There is something that is just so satisfying about the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It's not just that there is a plethora of games for fans to enjoy from roughly lunchtime through your midnight snack. With PrizePicks, you can get in on the action throughout the day, and it is going to be a busy one on Friday.
We saw six underdogs win outright in the first round on Thursday and another against the spread (ATS). The madness is real, but who will get consumed by it on Friday? What are the best NCAA Tournament PrizePicks predictions for Friday? I've got a few ideas, and I love a good underdog.
Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>
There is something that is just so satisfying about the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It's not just that there is a plethora of games for fans to enjoy from roughly lunchtime through your midnight snack. With PrizePicks, you can get in on the action throughout the day, and it is going to be a busy one on Friday.
We saw six underdogs win outright in the first round on Thursday and another against the spread (ATS). The madness is real, but who will get consumed by it on Friday? What are the best NCAA Tournament PrizePicks predictions for Friday? I've got a few ideas, and I love a good underdog.
Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>
NCAA Tournament Round 1 PrizePicks Predictions
No. 13 Hofstra Pride vs. No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama is an upset waiting to happen. Why? Because they don't play defense (No. 352 in the country) and just try to outscore everyone (No. 1 in the country). But that is not going to work against Hofstra because the Pride is built to upset a team like the Crimson Tide.
Hofstra is a solid rebounding team that thrives in the paint and can hit shots on the perimeter. If need be, they have a game-breaker in Cruz Davis, who scores 20 points a game. Alabama losing Aden Holloway to a drug arrest before the tournament started certainly makes Hofstra's job a little easier.
PrizePicks Prediction: Hofstra (5.55)
No. 12 Northern Iowa Panthers vs. No. 5 St. John's Red Storm
The Red Storm are kind of a media darling with the legendary Rick Pitino as head coach. Why? Because every writer loves a good story, and if Pitino can make a deep run or even win it all with this group, it will be the story-of-the-season kind of material.
However, they'll have their work cut out for them against a surprisingly tough Northern Iowa team. The Panthers finished the regular season with the No. 1 defense in the country, allowing just 61.3 points per game. Making shots is tough against them( 40.7%, No. 26 in the country) and especially tough against three-pointers (No. 3, 28.5% allowed).
If the defense can do its part and keep the tempo nice and slow, and the offense can do better than the norm and hit more than seven threes, the Panthers could certainly pull off an upset
It's absolutely a longshot play, but it can happen. St. John's has been known to struggle to get their shots to start falling. With a stifling defense, the Panthers could make it take even longer for the offense to get on track. We saw six upsets yesterday. This game could certainly become one of them.
PrizePicks Prediction: Northern Iowa (4.76)
