After an extremely long wait (which would seem even longer if you were an SEC bubble team), it’s finally the middle of March, and that means the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Headlined by No. 1 seeds ruler, Arizona, michigan And FloridaAs well as a host of the usual blue bloods, some new faces and potential Cinderella teams, there are plenty of opportunities for punters to get in on the action.
It’s no surprise that several of the top seeds are favorites to win the national title, with Duke leading the way at +330, while Michigan (+350), Arizona (+425), Florida (+700), houston (+1000) and Yukon (+1700) rounds out the betting favorites to take it all.
Our college basketball betting analysts have revealed their favorite early bets since the bracket dropped, ranging from first-round picks to some futures all the way to the title game.
there is a possibility DraftKings Sportsbook. Odds are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
Kevin Pulsipher: North Carolina is not the team that beat Duke earlier this season. Caleb WilsonInjuries have limited the Tar Heels’ range, and now they face a VCU team that gets to the free throw line at a top-20 rate in the country, which can counter one of Carolina’s defensive strengths if the referees have a hard whistle (which is often the case in the NCAA Tournament). UNC wins a game away from the Dean Dome without Wilson against a hapless Syracuse Squad. Meanwhile, the Rams were tested in the non-conference schedule. nc state Under the wire and spanking in Raleigh Virginia Tech Till 18 on neutral court. VCU will not be intimidated here.
Mark Zino: The committee likes to take the strengths of the lower seeded team and match them with the weaknesses of the higher seeded team. That’s what you have here with High Point facing the Badgers. The Panthers are averaging over 90 points per game while Wisconsin’s defense leaves much to be desired. They are a mediocre team with effective field goal shooting defense and 3-point shooting defense. High Point will present all kinds of problems for the Badgers.
The Panthers have the nation’s longest winning streak at 14 games. They play at a very fast pace, and their ball speed allows them to get inside and make easy buckets. They have an excellent perimeter defense, holding opponents to 31.9% shooting from three, while the Badgers are overly reliant on falling 3-point shots. High Point forces the fifth-most turnovers in the country and could frustrate Wisconsin’s shooters. If there’s ever a prototypical 12-5 upset this year, this is it.
Lipscomb: I like this matchup for Miami, even though the game is being played in St. Louis, which is just two hours from the Missouri campus. It matters little in the tournament. Kane has been strong on both ends of the court, especially on the glass where I expect Ernest Udeh Jr. And Malik Reneau This is very difficult for the Tigers to handle. Miami has traveled well this season – 10-5 road/neutral record, with a loss to Florida. BYUVirginia (twice) and CLEMSON – While Missouri has struggled away from home (5-9), including a 91-48 loss to Illinois in the same building where this game takes place. I hope Jay Lucas has a plan to slow down the red-hot mark mitchellAnd dare to harm other tigers.
(2) UConn to make Elite Eight (+170)
Zinno: Huskies are over looked after in my opinion. However, the selection committee strengthened them with a very favorable draw here. When Furman Paladins A dangerous team, they are a bad matchup against UConn’s defense, which has the size needed to not get fouled inside, and the rebounding to not allow second-chance points.
In their second matchup, the Huskies might not even see No. 7 UCLA and get number 10 instead ucfAs Mick Cronin’s Bruins have struggled on the East Coast in the Big Ten. UCF was defeated by similar teams in Arizona, Houston and iowa state; And UConn profiles as they do.
if it’s number 3 michigan state In the Sweet 16, it’s a coin toss game for me in which the Huskies’ perimeter defense shuts down the Spartans. I can see all the higher-seeded teams in the bottom half of the East bracket losing their first round matchups, giving the Huskies an easier path. UConn has one of the better draws in this tournament and should see three consecutive wins here.
(3) Virginia To make the Elite Eight (+310)
Pulsipher: Cavaliers take Duke to the wire cameron boozer Up to 3-of-17 shooting in ACC title game, thanks to incredible post defense ugona onyenso And a nine-man rotation where the bench is as strong as the starters. Virginia is balanced inside and out, attack and defense and they have a favorable draw. a streak tennessee Team awaiting second round (or lower) smu The Cavaliers team has already defeated, or a miami [Ohio] team that is weak in predictive metrics), and then a potential Sweet 16 matchup against Iowa State really suits UVa. The Cyclones underperformed in March due to massive home-court advantage in the regular season, and they struggled mightily from the free throw line. Iowa State also encourages teams to shoot threes, which Virginia is comfortable doing.
(7) Miami will make the Sweet 16 (+400)
Lipscomb: Why not build on a first-round pick and roll (yes, pun) with the Canes to survive the first weekend? To do that, they’ll need to take care of No. 2 seed Purdue, who is coming off a tough Big Ten championship game. This is about importance to me, as I believe Miami is not being taken seriously enough (they have the 25th lowest chance of winning two games). My biggest area of concern in the Purdue matchup is the Boilermakers’ perimeter skills (38%, top 20 in the country). However, putting the shoe on the other foot, I think Miami can get what they want on the offensive end and give Purdue all it can handle, and then some, in what I expect will be a physical battle. it feels like this True Washington The X Factor game off the bench.
