March Madness 2015: Schedule, TV Coverage, Latest Odds for NCAA Tournament
Hurry up and get those brackets finished. March Madness is here.
The round of 64 begins on Thursday with a handful of games that promise to be compelling matchups. Honestly, there are few games this time of year that aren't tightly contested. Squads often play their best when the calendar turns to March. Couple that with the stage and increased competition, and it's easy to see the popularity of the NCAA tournament.
There's a lot to get up to speed on if you still haven't filled out a bracket. Below is everything you need to know about the tournament, including a complete bracket, TV schedule, odds and the consensus pick to win the Big Dance.
TOP NEWS
NCAA Tournament Expansion Official 🚨
.png?w=256 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
UConn's STACKED Schedule ☠️
Report: Biggest Spenders in Men's CBB 🤑
All Your Bracket Essentials
Bracket
Tournament Schedule and TV Coverage
| March 17-18 | First Round | Dayton | truTV |
| March 19, 21 | Second and Third Rounds | Jacksonville, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Portland | CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV |
| March 20, 22 | Second and Third Rounds | Columbus, Charlotte, Omaha and Seattle | CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV |
| March 26, 28 | Midwest Regional (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight) | Cleveland | CBS and TBS |
| March 26, 28 | West Regional (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight) | Los Angeles | CBS and TBS |
| March 27, 29 | South Regional (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight) | Houston | CBS and TBS |
| March 27, 29 | East Regional (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight) | Syracuse | CBS and TBS |
| April 4 | National Semifinals | Indianapolis | TBS |
| April 6 | Championship Game | Indianapolis | CBS |
Odds
| Kentucky | 6-5 |
| Arizona | 15-2 |
| Wisconsin | 17-2 |
| Duke | 9-1 |
| Villanova | 10-1 |
| Virginia | 10-1 |
| Gonzaga | 16-1 |
| Notre Dame | 25-1 |
| Iowa State | 33-1 |
| Utah | 33-1 |
| Kansas | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 40-1 |
| North Carolina | 40-1 |
| Baylor | 50-1 |
| Oklahoma | 50-1 |
| Wichita State | 50-1 |
| Louisville | 66-1 |
| Maryland | 66-1 |
| Norther Iowa | 66-1 |
| Arkansas | 100-1 |
| Butler | 100-1 |
| Georgetown | 100-1 |
| Ohio State | 100-1 |
| SMU | 100-1 |
| Texas | 100-1 |
| VCU | 100-1 |
| West Virginia | 100-1 |
| LSU | 150-1 |
| Providence | 150-1 |
| St. John's | 150-1 |
| Xavier | 150-1 |
| Cincinnati | 200-1 |
| Indiana | 200-1 |
| Iowa | 200-1 |
| NC State | 200-1 |
| Ole Miss | 200-1 |
| Oregon | 200-1 |
| Purdue | 200-1 |
| San Diego State | 200-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 |
| Dayton | 300-1 |
| Georgia | 300-1 |
| Oklahoma State | 300-1 |
| Stephen F. Austin | 300-1 |
| UCLA | 300-1 |
| Wyoming | 300-1 |
| Albany | 500-1 |
| Belmont | 500-1 |
| Buffalo | 500-1 |
| Eastern Washington | 500-1 |
| Georgia State | 500-1 |
| Harvard | 500-1 |
| New Mexico State | 500-1 |
| North Dakota State | 500-1 |
| Northeastern | 500-1 |
| Texas Southern | 500-1 |
| UAB | 500-1 |
| UC Irvine | 500-1 |
| Valparaiso | 500-1 |
| Wofford | 500-1 |
| Coastal Carolina | 1000-1 |
| Hampton | 1000-1 |
| Robert Morris | 1000-1 |
| UL Lafayette | 1000-1 |
Note: Odds are courtesy of OddsShark.com on Wednesday, March 18 at 2 p.m. ET.
The Consensus Pick
There's no reason to be torn between a winner this season, as Kentucky is so much better than every other team in the country that even the NCAA title game might be a landslide.
A 34-0 regular season was capped off with an impressive 78-63 victory over Arkansas in the SEC tournament. Leading the way were the Harrison twins (Aaron and Andrew) and Willie Cauley-Stein, combining for 41 points. Those three have been the stars for most of the season, but the Wildcats boast unparalleled depth.
Such a dominant program has left people wondering just how good they are—relative to NBA talent. SMU head coach Larry Brown, a successful NBA coach in the past, thinks they'd be successful in the Eastern Conference:
One would have to think that Kentucky could at least challenge the lowly teams in the East. The bottom two teams in the conference (the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers) have 30 combined wins in 2014-15. The lack of NBA talent on those rosters would actually make an exhibition involving the Wildcats interesting to watch.
There isn't another team in college basketball that can say that. Sure, the individual parts of some teams are more than capable of holding their own—Duke's Jahlil Okafor, for example—but overall depth would leave nearly every squad at a disadvantage.
Take Hampton, for example. The Wildcats will play the Pirates in the round of 64, and ESPN's Darren Rovell tweets that Kentucky is the heavy favorite:
With the third-ranked defense and 29th-ranked offense, Kentucky is a juggernaut that has proven impossible to stop. The Wildcats played just six single-digit games all season and outscored ranked opponents 439-341 in six contests.
Does that lead you to believe that Hampton has a semblance of a chance?
Let's look ahead. Assuming Kentucky blows the doors off Hampton and its next few opponents, a potential meeting with Kansas, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, is on the table. Well, Kentucky destroyed the Jayhawks on Nov. 18, 72-40.
It'll be a bold decision to choose against Kentucky. Perhaps you might find Gonzaga, Arizona, Virginia or Duke enticing, but go with the best bet here.
Kenny DeJohn is a Breaking News Team Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter.
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
