Sunday’s Best Prop Bets: Second Round March Madness (NCAA Tournament)
My oh my, how much have I missed March Madness. The number of overtime games and upsets on Friday almost made up for the tournament being canceled last year. A record number of 14 different seeds won on the first day, and I am here for more madness.
As we look towards the second-round, here are my favorite prop bets for the Sunday slate of games (All odds via BetRivers Illinois).
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Buddy Boeheim (Syracuse vs WVU) – OVER 20 points
After scoring 30 points in the drubbing of San Diego State, you’d think Boeheim is due for some regression, right? Well maybe, but I still think he is capable of reaching this number vs the Mountaineers. The Orange have depended on the play of the coach’s son recently, and he has consistently played over 35 minutes.
People may fade this number, seeing West Virginia and thinking about good defense, but the Mountaineers’ defense really isn’t that impressive. WVU ranks 65th in defensive efficiency this year and is allowing teams to shoot at a 33% clip from beyond-the-arc. I expect this game to come down to the wire with Buddy taking 10 threes and seeing the floor for nearly 40 minutes. He might come down to earth, but he can still reach 20 points.
Cade Cunningham (OK State vs Oregon State) – OVER 31.5 points + rebounds + assists
After a relatively cold game for Cunningham on Friday, I’m buying into the Cade Cunningham breakout party vs. Oregon State. The Beavers are playing at a ridiculously high level right now, and are due for some major regression. I expect Oklahoma State to start letting Cade fly and bump up that usage rate that has hovered around 31% of late.
Oregon State offers a much juicer chance at a breakout game, and Cade should get to the free-throw line a lot, as the Beavers foul often. The potential number-one overall draft pick has improved his ability to facilitate, and he can easily pull-down north of five or six rebounds. I love everything Oklahoma State in this game and I am happy to bet on Cunningham.
Justin Smith (Arkansas vs Texas Tech) – UNDER 15.0 points
After averaging 13.1 points per game this season, Smith went off vs. Colgate, scoring 29 points. Let me say something that isn’t that scandalous but needs to be made clear: Texas Tech is a much better team than Colgate. The Red Raiders not only boast a much better defense but will slow the game way down.
What I really like about this bet is how Smith barely shoots from beyond-the-arc. That is where Texas Tech isn’t so great on defense, but inside-the-arc, they rank 26th best in defensive 2pt FG %. If Smith is expected to get to 15 points, he will have to take a high number of tough shots, which I don’t expect him to do.
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Ryan Coleman is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Ryan, check out his archive.