March Madness Bracket 2018: Complete 1st-Round Picks for Your Printable Sheet

Filling out an NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket has become nearly as traditional as turkey on Thanksgiving or yelling "play ball" on MLB's Opening Day.

Perhaps we exaggerate a bit, but from the moment the NCAA field is announced and the brackets are put together, basketball fans obsess and study their selections for the chance to earn bragging rights and, oh yes, cash.

We will try to provide an assist for your consideration with our first-round picks for the 32 games that will be played Thursday and Friday.

Thursday, March 15

Oklahoma vs. Rhode Island: Rhode Island
Wright State vs. Tennessee: Tennessee
UNCG vs. Gonzaga: Gonzaga
Penn vs. Kansas: Kansas
Iona vs. Duke: Duke
Loyola-Chicago vs. Miami: Loyola
South Dakota State vs. Ohio State: Ohio State
NC State vs. Seton Hall: Seton Hall
Radford vs. Villanova: Villanova
Davidson vs. Kentucky: Kentucky
San Diego State vs. Houston: Houston
Stephen F. Austin Texas Tech: Texas Tech
Alabama vs. Virginia Tech: Alabama
Buffalo vs. Arizona: Arizona
Montana vs. Michigan: Michigan
St. Bonaventure vs. Florida: St. Bonaventure

Friday, March 16

Providence vs. Texas A&M: Providence
Cal State Fullerton vs. Purdue: Purdue
Marshall vs. Wichita State: Wichita State
Georgia State vs. Cincinnati: Cincinnati
Lipscomb vs. North Carolina: North Carolina
Butler vs. Arkansas: Butler
Murray State vs. West Virginia: West Virginia
Texas vs. Nevada: Texas
Kansas State vs. Creighton: Kansas State
Bucknell vs. Michigan State: Michigan State
UMBC vs. Virginia: Virginia
Florida State vs. Missouri: Missouri
New Mexico State vs. Clemson: Clemson
NCCU/Texas Southern vs. Xavier: Xavier
Arizona State/Syracuse vs. TCU: TCU
College of Charleston vs. Auburn: Auburn

Loyola-Chicago vs. Miami

The 11th-seeded Ramblers (28-5) are making their first NCAA appearance since 1985, and head coach Porter Moser's team has momentum and balance after winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

Miami has a tough ACC pedigree, but if the Hurricanes underestimate their opponent or play anything but their best game, they will be in trouble in this first-round game.

Loyola is something of a throwback because it will work the ball around and look for the best shot, but the team is not slow in the process. 

The Hurricanes are two-point favorites according to OddsShark, but we like the underdogs from Chicago to win the game outright.

The hallmark for the Ramblers is a defense that allows 62.2 points per game and ranks fifth in the nation. Clayton Custer leads the team with an average of 13.4 points per game, and he is connecting on 52.3 percent of his shots from the field. Donte Ingram is providing excellent support with 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Miami (22-9) has a trio of double-digit scorers in Lonnie Walker IV, Dewan Huell and Bruce Brown Jr. Walker is averaging 11.5 points per game, while Huell and Brown are just a tick behind at 11.4 points per game.

The Hurricanes are just 4-4 in their last eight games.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Providence vs. Texas A&M

Ed Cooley's Providence Friars appeared to hit their stride in the Big East tournament when they reached the championship game and extended Villanova to overtime before losing.

The Friars (21-13) may be 4.5-point underdogs, but they are led by Rodney Bullock, who is scoring 14 points and bringing down 5.8 rebounds per game. Bullock is getting support from Alpha Diallo, who is registering 13 points per night.

Texas A&M (21-12) has struggled recently, losing four of its last seven games. Tyler Davis is averaging 14.5 points per game to lead the Aggies, while Admon Gilder is providing support with 12.2 points per night.

Look for the confident Friars to come up with the upset.