Across sports, underdogs win by playing high-risk/high-reward styles. The wider the variation in a team’s scoring, the better its chances to topple a superior foe. In basketball, that means the feistiest underdogs build extra possessions by crashing the offensive boards and forcing turnovers. They launch lots of 3-pointers.

Thursday's March Madness schedule could feature a lot of upsets, according to these picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament first-round games.

It's almost time for the madness. Get ready by reading up on the best March Madness betting sites so you can make the most out of your NCAA Tournament betting experience.