NCAA Bracket 2017: Picks, Updated Odds Ahead of Friday's 1st-Round Schedule

Thursday was the start of the 2017 NCAA tournament, but Friday is officially blue blood day.

North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, Kentucky and UCLA all take the floor Friday in the first step of a journey they hope leads to another banner in the rafters. There will also be plenty of opportunities for the double-digit seeds to pull the upsets that make the first round so memorable.

With that in mind, here is a look at the full Friday slate, as well as predicted winners and point spreads. The games to watch below were chosen as the closest point spreads on the Friday schedule.

The point spreads are courtesy of OddsShark, as of Thursday at 5:15 p.m. ET.

Friday Schedule, Picks and Odds

Matchup	Time (ET)	Point Spread	Prediction Against Spread
(7) Michigan vs. (10) Oklahoma State	12:15 p.m.	MICH -2.5	Oklahoma State
(3) Baylor vs. (14) New Mexico State	12:40 p.m.	BAY -12.5	Baylor
(8) Arkansas vs. (9) Seton Hall	1:30 p.m.	ARK -1	Arkansas
(3) Oregon vs. (14) Iona	2 p.m.	ORE -14.5	Oregon
(2) Louisville vs. (15) Jacksonville State	2:45 p.m.	LOU -20	Louisville
(6) SMU vs. (11) USC	3:10 p.m.	SMU -6.5	SMU
(1) North Carolina vs. (16) Texas Southern	4 p.m.	UNC -26.5	UNC
(6) Creighton vs. (11) Rhode Island	4:30 p.m.	Pick	Rhode Island
(1) Kansas vs. (16) UC Davis	6:50 p.m.	KAN -23.5	UC Davis
(7) Dayton vs. (10) Wichita State	7:10 p.m.	WI ST. -6	Wichita State
(2) Duke vs. (15) Troy	7:20 p.m.	DUKE -20	Troy
(6) Cincinnati vs. (11) Kansas State	7:27 p.m.	UC -3.5	Kansas State
(8) Miami vs. (9) Michigan State	9:20 p.m.	MIA -2	Michigan State
(2) Kentucky vs. (15) Northern Kentucky	9:40 p.m.	UK -20	Kentucky
(7) South Carolina vs. (10) Marquette	9:50 p.m.	S CAR -1.5	South Carolina
(3) UCLA vs. (14) Kent State	9:57 p.m.	UCLA -18	Kent State

Games to Watch

Arkansas Over Seton Hall

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

This game will come down to Arkansas' offense consistently scoring against Seton Hall, which will allow it to set up the defense and dictate the tempo.

The Razorbacks check in at 97th in the nation in Ken Pomeroy's tempo statistics, which isn't particularly fast. However, they may as well be the Golden State Warriors compared to Seton Hall, which checks in at 214th.

Arkansas boasts Pomeroy's 27th-best pace-adjusted offense behind a balanced attack that allows it to be so efficient on that end of the floor. Dusty Hannahs is the leading scorer at 14.6 points per game, but Daryl Macon, Jaylen Barford and Moses Kingsley all average more than 11 points a night.

This will boil down to those four players establishing the faster tempo the Razorbacks prefer and gradually pulling away. 

The Pirates won't be able to lock in on just Hannahs because of the other three playmakers, and at least one of them will carry the offense down the stretch in what Las Vegas thinks will be a nailbiter.

Rhode Island Over Creighton

There are plenty of reasons to like Rhode Island in this game:

The Rams are 14-3 in their last 17 contests and have momentum after storming through the Atlantic 10 tournament. They are also battle tested from games against Cincinnati, Duke, VCU and Dayton, among others, and will not be intimidated against a Big East representative in Creighton.

What's more, since Maurice Watson Jr. suffered a season-ending torn ACL, the Bluejays are no longer the threat they were earlier in the season with him leading the show.

The absence of Watson isn't the only factor playing in Rhode Island's advantage. The Rams should control the boards with Kuran Iverson and Hassan Martin. Iverson is averaging 7.4 boards a night, while Martin chips in 7.0.

By comparison, Justin Patton (6.2) is the only Creighton player to average better than 6.0 a night. The Bluejays have an abysmal rebounding margin of minus-1.0 for the season, per NCAA.com, while Rhode Island checks in at a formidable plus-2.9, per NCAA.com.

In addition to the superior rebounding, the Rams' defense will prove too stingy for Creighton. They allowed just two opponents to reach the 80-point plateau all season and boast the No. 32 defense on Pomeroy's pace-adjusted rankings.

Between the defense and rebounding, trust the No. 11 seed in this showdown.

South Carolina Over Marquette

Matt Stamey/Associated Press

If the point spread is any indication, the clash between South Carolina and Marquette will come down to the wire. Bettors looking for a small difference should turn to the game's location in Greenville, South Carolina, giving the Gamecocks something of a home-court advantage.

South Carolina was an impressive 15-3 at home and just 6-5 on the road this season. While this won't take place on the Gamecocks' true home court, they will have plenty of fan support that will help them build momentum.

Those fans will have reason to cheer with South Carolina's suffocating defense.

Pomeroy ranks the Gamecocks as the nation's No. 3 defense, which will prove critical against one of the best offensive teams in the nation. Pomeroy lists Marquette's offense as No. 8 in the nation, and the Golden Eagles feature five different players averaging double-digit scoring.

However, South Carolina's stingy defense will keep those players in check and the score close before the final minutes, which will allow SEC Player of the Year Sindarius Thornwell to take over.

He averaged 21 points per game this season and discussed his mindset going into the tournament, per David Caraviello of the Post and Courier: "We talked about going out and having fun and embracing the moment. That's really it. Enjoying this ride we're on."

The ride will continue thanks to his team's strong defense and his own ability to score down the stretch of what promises to be a close game.

*All of Pomeroy's numbers can be found on his website, KenPom.com. The stats in this article are as of Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.