March Madness 2015: Bracket, Odds, TV Channel Listings and Underrated Teams
The bracket is set, teams have begun preparing their brackets and basketball junkies around the country are furiously beginning their tournament research.
To ensure that you have absolutely every piece of information available to you, you'll find below everything from the bracket to odds to the television schedule for this year's event. And to help you with your research, you'll also find a few underrated teams worth keeping an eye on this year.
Let the madness begin.
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Dates: The First Four will be played on March 17-18. The first round will be played on March 19-20. The second round will be played on March 21-22. The Sweet 16 will be played on March 26-27. The Elite Eight will be played on March 28-29. The Final Four will be played on April 4. The National Championship Game will be played on April 6.
Watch: All games will be shown on TruTV, CBS, TNT or TBS. The full listings can be found at NCAA.com.
Streaming: All games will be shown on March Madness Live.
Bracket
| Kentucky | 1/1 |
| Duke | 17/2 |
| Wisconsin | 9/1 |
| Arizona | 12/1 |
| Virginia | 12/1 |
| Gonzaga | 14/1 |
| Villanova | 16/1 |
| Kansas | 20/1 |
| Notre Dame | 25/1 |
| Utah | 28/1 |
| North Carolina | 33/1 |
| Iowa State | 33/1 |
| Ohio State | 50/1 |
| Louisville | 50/1 |
| Wichita State | 50/1 |
| Maryland | 50/1 |
| Northern Iowa | 50/1 |
| Oklahoma | 66/1 |
| Arkansas | 66/1 |
| Michigan State | 66/1 |
| Butler | 75/1 |
| Baylor | 75/1 |
| LSU | 75/1 |
| West Virginia | 75/1 |
| Ole Miss | 100/1 |
| SMU | 100/1 |
| Georgetown | 100/1 |
| San Diego State | 100/1 |
| Oregon | 150/1 |
| VCU | 150/1 |
| Oklahoma State | 150/1 |
| NC State | 200/1 |
| Texas | 200/1 |
| Georgia | 200/1 |
| Dayton | 200/1 |
| Purdue | 200/1 |
| Iowa | 200/1 |
| Xavier | 200/1 |
| Indiana | 200/1 |
Underrated Teams
Utah
Yes, Utah went 3-4 down the stretch. Yes, it is just 3-7 against the RPI Top 50, per ESPN.com. Yes, the team's only signature win came against Wichita State, and it lost to Arizona and Oregon twice each and couldn't get past Kansas or San Diego State. Add in a terrible loss to Washington, and Utah's resume isn't exactly sparkling.
But look a little closer. Four of the Utes' eight losses came by six or fewer points. They are top-20 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency at Kenpom.com. They play excellent defense and shoot an impressive 48.5 percent from the field, maximizing their possessions. Delon Wright has quietly been one of the better players in the country this year, and ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla had high praise for him during the regular season:
The Utes' inconsistency means they are unlikely to reach the Final Four. But their lack of top wins and rough patch to close the season have a lot of folks down on a Utes team that is more than capable of making a deep run in the tourney.
Michigan State
It's called March Madness, but perhaps it should be called Izzo Madness, because when the NCAA tournament rolls around, Tom Izzo always has his Michigan State squad peaking. This year doesn't appear to be an exception, as the Spartans made a run to the Big Ten tournament final and appear to be hitting their stride at the perfect moment.
Of course, we probably wouldn't be describing Michigan State as underrated if it weren't for three overtime losses and four other losses by six or fewer points. And this team certainly won't be intimidated by the top teams in the country, having already played Duke, Kansas, Notre Dame, Maryland (three times) and Wisconsin (twice).
The Spartans are an unselfish squad that truly play team offense and crash the boards hard. They don't have the star power of years past, though Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine and Branden Dawson form a potent trio to lead the squad.
They are dangerous, if only because they are always dangerous in March but especially because they have played top competition tough all year long and have a number of close losses that easily could have been wins. If the Spartans make a run to the Final Four, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise.
Providence
If it weren't for Villanova, Providence might not have made this list.
The Friars went 0-3 against the Wildcats this season, including a 63-61 loss in the Big East tournament. Against the rest of the RPI Top 50 squads they faced this season, Providence went an impressive 6-5, according to ESPN.com, including wins over Notre Dame, Georgetown (twice), Butler, Xavier and St. John's.
Close losses to Butler and 'Nova down the stretch by a combined six points is another indication that the Friars are better than their 22-11 record suggests.
The Friars also have the sort of impact players that teams need if they are going to make a run. LaDontae Henton (19.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game) and Kris Dunn (15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game) are more than capable of leading Providence to the Sweet 16 and possibly beyond.
"These guys, when they play well, we're a tough out," Friars coach Ed Cooley said of his star pair after the team beat St. John's in the Big East tournament, per The Associated Press (via FoxSports.com). "If they struggle, we're going to struggle. I think everybody understands that. LaDontae kind of does his thing. He's a junkyard dog and he can do it a lot of different ways. Kris is a maestro and a really hard to guard type of point guard."
If Henton and Dunn get hot for an extended period, Providence will be an incredibly tough out.
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
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