With less than 24 hours to go until the 2018 March Madness wall-to-wall College Basketball blitz begins, it is time to start looking at your NCAA bracket a bit more seriously. Millions of college hoops fans will fill out a bracket and enter either one of the several contests online, a work office pool, or just to have fun and gain some bragging rights among friends and family.

While it is fun to fill out the bracket, you want to win, right? It is always easy to pick the winners before the tourney starts because it looks like all the top seeds should cruise to a first or second-round victory.

However, if that were the case there would never be any upsets -- and there would be no point in working because you could easily gamble for a living. The favorites lose just as often as the underdogs, especially in this tournament. Now is the time to sniff out those possible upsets.

No. 11 LUC vs. No. 6 Miami -- March 15 - 3:10 p.m. ET

Not many folks follow the Loyola Ramblers, but they may take notice of them after they face Miami in round one of the NCAA Tournament this Thursday.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Ramblers, who finished on top of the Missouri Valley Conference, are more than up for the challenge against the Hurricanes. Loyola is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NCAA, making nearly 40 percent of their attempts.

They finished the regular season 28-5 overall, 15-3 in conference play, and with a strong RPI ranking of 22.

Even though the Hurricanes finished third in the ACC Conference, they know how to win. Jim Larranaga is one of the best coaches in the country. The Canes have a definite height advantage, and if Loyola is shooting poorly from the field, this may work to Miami’s advantage.

Nevertheless, I am picking the underdog. Vegas oddsmakers feel like this game could come down to the end as Miami is listed at just a 2.5 point favorite. Loyola is my pick in this game.

No. 12 South Dakota State vs. No. 5 Ohio State

This is a very intriguing matchup. Not much was expected out of Ohio State in 2017, however, the Buckeyes have proven that they are one of the best teams in the Big Ten.

As for South Dakota State, they may be the Summit League champions, but they are playing with house money. Just on name alone, most folks will pick Ohio State, but buyer beware -- the Jackrabbits will make this game interesting.

SDSU is one of the best teams against the spread this season at 19-9 and they are getting 8.5 points against Ohio State. Upset special right here. Two more for good measure -- NC State over Seton Hall. The Hall is only a 3-point favorite, so it isn't much of a bracket-buster, but it is a No. 9 team taking down a No. 8.
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