NCAA Bracket Fever: March Madness Kicks off Thursday

March Madness is upon us as the annual NCAA Division I men's college basketball tournament gets under way Thursday, with play-in games starting on Tuesday. 

It's single elimination games, as 68 teams complete for the national championship title, which will be decided at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on April 6-8.

The Washington Post reports the following games as "must-see" matches for Thursday: No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 9 Southern Mississippi; No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 14 BYU; No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Harvard; No. 5 Wichita State vs. No. 12 VCU; and No. 8 Connecticut vs. No. 9 Iowa State. 

And, of course, it wouldn't be March Madness without the bracket. (You'll find a handy, printable bracket in the PDF to the right of this text.) Also, an interactive bracket is on the March Madness website as well as on ESPN.com.

For those unfamiliar with bracketology, USA Today offers tips for those filling out a bracket for the first time, and The Huffington Post shares 10 things you should know for the tournament. 

While workers across the country make predictions and watch to find out if their teams go on to win, U.S. companies stand to lose at least $134 million in “lost wages” in just the first two days of the tournament alone, The Huffington Post reports. A study says an estimated 3 million American workers will spend one to three hours a day during work watching tournament. 

Is filling out your NCAA bracket a must-do at your office? Is there prize money for the winner? What is your March Madness tradition?