NCAA Bracket 2015: Picks, Updated Odds Ahead of Thursday 2nd-Round Schedule

March Madness has arrived.

We already saw a little bit of everything in the NCAA tournament's play-in games, including a dramatic comeback from a 17-point deficit by Ole Miss and a one-point nail-biting victory for the Dayton Flyers at their home court. Now, things stand to get even crazier, as Thursday begins the round of 64.

Day 1 of second-round action will see two No. 1 seeds take the hardwood, as the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats look to maintain their unblemished record against a surprising Hampton squad and the Villanova Wildcats take on a geographically close team in Lafayette. Those two contests aren't likely to end in massive upsets, but rest assured, others will.

To ensure you don't miss a moment of Thursday's Round 2 action, let's take a look at the full slate of games, a pick for each and updated championship odds for the field.

All Your Bracket Essentials

• Download the Printable Bracket
• Play the Free Bracket Challenge 

Schedule and Picks

Game	Time (ET)	TV	Pick
(4) Notre Dame vs. (13) Northeastern	12:15 p.m.	CBS	Notre Dame
(3) Iowa State vs. (14) UAB	12:40 p.m.	truTV	Iowa State
(3) Baylor vs. (14) Georgia State	1:40 p.m.	TBS	Baylor
(2) Arizona vs. (15) Texas Southern	2:10 p.m.	TNT	Arizona
(6) Butler vs. (11) Texas	2:45 p.m.	CBS	Texas
(6) SMU vs. (11) UCLA	3:10 p.m.	truTV	SMU
(6) Xavier vs. (11) Ole Miss	4:10 p.m.	TBS	Ole Miss
(7) VCU vs. (10) Ohio State	4:40 p.m.	TNT	VCU
(1) Villanova vs. (16) Lafayette	6:50 p.m.	TBS	Villanova
(8) Cincinnati vs. (9) Purdue	7:10 p.m.	CBS	Purdue
(4) North Carolina vs. (13) Harvard	7:20 p.m.	TNT	North Carolina
(5) Utah vs. (12) Stephen F. Austin	7:27 p.m.	truTV	Stephen F. Austin
(8) NC State vs. (9) LSU	9:10 p.m.	TBS	NC State
(1) Kentucky vs. (16) Hampton	9:40 p.m.	CBS	Kentucky
(5) Arkansas vs. (12) Wofford	9:50 p.m.	TNT	Wofford
(4) Georgetown vs. (13) E. Washington	9:57 p.m.	truTV	Georgetown

The full tournament bracket can be viewed at NCAA.com.

Championship Odds

Team	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

All odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Thursday Game to Watch

No. 6 SMU vs. No. 11 UCLA

This impending clash between SMU and UCLA is extremely enticing due to the vast differences between the two teams. The Mustangs put together a solid regular season and won the AAC title due to superior defensive play. On the other hand, each game of the Bruins' roller-coaster season was predicated on the play of the team's potent scoring offense.

The Mustangs enter this contest riding a four-game winning streak. The team's last loss was to Connecticut on March 1, and that defeat appeared to ignite SMU. The Mustangs went on to defeat a good Temple squad before getting revenge on the Huskies in the AAC final, winning 62-54.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Versatility is the name of the game for the Mustangs. They boast a 6'11" center in Yanick Moreira, who is always a threat in the post. Guard Nic Moore has been a phenomenal shooter this season, averaging 14.2 points per game while connecting on 42.2 percent of his shots from the floor and 40.8 percent from downtown. Rounding out the team's playmakers is 6'9" forward Markus Kennedy off the bench.

That blend of size and scoring ability allows the Mustangs to pull away from opposition that routinely struggles against their solid defense, which ranks 23rd in the nation in points allowed. It will be interesting to see how UCLA's 62nd-ranked offense fares Thursday.

The Bruins began to get hot on the offensive end of the court late in the regular season, posting at least 72 points in each game during a four-game winning streak that extended into the Pac-12 tournament. While UCLA fell to Arizona, it still managed to put up 64 points on a very athletic Wildcats team.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Norman Powell has been excellent this season for UCLA, and he didn't shy away from scoring opportunities against Arizona in the conference tournament, hitting 8-of-17 attempts from the floor for a team-high 21 points. Powell is complemented nicely by the sharpshooting Bryce Alford, who is averaging 15.1 points per game on the year.

The biggest factor to watch in this contest will be the battle in the boards. We already touched on the good size of SMU's frontcourt, and the Bruins can compete in that area, boasting a pair of 6'9" forwards in Tony Parker and Kevon Looney, as well as 7'0" center Thomas Welsh off the bench.

Both of these squads have been very good rebounding teams this season, and winning that battle will be the deciding factor in this game, as the offense that accrues the most second-chance opportunities is likely to move forward in the tournament. The upper hand in that department goes to the Mustangs.

Prediction: SMU 71, UCLA 67