Get ready to call in sick on Thursday as the Madness begins with the first day of the NCAA Tournament.

After a ton of upsets hit the board in last week’s conference tournaments the Louisville Cardinals ended up as the overall No. 1 seed after the dust settled. The Cardinals earned the top seed by winning the tough Big East title during the season and also winning the Big East Tournament. There were two other teams in the Big East that could have ended up as the top seed in Connecticut and Pittsburgh, but failures in the Big East Tournament kept the Huskies and Panthers from ending up on top. Don’t weep for the Huskies or Panthers, though, because they still ended up with No. 1 seeds in the Big Dance. The other No. 1 seed went to North Carolina, another team that was upset in their conference tourney.

Last season for the first time ever all four No. 1 seeds avoided getting upset and made it to the Final Four. If that should happen again bettors at Pinnacle could be in for a big payday. Right now on the Pinnacle NCAA Tournament props if all four No. 1 seeds make the Final Four it will pay off at +4800. Also on the props list is any No. 1 seed winning a national title - but that’s only worth -108.

The tournament isn’t all about No. 1 seeds, though. People watch, and of course bet on the tournament, for the upsets. This year’s field could be packed with upsets, as the six power conferences are dominating the field. The Big East, the Big Ten, and the ACC all have seven teams in the Big Dance, while the Pac-10 and Big 12 are each sending six teams. Only three non-power conferences are sending multiple teams to the tourney, with the Atlantic 10 sending three, and the Horizon League and Mountain West each sending two.

With three No. 1 seeds in the tournament the Big East is easily the favorite to win the title at +130. They’re followed by the ACC at +230 and the Big 12 at +1000. The Big 12 includes reigning champs Kansas and No. 2 seed Oklahoma, so they could be a profitable pick if things go their way in the Big Dance.

Everything gets started Tuesday night with the Play-In Game between Alabama State and Morehead State. The winner will go on to meet up with Louisville in the first round and unless history is made that’s as far as their tourney journey will take them. The real Madness begins on Thursday, but be sure to check in at Pinnacle periodically for up-to-the-minute odds and props leading up to tipoff.