March Madness is here! Talk about an exciting and chaotic time to be alive and living in a state where betting on sports is legal. But in the first few days, there are so many games coming at you all at once that it can be challenging to decide which ones to bet on. Don't worry; I'm here to help.
The following are my NCAA Tournament Best Bets for Round 1 (Round of 64), Day 1 (Thursday, March 19).
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Day 1, Round of 64 NCAA Tournament Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
No. 12 McNeese Cowboys vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores
The 5-12 matchup is notorious for upsets. It is not unusual to hear some experts recommend picking at least one in your brackets. If you adhere to what the critics say, make McNeese your 5-12 upset pick for Round 1 this year.
Vanderbilt is coming off a great run in the SEC Tournament, but don't trust these guys. At one point in the season, they were a top-ten team that looked like a potential contender. However, once the undefeated record was cracked by Texas, a different Commodores team emerged. They ended up going 8-6 the rest of the way in the regular season before making an unexpected run to the SEC Tournament final.
McNeese comes into this game on a ten-game winning streak that includes the Southland Tournament Final. They'll likely try to make Vanderbilt uncomfortable by turning up the tempo and forcing the Commodores to play faster than they're comfortable with.
Vanderbilt has struggled against mid-major guards and has been inconsistent on offense. Factor in McNeese forcing turnovers (No. 2 in the country), and it could be hard for the Commodores to get their offense on track. I wouldn't be shocked if the Cowboys score an outright upset (+455), but if they lose, Vanderbilt will not win by double digits.
Pick: McNeese +11.5 (-112)
No. 12 High Point Panthers vs. No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers
If Wisconsin can get its way and impose its will on the Panthers, then the outcome of this game is inevitable-Badgers win. To that end, they'll try to play a half-court game, slow the pace, let their guards (John Blackwell and Nick Boyd) work their magic, and limit High Point's second-chance points by winning the battle on the boards.
Of course, if they can do all of that, they'll absolutely win because they will have taken High Point completely out of its game. The Panthers like to keep the tempo up and play at a quick pace. They'll try to put some pressure on the Badgers by hitting a few early threes, forcing Wisconsin into catch-up mode.
Some teams may get intimidated by the Wisconsin/Big Ten brand name, but High Point is a 30-win team. You don't win 30 games by letting another team intimidate you.
I'd say it is worth taking a flyer on the High Point ML at +380, but the safer bet is to take the points. Wisconsin's average scoring margin is 7.1 points, so, if the Badgers do win, it is unlikely they will blow out High Point.
Pick: High Point +10.5 (-115)
