March Madness Odds: Opening Round Predictions

After a few days of letting the brackets sink in and stew a little bit, it is time to sharpen the pencils and fill in your picks. (AP Images)"]

The opening round can really be a blessing or a disaster depending on how risky you are.

Since no No. 1 team has ever lost in the opener, just move on to other games. Check off the top seeds to win and save all the number crunching for those killer 8 vs. 9 matchups.

No. 9 seeds have the advantage in the head-to-head matchups with No. 8 seeds. Overall No. 9 seeds are 52-44 against No. 8 seeds SU and over the last nine years they have gone 20-16 ATS.

If you are looking for one solid pick for an upset in the opening round, check out the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. As the No. 12 seed, Western Kentucky opens against an Illinois team that might be without Chester Frazier. Get your March Madness odds with Bodog today.