March Madness 2015: Bracket Predictions, Odds, Tips for Final 1st-Round Schedule

You can practically taste it, can't you?

We're so close to the NCAA tournament beginning, it's almost agonizing at this point waiting on the ball to tip and the action to get underway. Sure, your bracket may be ruined by the end of Thursday. Sure, your productivity at work is about to take a nosedive. 

But c'mon—it's all worth it. Every buzzer-beater, every Cinderella story, every highlight you know will appear in One Shining Moment makes it worth it. Below, you'll find everything you need heading into the tournament to ensure you are prepared for the dizzying whirl of excitement and drama that is the NCAA tournament.

All Your Bracket Essentials

• Download the Printable Bracket
• Play the Free Bracket Challenge 

Bracket

First-Round Schedule

TIME (ET)	MATCHUP	TV
12:15 p.m.	(14) Northeastern vs (3) Notre Dame	CBS
12:40 p.m.	(14) UAB vs (3) Iowa State	truTV
1:40 p.m.	(14) Georgia St vs (3) Baylor	TBS
2:10 p.m.	(15) Texas Southern vs (2) Arizona	TNT
2:45 p.m.	(11) Texas vs (6) Butler	CBS
3:10 p.m.	(11) UCLA vs (6) SMU	truTV
4:10 p.m.	(11) Ole Miss vs (6) Xavier	TBS
4:40 p.m.	(10) Ohio State vs (7) Virginia Commonwealth	TNT
6:50 p.m.	(16) Lafayette vs (1) Villanova	TBS
7:10 p.m.	(9) Purdue vs (8) Cincinnati	CBS
7:20 p.m.	(13) Harvard vs (4) North Carolina	TNT
7:27 p.m.	(12) Stephen F. Austin vs (5) Utah	truTV
9:20 p.m.	(9) LSU vs (8) NC State	TBS
9:40 p.m.	(16) Hampton vs (1) Kentucky	CBS
9:50 p.m.	(12) Wofford vs (5) Arkansas	TNT
9:57 p.m.	(13) Eastern Washington vs (4) Georgetown	truTV
12:15 p.m.	(15) New Mexico St vs (2) Kansas	CBS
12:40 p.m.	(10) Georgia vs (7) Michigan St	truTV
1:40 p.m.	(12) Wyoming vs (5) Northern Iowa	TBS
2:10 p.m.	(12) Buffalo vs (5) West Virginia	Turner Network Television
2:45 p.m.	(10) Indiana vs (7) Wichita St	CBS
3:10 p.m.	(15) Belmont vs (2) Virginia	truTV
4:10 p.m.	(13) UC Irvine vs (4) Louisville	TBS
4:40 p.m.	(13) Valparaiso vs (4) Maryland	Turner Network Television
6:50 p.m.	(9) Oklahoma St vs (8) Oregon	TBS
7:10 p.m.	16) Robert Morris / (16) North Florida vs (1) Duke	CBS
7:20 p.m.	(10) Davidson vs (7) Iowa	Turner Network Television
7:27 p.m.	(14) Albany vs (3) Oklahoma	truTV
9:20 p.m.	(16) Coastal Carolina vs (1) Wisconsin	TBS
9:40 p.m.	(9) St. John's vs (8) San Diego St	CBS
9:50 p.m.	(15) North Dakota St vs (2) Gonzaga	Turner Network Television
9:57 p.m.	(11) Dayton / (11) Boise State vs (6) Providence	truTV

Picks

Region	Round of 64 Winners	Round of 32 Winners	Sweet 16 Winners	Elite Eight Winners
Midwest	Kentucky, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Maryland, Texas, Notre Dame, Wichita State, Kansas	Kentucky, Maryland, Notre Dame, Wichita State	Kentucky, Notre Dame	Kentucky
West	Wisconsin, Oregon, Arkansas, North Carolina, Xavier, Baylor, Ohio State, Arizona	Wisconsin, North Carolina, Baylor, Arizona	Wisconsin, Arizona	Arizona
East	Villanova, NC State, Northern Iowa, Louisville, Providence, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Virginia	Villanova, Louisville, Providence, Michigan State	Villanova, Michigan State	Villanova
South	Duke, San Diego State, Stephen F. Austin, Georgetown, SMU, Iowa State, Davidson, Gonzaga	Duke, Stephen F. Austin, Iowa State, Gonzaga	Duke, Iowa State	Duke

Odds

School	Odds
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

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Opening-Round Tips

The first tip for nailing the opening round is a pretty simple one—never take a No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed. It's never happened in history, and this year won't be the exception.

On the other hand, at least one No. 12 seed almost always beats a No. 5 seed, especially in recent years. Just consider these stats, via Matt Bonesteel of The Washington Post:

"

Using The Post’s mega-handy NCAA tournament database, we can see that the last time the four No. 5 seeds went 4-0 in the tournament’s first round was 2007 (a true aberration: they won by an average of 16.3 points). Since then, being a No. 5 seed has been something of a hex.

In 2008, there were two 12-5 upsets. The next year, there were three. And over the past three tournaments, No. 12 seeds have gone 8-4 against No. 5 seeds, with six of them pulling off upsets in 2013 and 2014 combined.

"

So yes, expect at least one of Buffalo, Wofford, Wyoming or Stephen F. Austin to advance. Maybe all of them. Recent history suggests at least half of them will go through.

On the other hand, don't get crazy with upsets. While the tournament has trended toward lower seeds advancing further and further each year, the odds suggest that the majority of teams that reach the Elite Eight will be higher seeds. Trying to predict a number of Cinderella teams that will advance deep into the tourney is an easy way to find your bracket in tatters after the first weekend. 

While how a team ends its regular season and conference tournament isn't an ironclad guarantee of how it'll play in the tournament, it's always risky business to side with a team that has limped down the stretch.

Teams like Utah (3-4 in its last seven), Oklahoma State (1-6) and Indiana (5-9), among others, have really struggled down the stretch. Pick them at your own risk.

If you find yourself completely torn between two teams and can't seem to choose one to advance, pick the team with the best player. There's always a few guys who go on a Shabazz Napier tear and through sheer will push their team to the next round. 

Be wary of teams that rely too heavily on three-point shooting. In March Madness, it only takes one bad shooting night to end a tournament. On the same token, equally be wary of teams that don't play good defense. Teams that tend to give up a lot of points can be vulnerable to upsets, especially when mid-majors with exciting offenses come to town. 

Trust coaches with tournament pedigree. Tom Izzo always gets the most of Michigan State in March, for example. Rick Pitino always seems to have Louisville peaking at the right moment. If a coach has traditionally gotten his teams deep into the tournament, there is a reason for that, and you should keep it in mind.

Finally, have fun! It's easy to go crazy making your selections and doing research, but ultimately we're all just guessing, however educated those guesses may be. Trust your gut—more often than not, your first impression of a matchup is the right one.