NCAA Tournament 2015: Bracket Predictions for Most Intriguing Early Matchups

Fans eagerly awaiting March Madness will get accustomed to the 2015 NCAA tournament with Tuesday and Wednesday's first-round games in Dayton, but that's only an appetizer for a weekend chock-full of mouth-watering matchups.

The talk following Selection Sunday immediately focused toward who would be making the Final Four runs and which elite teams could run the table. But don't let that take away from a bevy of second- and third-round thrillers that are in store, because the most unpredictable and jaw-dropping action takes place during the opening weekend.

With that said, let's scope out the 2015 tournament and take a look at three intriguing matchups.

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South: No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Davidson

All of the talk surrounding the state of Iowa entering the tournament resides around third-seeded Iowa State and No. 5 seed sleeper Northern Iowa. But don't sleep on the state's flagship institution.

The Hawkeyes fell in a first-round game last season as one of the last four in, but there are no such worries about them this season, as they locked down a No. 7 seed. Of course, that means a tricky opening matchup against Davidson.

The Wildcats are one of the hottest offensive squads in the nation with 79.9 points per game and 17.2 assists per game, which rank sixth and third in the nation respectively, per ESPN.com. But fortunately for Iowa, Stephen Curry isn't walking through that door:

Davidson does have the guard play capable of making a run this season with Tyler Kalinoski and Jack Gibbs racking up 33 points per game combined. Both guards shoot over 43 percent from beyond the arc, while Iowa is just 12th in the Big Ten in three-point shooting, per ESPN.com.

However, the Wildcats don't have nearly the size to keep up with Iowa. Forwards Aaron White and Jarrod Uthoff are matchup nightmares for a team without immense size, and they will be too much for Davidson to handle.

Prediction: Iowa 74, Davidson 68

East: No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 15 Belmont

The Virginia Cavaliers looked the part of a No. 1 seed for virtually the entire season before two late losses doomed them to a No. 2 seed in the East Region. The selection committee didn't do them any favors with their first opponent, either.

Head coach Tony Bennett's crew will face a Belmont team that advanced to the tournament on a last-second shot to beat Murray State, and the Bruins are gaining plenty of momentum as an upset pick, per USA Today's Nicole Auerbach:

For all of Virginia's defensive dominance, the Cavaliers have their share of doubters given their affinity to allow teams to stay in games with a slow, methodical approach. Belmont's sharp-shooting squad isn't the type of team you want to allow to hang around, which is why the Cavs won't overlook their second-round foe.

Justin Anderson has been far from himself since returning to the fold, but some days off should allow him and the rest of the roster to be at their best early in the tourney. Virginia's 50.8 points per game allowed not only leads the ACC, but it's almost nine points fewer than Louisville's 59.5 points against per game that ranks second.

The Cavaliers can take Belmont's upset bid away by taking away the three-point line, and they will do just that as they steer clear of an early upset.

Prediction: Virginia 66, Belmont 53

South: No. 4 Georgetown vs. No. 13 Eastern Washington

Michael Albans/Associated Press

Georgetown made a return to the Big Dance following a one-year absence, but the Hoyas come in with a painful recent history of disappointing early exits.

Head coach John Thompson III has seen his squad bounced from the tournament in the opening weekend in each of its last five attempts. Georgetown will be intent on ending that streak this weekend in Portland, but it faces one of the toughest high-seeded opponents imaginable in Eastern Washington.

Not only do the Eagles rank third nationally with 80.8 points per game, but they also have the nation's most prolific scorer in Tyler Harvey (22.9 points per game) in the fold. What they don't get from Harvey offensively, they get from Venky Jois' presence in the post with 16.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest.

Along with playing a team not fit to be a No. 13 seed, the Hoyas are one of the more perplexing low seeds in the tournament, per Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports:

Georgetown's best play on the perimeter comes from a pair of capable freshmen in D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and L.J. Peak, but it's not wise to depend on young talent in pressure-packed moments such as this. A deep rotation will keep the Hoyas in the game, but they will be playing from behind, as Harvey will have his way with Georgetown's inexperienced backcourt.

Prediction: Eastern Washington 78, Georgetown 75