Don't let an upset break your bracket

If you're like us, you've already been deep into consuming content about the brackets and the teams as we gear up for the NCAA Tournament's start later this week. It's truly one of the most exciting sporting events of the year, and we cannot wait to sit back and watch never-ending hoops starting early Thursday afternoon.

We have you covered on the content side, so be sure you acclimate yourself with the teams and regions as you begin filling out your own bracket.

Best Bet in Each Region | Four teams to fade | Teams you can trust

Letting the odds tell us who may be the best upset picks

We love reading into each team's strengths and weaknesses and how teams match up with their first few potential opponents, but sometimes simply looking at the odds can help paint a more complete picture. Seeing which double-digit seeds are either favored or only slight underdogs can help better evaluate the matchups and which team might be worth advancing as an upset pick in your own bracket.

Spreads and totals are up for every game, and there are a few leading candidates to advance to the second round for teams at No. 10 or lower.

No. 10 Utah State (-2) favored over No. 7 Missouri

The lone double-digit seed to be the favorite is Utah State, which is music to this writer's ears. Rumor has it he already blindly moved the Aggies into his Sweet 16 this morning after seeing their balanced, efficient offense led by upperclassmen guards. Missouri has sported some defensive vulnerabilities this year, making the Tigers the only single-digit seed that could technically pull off an "upset" in Round 1.

Sportsbooks have quite a few games projected to be close

While no other double-digit seeds are favored, quite a few have spreads of five or less against their opponents. If you're looking to advance some lower-seeded teams in your bracket, we'd recommend beginning your search here:

• No. 12 Charleston (+5) vs. No. 5 San Diego State
• No. 12 VCU (+3.5) vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's
• No. 11 Providence (+3.5) vs. Kentucky
• No. 12 Drake (+2.5) vs. No. 5 Miami
• No. 13 Kent State (+4) vs. No. 4 Indiana

For what it's worth, we like VCU, Drake and Providence all to advance. Providence is a particularly intriguing upset pick as its top player, Bryce Hopkins, is a transfer from Kentucky, the team the Friars play first. Talk about some poetic revenge.

Enjoy filling out your bracket. We will be sure to keep the coverage flowing here this week as we break down the regions in more depth and lock in our own Final Fours.

In the news ...

NCAA Men's Tournament bracket set — The most wonderful time of the year has arrived: March Madness! Selection Sunday wrapped a weekend full of conference championships, and the field is all but set as we near the Round of 64. Alabama was awarded the top overall seed and is +650 to win it all out of the South Region, the second-best odds to Houston's at +450. Purdue is the top seed in the East Region and +1000 to cut down the nets in April, and the West Region has both No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 UCLA at +1200 to win it all.

Jalen Ramsey traded to Miami Dolphins — The big news out of the NFL Sunday was that All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey is being traded from the Rams to the Dolphins. The compensation was just a third-round pick and TE Hunter Long, a massive move for a Miami team looking to keep pace in a loaded AFC. Ramsey helped lead Los Angeles to a Super Bowl win, and the 28-year old will look to do it again for a Dolphins team with serious potential. Assuming Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy, Miami is a team to watch. The Dolphins are currently +2500 to win the Super Bowl, the 10th-best odds in the league.

Scottie Scheffler cruises to Players Championship win — Scottie Scheffler, who was 10-1 to win The Players prior to the action getting started, easily took home the win at TPC Sawgrass this weekend with a 17-under 271. Scheffler, 26, is now the reigning champion at The Masters and TPC, becoming just the third golfer in history to hold the two titles simultaneously. He joins some elite company there, with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods the others to pull off the feat. Scheffler has been dominant over the past two seasons and is +800 to defend his Masters title in a few weeks.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll