NCAA Tournament: Odds and picks for every Thursday game

Thursday, March 21, NCAA first-round games

9 Michigan State vs. 8 Mississippi State
West Region, 12:15 p.m. ET, CBS

Now that we're into the postseason, the pace of play tends to slow down. It may not be a fun bet to cheer for to start the NCAA Tournament, but we can’t see many points in this opener.

11 Duquesne vs. 6 BYU
East Region, 12:40 p.m. ET, truTV

The Dukes are in the midst of a great run, but they're taking on a team that's battle-tested after facing Big 12 competition over the last two months.

14 Akron vs. 3 Creighton
Midwest Region, 1:30 p.m. ET, TNT

This game matches a Creighton team fresh off a disappointing performance at the Big East Tournament facing an Akron club that lost five of its final eight regular-season games before surging to the MAC Tournament title game.

15 Long Beach State vs. 2 Arizona
West Region, 2 p.m. ET, TBS

The Wildcats are projected to roll in this game. The market has already adjusted — as the total has gone up two points since opening — but there is still one way we can get in on the total.

16 Wagner vs. 1 North Carolina
West Region, 2:45 p.m. ET, CBS

Wagner truly has nothing to lose. We'll hear plenty about fading Wagner because it only has seven players and it's tired. While that's true, do we think Vegas doesn't know this?

14 Morehead State vs. 3 Illinois
East Region, 3:10 p.m. ET, truTV

The issue with Morehead State is it hasn't shown it can hang with the big dogs in college basketball. Illinois is a proven team and is battle-tested in the Big Ten.

11 Oregon vs. 6 South Carolina
Midwest Region, 4 p.m. ET, TNT

This is the classic 11 vs. 6 game, with the spread sitting very close to even. But the Gamecocks are a bit overrated from a seeding perspective.

10 Nevada vs. 7 Dayton
West Region, 4:30 p.m. ET, TBS

The matchup hinges on three key areas: Dayton's ability to handle altitude, DaRon Holmes II staying out of foul trouble and Dayton's perimeter shot making over the Nevada defense.

10 Colorado State vs. 7 Texas
Midwest Region, 6:50 p.m. ET, TNT

It's a fresh start for both teams, and this matchup has the potential to be a classic. Truth be told, both teams have legitimate cases that they can win the game. 

14 Oakland vs. 3 Kentucky
South Region, 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS

Kentucky will need John Calipari's expertise to guide this extremely young but very talented team. Oakland's Greg Kampe will be relaying to his boys that they have nothing to lose against a blue blood.

12 McNeese vs. 5 Gonzaga
Midwest Region, 7:25 p.m. ET, TBS

McNeese has its issues on the interior, but this Gonzaga team does not have many other areas to maintain an advantage. Gonzaga is favored for a reason, but don't expect the Cowboys to go away quietly.

15 South Dakota State vs. 2 Iowa State
East Region, 7:35 p.m. ET, truTV

Iowa State's swarming defense is nothing like South Dakota State has seen this season. Nothing will prepare the Jackrabbits for the difficulty of facing the nation's top stop unit.

15 Saint Peter's vs. 2 Tennessee
Midwest Region, 9:20 p.m. ET, TNT

The Volunteers' defense is likely to severely limit the Peacocks' already struggling offense, while Tennessee's offense can exploit Saint Peter's defensive lapses, particularly on the rebounding front and at the free throw line.

11 NC State vs. 6 Texas Tech
South Region, 9:40 p.m. ET, CBS

The NC State Wolfpack had a terrific run in the ACC tournament, knocking out Duke and UNC en route to a championship. It was a great run for the Wolfpack, but the gas tank must be empty at this point.

13 Samford vs. 4 Kansas
Midwest Region, 9:55 p.m. TBS

Samford is a sexy upset pick across many brackets. Kansas hasn't been healthy and doesn't have the momentum Samford carries into this NCAA Tournament.

10 Drake vs. 7 Washington State
East Region, 10:05 p.m. ET, truTV

Let's see how Washington State fares against Drake, the champions of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs return to the NCAA Tournament for a third time in four seasons.