Odds and Tournament Advice

The 2015 NCAA tournament tips off soon, so it's about that time to start filling out a bracket—or eight—to predict how this year's March Madness showcase will play out.

According to a report by USA Today's Chris Chase from last year, the odds of creating the perfect bracket are approximately 9.2 quintillion to one. A rather safe bet, though, is declaring the Kentucky Wildcats as national champions.

Kentucky has the look of a historic team after completing a 31-0 regular season. Coach John Calipari's squad will be the prohibitive favorite and top overall seed, with few formidable challengers standing in the way before the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Read on for the early national title odds, along with bracket advice for this year's tourney.

All Your Bracket Essentials

• Download the Printable Bracket
• Play the Free Bracket Challenge

Key Tournament Information

Dates: March 17 through April 6

Channels: CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV

Live Stream: March Madness Live

Bracket and Schedule

Team	Odds
Kentucky	1-1
Wisconsin	13-2
Duke	13-2
Villanova	8-1
Arizona	12-1
Virginia	17-1
Gonzaga	22-1
North Carolina	25-1
Iowa State	35-1

2015 NCAA Tournament Advice

Don't Get Too Upset Crazy

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Rare is it for a Cinderella to make it out of the round of 32. Dayton was a grand exception last year in its amazing run to the Elite Eight, but even that featured a one-point win in the opener versus Ohio State and numerous other close calls along the way.

Name-recognition programs aren't a bad way to go when in doubt over a pick. Many envisioned Wichita State making a deep 2014 run until the Shockers were upended by none other than Kentucky, who, to be fair, went on to the national final.

Wichita State has plenty of motivation after being labeled a seventh seed, while Northern Iowa is in the wide-open East region and could make a deep run of its own.

Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star hinted that those could be good Cinderella candidates:

Mid-major upstarts, save for Brad Stevens' best Butler teams, can't be counted on for stringing together multiple wins more often than not, though. UConn made a tremendous run to last year's title, but the Huskies have a rich tradition and showed signs of greatness, losing three of their eight games to Louisville.

This rule of thumb goes even for the higher seeds, which means this year's stay-away perceived contender is Gonzaga.

A disappointing home loss to BYU saw the Bulldogs blow a shot at a No. 1 seed and a chance at posting a perfect conference record. KenPom.com has Gonzaga's schedule ranked 83rd in the country, so the step up in competition will send the Zags home early again.

Recency bias can come into play during conference tournament week. Don't let those short-term results shade bracket picks too much, because the same freakish scenarios that unfold in the one-and-done Big Dance can unfold when a berth to the NCAA tourney is on the line.

The 12-Over-5 Rule

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Almost every year since the tournament field expanded to at least 64 teams, a 12th seed has pulled an upset over a No. 5. This is the best route to go in gauging which second-round games to choose unexpected winners in.

In each of the past two years, three of the four No. 12s have emerged victorious and advanced to the third round, which reflects the parity in college basketball—outside of Lexington, Kentucky, at least.

Since the field is yet to be set, it's too early to name specific candidates to pull off the trick this time around. Just know that there's a good bet it'll occur, based on both recent and long-ranging history. Only once since 2000 has this specific upset not happened.

The best teams in this year's bracket should be safe bets to go deep—mitigating the prospects of a 12-seed making it much further than the round of 32.

Kentucky has been discussed and will be in more detail in the next section, but Wisconsin made the Final Four last year and may have the best overall player in Frank Kaminsky on its side. Arizona has gotten a spark from first-year dynamo Stanley Johnson on offense and will have Brandon Ashley for its 2015 run.

Following an 80-52 blowout of Oregon to win the Pac-12 tournament, Ashley weighed in on how well his squad has jelled.

"For every great team, there comes a point where you really have to come together as a team, and we've done a great job of doing that," said Ashley, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "It's just the right time; everyone seems to be clicking."

Then there are the Duke Blue Devils, whose backcourt of Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones is among the nation's best. Jahlil Okafor is the difference-maker up front, though. The massive big man should be driven to have a fine tournament to bolster his chances of being the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

The field should be top-heavy, so don't get too caught up in trying to will a 12-seed on a crazy streak and lay waste to everything in its path. The Cinderellas are bound to get tripped up if they face an elite team in this particular tournament.

Choose Kentucky as National Champion

James Crisp/Associated Press

As mentioned in the introduction, Kentucky is the clear-cut front-runner in the field.

Calipari has been peppered with criticism for holding onto players for just one year before they go to the NBA. No one who has gone through his factory of blue-chip talent seems to be complaining.

Chuck Cooperstein of ESPN Radio praised the job Calipari has done:

For what it's worth, the 2014-15 team has three leaders who've emerged amid so many egos that could have clashed in destructive fashion.

The Harrison twins occupy the backcourt with excellent size. Center Willie Cauley-Stein has formed an excellent front-line duo with freshman phenom Karl-Anthony Towns. Length on the perimeter and the two towering bigs inside have allowed the Wildcats to lead the country in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com.

Cauley-Stein is a junior and the Harrisons are sophomores who decided to return to Lexington after falling just short in the 2014 NCAA final. The decision for Cauley-Stein had to be a bit easier, as he got hurt down the stretch of last season's March Madness run.

Kentucky's mix of experienced leadership and sheer star power is one Calipari may not luck into for another decade, or so it seems. He's made the younger player buy in on the defensive end, which is far easier said than done based on how transcendent these prized recruits were coming out of high school.

This Wildcats bunch plays with an edge, doesn't shy away from elevating its game in the face of adversity and has learned how to win under any circumstances to date. They don't know what it is to lose a game as a group.

There's a reason their 31-0 T-shirts said "Not Done." Everyone on this squad knows there's something greater at stake, and the amazing individuals that occupy this roster have recognized that and sacrificed for the betterment of the team.

What Kentucky is doing this season is the dream scenario of Calipari's ambitious vision. No one appears capable of stopping the Wildcats from cutting down the nets in the end.

Note: NCAA tournament history courtesy of AllBrackets.com.