Houston came up just short of an American conference championship by losing to Cincinnati, but it proved it earned every bit of its No. 6 ranking. San Diego State, meanwhile, is looking to prove that it's a viable sleeper candidate in the West bracket. Here's how to watch Thursday night's opening round contest.

So what side do you need to back? Visit SportsLine now to get a strong pick from an advanced computer model that entered the tournament on a red-hot 11-1 run.  

[Preview: Houston, San Diego State on roll heading into matchup]

Click here to follow updates in our LIVE bracket  

About No. 6 Houston

Kelvin Sampson has Houston in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his four seasons - and for just the second time, as a program, since 1992. Absolutely, they're good enough to play into the second weekend. And have you seen Rob Gray? He's a JUCO prospect averaging 18.6 points per game. You'll either love or hate his hair.

About No. 11 San Diego State

San Diego State earned its automatic bid the hard way in the Mountain West: by knocking off No. 4 Fresno State, No. 1 Nevada and No. 3 New Mexico. The Aztecs are peaking at the right time and have an NBA caliber center in Malik Pope who makes his living above the rim.

Viewing Information

  • Location: Intrust Bank Arena -- Wichita, Kansas
  • Date: Thursday, March 15 -- 7:20 p.m. ET
  • TV: TBS (check local listings)
  • Stream: March Madness Live
  • Follow: CBS Sports App 

The last two years, SportsLine's computer simulation correctly predicted nine out of 12 double-digit NCAA Tournament upsets in the first round with their computer algorithm. This year they have plenty of upsets again, like one region where you need to pick the 11, 12, AND 13 seeds, and another region with a 4-seed in the Final Four. Click here to see SportsLine's Optimized NCAA Tournament bracket.    

Live updates from Day One of the NCAA Tournament

Embrace the madness!