March Madness is not only one of the best times of the year, but also one of the most bet on events in the sports calendar. Plenty of casual college basketball fans, as well as those who have not watched a second all season, will be tuned in and possibly looking to financially benefit as well. No time is more important than now for both the teams and us the fans, and I will attempt to have you covered. Here are my best bets in the first round of March Madness.
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook | Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER | Season Record: (17-12)
Houston -28.5 (-115) vs SIU-Edwardsville, Thu. 2p.m. ET
It is a lot of points but don’t be afraid to lay a big number with the Cougars. Houston is obviously a very good team and they are one that stomps far inferior opponents. Under Kelvin Sampson the Cougars have been seeded three or higher on four different occasions. In those games they are 3-1 ATS and covered the spread by an average of 8.4 points. Also, this season they have played five teams who rank outside the top 200 in KenPom (SIUE currently 215) and have won those games by an average of 40.8 points. Sampson’s teams play hard for a full 40 minutes no matter who the opponent is and I expect that to lead to a massive win here. If you do not like a spread this big, SIUE could come out a little rusty with it being 12 days since their last game, so I would advise looking into the first half spread currently at -16.5 (-122).
Wofford/Tennessee Over 133.5 (-108), Thu. 6:50p.m. ET
This is a tricky one that we're going to have to fight for, but I love it. The number is low because both of these teams play very slow as Wofford ranks 333rd and Tennessee 346th out of 364 in KenPom’s adjusted tempo. Despite this both teams are very efficient on the offensive end and score the ball well averaging over 73 points per game. This is the fourth lowest total the Vols have seen all season and the over has hit in the past five Tennessee games with a total of 140 or less. The Terriers are averaging 81 points per game in the month of March and I think they can keep this one competitive, which in my mind plays in favor of the over.
Akron +14.5 (-118) vs Arizona, Fri. 7:35p.m. ET
Both of these teams have high powered offenses which leads me to believe Akron can keep this one close. The Zips shoot the three ball and they shoot it a lot averaging just below 30 attempts per game and connecting 36.4% of the time. March is the time when crazy things happen and what would be better than the Zips raining in threes against an average Arizona defense that is allowing opponents to shoot 33.6% from behind the arc. I am not calling an upset here, but I like Akron to keep this game inside of the number.
Oregon -6.5 (-118) vs Liberty, 10:10p.m. ET
The 12v5 matchup is always a trendy upset pick, but every year there seems to be one that is a complete blowout and I think that is what we have here. First of all, this is a late night tip out west that likely will not be starting until closer to 10:30 which plays in favor of the Ducks who should have the home crowd advantage in Seattle. Oregon is a very balanced team who has a guy in Nate Bittle that will be a matchup problem for the Flames. Liberty lives and dies off the three point shot which the Ducks rank 59th in the country in defending. Dana Altman is one of the most underrated coaches in the sport when it comes to March and he has never lost in the opening round at Oregon. I see his team coming out on top big in a double digit victory to close out first round action.
Rounding it out:
- Creighton +2.5 (-110) vs Louisville, Thu. 12:15p.m. ET
- Arkansas/Kansas Over 145.5 (-105), Thu. 7:10p.m. ET
- Missouri -6.5 (-105) vs Drake, Thu. 7:35p.m. ET
- Mississippi St. Moneyline (-114) vs Baylor, Fri. 12:15p.m. ET
- Florida Team Total Over 90.5 (-114), Fri. 6:50p.m. ET
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change | Frank Sciarroni is 17-12 ATS in CBB.