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2021 NCAA tournament ESPN+ bracket cheat sheet

AP Photo/Darron Cummings

Making your NCAA tournament picks is as much an art as it is a science. To aid you in your quest to become master of the bracket, we've corralled the best minds in the game to provide you with all the info you need to pick winners and emerge victorious in bracket contests.

Check back throughout the week, as we add more.


Tools: ESPN+ Bracket Predictor | College BPI | ESPN+ PickCenter


Giant Killers: Top 10 upsets

Which underdogs are primed to make some noise and cause first-round upsets? The Giant Killers use a statistical model to help spot the teams most likely to outplay their seeds and take down the top squads in the bracket. Below are the top 10 upsets for the first round; click here for detailed explanations.

Top first-round upsets

** No. 11 UCLA Bruins vs. No. 6 BYU Cougars (Upset chance: 41%)

No. 11 Syracuse Orange vs. No. 6 San Diego State Aztecs (Upset chance: 39%)

No. 14 Colgate Raiders vs. No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks (Upset chance: 35%)

No. 12 Georgetown Hoyas vs. No. 5 Colorado Buffaloes (Upset chance: 28%)

No. 13 Liberty Flames vs. No. 4 Oklahoma State Cowboys (Upset chance: 26%)

No. 14 North Texas Mean Green vs. No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers (Upset chance: 25%)

** No. 11 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 6 BYU Cougars (Upset chance: 23%)

No. 11 Utah State Aggies vs. No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders (Upset chance: 22%)

No. 12 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. No. 5 Creighton Bluejays (Upset chance: 21%)

** No. 11 Wichita State Shockers vs. No. 6 USC Trojans (Upset chance: 13%)

** Matchup is dependent on the results of a play-in game


Giant Killers: Top regional upsets

Below are the Best Bets for upsets in each region. Click here to see all the other regional upsets, including "Worth a Long Look," "Not Completely Ridiculous," and "Stay Away."

East Region

No. 11 UCLA Bruins vs. No. 6 BYU Cougars (Upset chance: 41%)

South Region

No. 14 Colgate Raiders vs. No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks (Upset chance: 35%)

West Region

N/A

Midwest Region

No. 11 Syracuse Orange over No. 6 San Diego State Aztecs (Upset chance: 39%)


Bilas' bracket

Jay Bilas walks you game by game through his entire bracket to help you find your way to the championship.

Sweet 16

West

Gonzaga vs. Ohio

Iowa vs. USC

South

Baylor vs. Purdue

Arkansas vs. Ohio State

Midwest

Illinois vs. Tennessee

Houston vs. West Virginia

East

Michigan vs. Florida State

Alabama vs. Texas

Elite Eight

West

Gonzaga vs. Iowa

South

Baylor vs. Ohio State

Midwest

Illinois vs. West Virginia

East

Michigan vs. Alabama

Final Four

Gonzaga vs. Alabama

Baylor vs. Illinois

Title game

Gonzaga vs. Illinois

Winner: Gonzaga


Tournament lines and betting report

Updated throughout the week as they change, check out betting lines for every first-round game here.

Top odds to win the championship as of March 15

Gonzaga 2-1
Baylor 5-1
Michigan 6-1
Illinois 6-1
Iowa 18-1
Houston 18-1
Alabama 20-1
Ohio State 20-1
Texas 25-1
Oklahoma State 30-1
More >>>