March Madness Picks: predictions, schedule, chances of winning, lines for the south region; Michigan tries to avoid 5-vs.-12-versions

The statistics circulated after Auburn had not played the championship game of the SEC tournament: No team lost three of the last four games in front of the NCAA tournament and won a national championship.

And yet Auburn was still a somewhat surprising choice than the number 1 of the tournament.

Auburn stumbled late in a very hard league what the other teams in the south could open. Auburn will open the tournament against Alabama State, which took the St. Francis 70-68 with an exciting process in the first four parts in the first fourth place in Dayton on Tuesday. (We also wait for San Diego State or North Carolina to play Ole Miss on Friday.)

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(All times Eastern.)

No. 8 Louisville (-2.5) via No. 9 Creighton, 12.15 p.m. Thursday

The first game of the first round on Thursday is good. Louisville seems to be very traveling, but that's part of playing in a bad acc. The Cardinals 21-2 and one of the losses against Duke have been in the ACC tournament since December 14th. Creighton was also a very good team, and the 7-foot 1-Ryan Kalkbrenner will be a problem for cardinals. But I will not tell Louisville that the ACC was below. The cards progress.

No. 1 Auburn (-31.5) about the state of Alabama, Thursday 2:50 p.m.

The state of Alabama delighted us with a great NCAA tournament start, with a shot at the last second to win it. However, this is not the type of 16 seeds that can scare a 1 -seed. Alabama State has no strength that is maintained in a game against an Auburn team who is looking for calm critics who wondered how it got number 1 overall after losing three of their last four.

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No. 13 Yale (+7.5) via No. 4 Texas A & M, 7.25 p.m. Thursday

Yale has become the best program of Ivy and dominated the league this season. Yale was 16-1 after December 22nd. Texas A&M is a good team, but it lives from offensive rebound (the best proportion of the offensive in the nation), and yet Yale is pretty good in the defensive boards. The Ivy League was pretty good in the first round of the NCAA tournament and has been hit against the spread in the first round since 2009 (according to Matt Eisenberg's tournament guide). Texas A&M could run into the second weekend, but this will not be easy.

No. 5 Michigan (-2.5) via No. 12 UC San Diego, 10 p.m. Thursday

Ah, the 5 against 12 game. We all know that disturbances come here, and UC San Diego is a dangerous 12 -seed. Kenpom.com had San Diego as the 36th best team in sport, which is rare air for a large west school. This is just a place under Uconn, the reigning champions. San Diego does everything well and it (and hits) it shoots many 3s. The problem is the size of UCSD. It has no regular guest that is larger than 6-8. Michigan is the rare team with two 7-footers, Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf. If UCSD hits a ton of 3S, this could be a fun surprise, but this was a really unfortunate matchup for a strong middle.

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No. 14 LipsComb (+14.5) via No. 3 Iowa State, 1: 30 a.m. Friday

The state Iowa looked like it could be one last four candidates, but the last month was a bit rough. Injuries affected the cyclone. It seems that Tamin Lipsey (10.8 ppg) will return from an injury, but Keshon Gilbert (13.4 ppg) is equipped for the season of the Moines Register. This lowers the ceiling of the cyclone. LipsComb has many shooters what they want from a great outsider. If Lipscomb can knock down some of the many 3s that it will take, it could be interesting late.

No. 11 North Carolina (-1.5) via No. 6 Ole Miss, 4:05 p.m. Friday

In most years, a team that wins in the first four also wins a game in the first round. This is not just an overreaction to the dominant victory of UNC about the state of San Diego. The Tar Heels vogue with Ole Miss pretty well. UNC does not deserve a larger place, but that never meant that it couldn't get hot and won several games.

No. 7 Marquette (-3.5) via No. 10 New Mexico, 7:25 p.m. Friday

If you like waxing, this will be a funny matchup. Marquettes Kam Jones is one of the best players in the country, a finalist of the Bob Cousy Award for the trophy that goes to the nation's best point. Donovan Dent from New Mexico and his 20.6 points per game should get more respect for the post -season. Marquette only won five of his last 12 games, but there were no bad losses. This is not an easy choice between two similar but incorrect teams. Marquette could be happy not to see a big east enemy.

No. 15 Bryant (+17.5) on No. 2 Michigan State, Michigan, State, 10 p.m. Friday

The state of Michigan had an enormous season. The Spartans were also good for beds and parked a 22-10-1 brand against the spread action Network, one of the best markings in sport. MSU will not shoot many 3s, they won't shoot well, but can score inside and recover well. Bryant is one of the few 15 seeds that actually have a decent size. According to Kenpom.com, the sixth place is in college basketball. The Bulldogs did not play a difficult schedule and against the two best teams they played, St. Johns and Grand Canyon lost them at 22 and 46. There is no angry concern here, but Bryant could not be a total push.