NCAA Tournament 2018: Early Predictions, Championship Odds for March Madness

Welcome to March.

The roller-coaster ride that is the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament begins March 13 with the First Four and ends at the Alamodome in San Antonio on April 2.

Although we're used to seeing the unexpected occur during March Madness, this year's tourney comes with an extra dose of chaos given the up-and-down nature of many top-tier programs.

Just like every year, we enter the Big Dance with a few high-profile programs at the top of the list of favorites, but there are also a few teams lurking away from the spotlight that have the potential to capture our hearts with a deep run that involves a few notable upsets.

Championship Odds (via OddsShark)

Michigan State (+550; bet $100 to win $550) 

Villanova (+550)

Virginia (+550)

Duke (+600)

Purdue (+900)

North Carolina (+1,200)

Kansas (+1,200)

Xavier (+2,000)

Wichita State (+2,000)

Cincinnati (+2,200)

Gonzaga (+2,800)

West Virginia (+2,800)

Ohio State (+2,800)

Early Predictions

Kentucky Comes Together and Reaches Elite 8

Kentucky's play perfectly personifies the college basketball season.

The Wildcats entered with a ton of hype like they do every season, had a solid nonconference showing, experienced a tough losing streak in conference play and have now righted the ship.

It's fair to understand why anyone would trust Kentucky, or any team from the SEC, in March, but if the Wildcats put it all together, John Calipari's squad could produce a special run into the second weekend of the NCAAs.

After losing four games in a row to start February, the Wildcats bounced back with four straight wins heading into Saturday's regular-season finale against Florida.

James Crisp/Associated Press

The momentum gained by the freshman-laden group at the end of the regular season should serve as a confidence boost for a team that is ready to prove its critics wrong on the sport's biggest stage.

The Wildcats have five players who average over 10 points per game, with Kevin Knox expected to be the star of the squad since he leads the team with 15.8 points per contest.

Knox scored over 20 points in each of his last three games, and he's one of three Kentucky players who has  double-digit points during each contest of the current streak, with Quade Green and P.J. Washington being the other two.

If it all comes together for Kentucky, which it appears it's starting to do, it could be one of the most dangerous teams and with a chip on its shoulder.

Oklahoma Rallies Around Trae Young

The love affair with Oklahoma freshman Trae Young took over college basketball earlier this season, but the attention has drifted from the Sooners recently because of a six-game losing streak that knocked them down the Big 12 standings.

Although his team has struggled, Young is still producing at a high level, which is why the Sooners can be a dangerous matchup throughout the tournament.

Young is averaging 28 points and nine assists per game, and with the spotlight on him, he could replicate one of his four 40-point performances.

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Of course, the challenge for Oklahoma is to finish the regular season with a victory over Iowa State and pick up some momentum in the Big 12 tournament.

Despite a 7-10 record in the Big 12, the Sooners should get into the Big Dance due to the strength of the conference, which is arguably the toughest in men's basketball.

The Sooners could land anywhere from a No. 7 seed to a No. 12 seed, which means they'll have a difficult first-round test, but in most cases, they'll possess the best player on the floor in Young.

If Young plays out of his mind, like we've seen throughout his freshman campaign, the spotlight should focus straight on the Sooners, who'll strike fear in a marquee program locked into a top-four seed in the second round.

Nevada Becomes the Team Everyone Falls in Love With

Nevada is the sexy mid-major team that experts are going to pick to make a deep run.

The Mountain West regular-season champion should receive a ton of praise in the buildup to the Big Dance as the team you haven't seen a ton of and that will catch the nation by storm.

Although they'll be labeled as a Cinderella team because of their place in the college basketball world, the Wolf Pack are far from that if you've seen them play.

Gary Kazanjian/Associated Press

Nevada has won eight of its last nine games in conference play, including Wednesday's 101-75 drubbing of UNLV to move to 15-2 in the Mountain West.

The Wolf Pack average 84 points per game, and they have four players over 13 points per contest, including leading scorer Caleb Martin.

Jordan Caroline is the breakout star to watch on the Nevada roster, as he is close to a double-double with 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

As long as it breezes through the Mountain West tournament, Nevada should earn a respectable seed depending on what happens in the major conference tournaments next week.

If they land as a No. 6 or No. 7 seed, the Wolf Pack could be poised to shock one of the blue bloods of the sport and become the darlings of the nation entering the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.