NCAA Tournament 2019: Bracket Picks and Live Stream for 1st-Round Day 1 Schedule

Before the first set of NCAA men's basketball tournament games end Thursday, your bracket could be busted. 

In all honesty, your bracket is going to get busted at some point, so why not let it happen early so the excitement of a potential perfect bracket doesn't build. 

Thursday afternoon's first-round schedule is chock-full of dangerous double-digit seeds, including a pair of No. 12 and No. 13 seeds, and a fearless No. 14 seed. 

In addition to the potential upsets in play, there are a few intriguing Thursday matchups between evenly matched programs that will draw our attention.

NCAA Tournament Bracket

1st Round Day 1 Schedule

Games can be live-streamed on March Madness Live.        

Bracket Picks

(14) Yale over (3) LSU (East Region) 

It won't take long for an upset to occur in the first round, as 14th-seeded Yale scores the first shocking win of the competition over No. 3 LSU.

Yale isn't your typical No. 14 seed, as it carries some March Madness experience into the first-round matchup and is capable of scoring at will. 

The upperclassmen on the Bulldogs roster won't be intimidated by the moment, as they were on the bench when they knocked off Baylor in the 2016 NCAA tournament. 

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

The Yale coaching staff also has a rare advantage that most mid-major teams don't. The Bulldogs recruited Tremont Waters before he chose LSU, as Yale head coach James Jones pointed out to Justin Schecker of NBC Connecticut.

"Fortunately, Tremont Waters is a kid we recruited, so as a fan I've watched LSU play about three or four times on ESPN. I've gotten a good look at them and their team," Jones said. 

Any small advantage helps going into a March Madness matchup on short notice, and the familiarity with Waters will help the Bulldogs build a more intricate defensive game plan. 

As for the personnel on the court, the Bulldogs have four players who average over 10 points per game, and they've scored at least 75 points in their last six victories. 

LSU could easily lay the hammer down on the Ivy League tournament champion, but Naz Reid and Kavell Bigby-Williams may be taken out of the game by Yale's propensity to get to the free-throw line. 

If Yale comes out strong in the first half and forces one or both of LSU's top frontcourt players to the bench with foul trouble, it has the potential to control most of the game and eliminate the SEC regular-season champion from the field of 68.

(8) Syracuse over (9) Baylor (West Region) 

No matter how much Syracuse struggles in the regular season, it somehow finds a way to be a major player in March Madness because of its zone defense. 

Three years ago, Jim Boeheim guided the Orange to the Final Four as a No. 10 seed, and his team reached the Sweet 16 a year ago as a No. 11 seed. 

Nell Redmond/Associated Press

While the zone will be effective at points of Thursday's nightcap in Salt Lake City against Baylor, the Orange will need a bit of time to get into a rhythm.

Syracuse is 2-5 in its last seven games, with both victories coming against ACC bottom feeders Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. 

But the good news for the Orange is No. 9 Baylor comes into the Big Dance in equally bad form with four straight losses. 

After a slow start, which is the last thing we'll want to see after 10 hours of basketball viewing, Syracuse uses its length to limit Baylor's scoring opportunities and turns them into baskets. 

The combination of Paschal Chukwu, Marek Dolezaj and Oshae Brissett will frustrate the Bears and force them to take low-percentage shots instead of finding space in the lane. 

We're not going to say Syracuse will shoot the lights out on the other end of the court, but it will do enough through Buddy Boeheim and Frank Howard to create separation between itself and its Big 12 foe. 

Other Picks

(10) Minnesota over (7) Louisville

(5) Auburn over (12) New Mexico State

(4) Florida State over (13) Vermont

(2) Michigan State over (15) Bradley 

(6) Maryland over (11) Belmont

(4) Kansas over (13) Northeastern

(12) Murray State over (5) Marquette

(10) Florida over (7) Nevada

(2) Kentucky over (15) Abilene Christian

(11) Saint Mary's over (6) Villanova

(1) Gonzaga over (16) Fairleigh Dickinson

(2) Michigan over (15) Montana

(7) Wofford over (10) Seton Hall 

(3) Purdue over (14) Old Dominion

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.