March Madness 2017: Schedule, TV Coverage, Latest Odds for NCAA Tournament

The heart of March Madness kicks off Thursday with the first round of the 2017 NCAA tournament. A total of 32 games will be played over Thursday and Friday, and the seemingly endless action is sure to feature some upsets and probably a few memorable buzzer-beaters as well.

Villanova, Gonzaga, North Carolina and Kansas are the top seeds, but this year's field shapes up as one of the most competitive in recent memory. So don't be surprised if the title picture has changed by the time the Sweet 16 is set.

Let's take a look at all of the important information heading into the opening slate of games, including the bracket, TV schedule and title odds. That's followed by a breakdown of some teams capable of pulling off an upset during the first round.

Tournament Bracket

Round 1 TV Schedule

Time (ET)	Matchup	Region	TV
-	Thursday	-	-
12:15 p.m.	(12) Princeton vs. (5) Notre Dame	West	CBS
12:40 p.m.	(12) UNC Wilmington vs. (5) Virginia	East	TruTV
1:30 p.m.	(13) Winthrop vs. (4) Butler	South	TNT
2 p.m.	(16) South Dakota State vs. (1) Gonzaga	West	TBS
2:45 p.m.	(13) Bucknell vs. (4) West Virginia	West	CBS
3:10 p.m.	(13) East Tennessee State vs. (4) Florida	East	TruTV
4 p.m.	(12) Middle Tennessee vs. (5) Minnesota	South	TNT
4:30 p.m.	(9) Vanderbilt vs. (8) Northwestern	West	TBS
6:50 p.m.	(11) Xavier vs. (6) Maryland	West	TNT
7:10 p.m.	(16) Mount St Mary's vs. (1) Villanova	East	CBS
7:20 p.m.	(10) VCU vs. (7) Saint Mary's	West	TBS
7:27 p.m.	(13) Vermont vs. (4) Purdue	Midwest	TruTV
9:20 p.m.	(14) Florida Gulf Coast vs. (3) Florida State	West	TNT
9:40 p.m.	(9) Virginia Tech vs. (8) Wisconsin	East	CBS
9:50 p.m.	(15) North Dakota vs. (2) Arizona	West	TBS
9:57 p.m.	(12) Nevada vs. (5) Iowa State	Midwest	TruTV
-	Friday	-	-
12:15 p.m.	(10) Oklahoma State vs. (7) Michigan	Midwest	CBS
12:40 p.m.	(14) New Mexico State vs. (3) Baylor	East	TruTV
1:30 p.m.	(9) Seton Hall vs. (8) Arkansas	South	TNT
2 p.m.	(14) Iona vs. (3) Oregon	Midwest	TBS
2:45 p.m.	(15) Jacksonville State vs. (2) Louisville	Midwest	CBS
3:10 p.m.	(11) USC vs. (6) SMU	East	TruTV
4 p.m.	(16) Texas Southern vs. (1) North Carolina	South	TNT
4:30 p.m.	(11) Rhode Island vs. (6) Creighton	Midwest	TBS
6:50 p.m.	(16) UC Davis vs. (1) Kansas	Midwest	TNT
7:10 p.m.	(10) Wichita State vs. (7) Dayton	South	CBS
7:20 p.m.	(15) Troy vs. (2) Duke	East	TBS
7:27 p.m.	(11) Kansas State vs. (6) Cincinnati	South	TruTV
9:20 p.m.	(9) Michigan State vs. (8) Miami	Midwest	TNT
9:40 p.m.	(15) Northern Kentucky vs. (2) Kentucky	South	CBS
9:50 p.m.	(10) Marquette vs. (7) South Carolina	East	TBS
9:57 p.m.	(14) Kent State vs. (3) UCLA	South	TruTV

Top Championship Odds

Rank	Team	Line
T-1	North Carolina	+600
T-1	Duke	+600
3	Villanova	+750
4	Kansas	+800
5	Kentucky	+850
6	Gonzaga	+1000
T-7	Arizona	+1200
T-7	UCLA	+1200
9	Louisville	+1600
10	Oregon	+1800

Best Upset Picks

Thursday: (12) Middle Tennessee over (5) Minnesota

Middle Tennessee destroyed a lot of brackets one year ago when they upset Michigan State as a No. 15 seed in the opening round. This time around, the Blue Raiders should be one of the most popular upset picks, especially in the vaunted 5 vs. 12 matchup.

Yes, their 30-4 record is inflated by a weak schedule. But they also feature one thing most double-digit seeds don't: three players capable of taking over a game offensively in JaCorey Williams, Giddy Potts and Reggie Upshaw.

That's worrisome for a Minnesota squad that shot 43.5 percent from the field in the regular season, which tied for 233rd in the nation. The Golden Gophers can't afford to have one of their cold shooting games from the field in a game that will probably be played at a slow pace.

Head coach Richard Pitino knows his team can't afford a slow start, which isn't uncommon when the emotion of March Madness is involved, per Chad Graff of the Pioneer Press.

"Our players need to understand that they need to be prepared and they need to be focused," Pitino said. "All the media obligations and fanfare all gets thrown away when the ball gets thrown up."

If the Gophers need any added motivation, all of the talk about Middle Tennessee's upset potential should provide it. Tim Brando of Fox Sports is among the numerous national analysts who believe the Blue Raiders will move on:

In addition, David McCoy of WCCO points out this section of the bracket is certainly navigable for whichever team survives what should be a close encounter:

This is a toss-up game despite the wide seed differential. Middle Tennessee is the more efficient offensive team, and that should go a long way to helping it score another first-round upset.

Other Options: (11) Xavier over (6) Maryland, (13) Vermont over (4) Purdue.

Friday: (10) Wichita State over (7) Dayton

Make no mistake: This would only be an upset from a seeding perspective. Wichita State is the much better team—that's no disrespect to a rock-solid Dayton squad—and the fact it landed on the No. 10 line was the biggest error the selection committee made Sunday.

The Shockers are one of the best teams in the nation according to some rankings, including KenPom, which rates them No. 8 overall. While a two seed would be a tough ask based on more traditional metrics, they shouldn't be any lower than a No. 5 or No. 6.

Placing them as a No. 10 hurts three teams. Not only does it likely crush what could have been a realistic title bid with a more favorable seed, but Dayton is forced into a brutal first-round game and second-seeded Kentucky will likely be thrust into an immediate dogfight in Round 2.

Jeff Eisenberg‏ of Yahoo Sports discussed the possible second-round clash:

The Associated Press (via Fox Sports) passed along comments from Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall, who referenced the team's top-20 ranking in both major polls when questioning how his team landed where it did in the bracket: "Somehow, 20 divided by four equals 10. But that's OK. That's the way it's been for a long time. I don't know what we'd do if we were a really good seed most of the time."

Meanwhile, Mid-Major Madness provided the Dayton perspective:

All told, it's unfortunate three teams with Sweet 16 potential were shoved into one small portion of the draw. The odds are Wichita State will edge Dayton and then lose a tight one to Kentucky, but there will be two fanbases rightfully vexed with the committee regardless of how it plays out.

Other Options: (11) Rhode Island over (6) Creighton, (10) Marquette over (7) South Carolina.