Tipoff of the first full day of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments is here already in the rear-view mirror.
After a packed early window, eight more games get underway tonight.
This evening’s action begins with Wofford at Tennessee at 6:50 p.m. ET and features one matchup after another, wrapping up with UNC-Wilmington vs. Texas Tech at 10:10 p.m. ET.
Below are our 8 best bets — one for each of tonight’s games.
Note: betting odds below are courtesy of FanDuel as of Thursday.
Wofford (15) vs. Tennessee (2) Odds, Best Bets, Pick
TV: TNT, 6:50 p.m.
Betting odds:
- spread: WOF +18.5 (-102); TEN -18.5 (-120)
- moneyline: WOF +1400; TEN -4000
- total: 133.5 (o-108; u-112)
Barring a shocking performance by Wofford, this one should be a snoozer. The veteran Vols are among the best teams in the country, and their outstanding defense makes it hard to see them stumbling here.
- Best bet: Wofford Team Total Under 56.5 (-110 at FD) — 1 unit
- Pick: Tennessee
Arkansas (10) vs. Kansas (7) Odds, Best Bets, Pick
TV: CBS, 7:10 p.m.
Betting odds:
- spread: ARK +4.5 (-105); KAN -4.5 (-115)
- moneyline: ARK +164; KAN -200
- total: 146.5 (o-108; u-112)
This promises to be one of the most evenly matched contests of the night. Kansas boasts a legit force in the paint in veteran Hunter Dickinson, but is coming off one of the most disappointing regular seasons in Lawrence in a long time.
Give me John Calipari’s Razorbacks, who should get a spark from dynamic freshman Boogie Fland. He has been out since late January with a hand injury but is expected to play tonight, and I expect him to help the underdogs find a way to upset the Jayhawks. The latter have not been very impressive this year outside of their November win over Duke.
- Best bet: Arkansas ML (+164 at FD) — 0.5 units
- Pick: Arkansas
Yale (13) vs. Texas A&M (4) Odds, Best Bets, Pick
TV: TBS, 1:30 p.m.
Betting odds:
- spread: YALE +7.5 (-108); A&M -7.5 (-112)
- moneyline: YALE +255; A&M -320
- total: 139.5 (o-110; u-110)
Yale memorably upset Auburn a year ago in this tournament, and this team looks capable of taking down the Aggies if they’re not at their best today.
I think A&M’s rebounding will allow it avoid the upset, but I expect Yale to keep this one tight from start to finish.
- Best bet: Yale +7.5 (-108 at FD) — 1 unit
- Pick: Texas A&M
Drake (11) vs. Missouri (6) Odds, Best Bets, Pick
TV: TBS, 7:25 p.m.
Betting odds:
- spread: DRAKE +6.5 (-115); MIZ -6.5 (-105)
- moneyline: DRAKE +205; MIZ -255
- total: 132.5 (o-114; u-106)
UPSET ALERT!
The (legit) first-round upset I feel most confident in today is this one. Drake is not exactly flying under the radar after a 30-win regular season that included victories over Miami, Vanderbilt and Kansas State, but I think this team is still not getting enough love.
Missouri’s ceiling is tantalizing (see: wins over Kansas, Florida), but their defensive struggles in recent weeks are a major concern, and I think Drake can take advantage.
My pick for the next “small-school” star to capture America’s hearts in March is Drake G Bennett Stirtz. Don’t miss him in primetime tonight.
- Best bet: Drake +6.5 (-115 at FD) — 1 unit
- BONUS BET: Drake ML (+205 at FD) — 0.5 units
- Pick: Drake
Utah State (10) vs. UCLA (7) Odds, Best Bets, Pick
TV: 9:25 p.m., TNT
Betting odds:
- spread: UTST +5.5 (-120); UCLA -5.5 (-102)
- moneyline: UTST +168; AUB -205
- total: 143.5 (o-115; u-105)
I’m not exactly bullish on either of these teams, as UCLA went just 22-10 in its first year as a member of the Big Ten, while Utah State has the ugly recent track record of Mountain West teams to blame for my skepticism of the Aggies.
In a contest I’m honestly not sure what to make of, I’ll take the underdogs to cover, as I don’t see either team running away with this one. Give me UCLA to find a way to advance, though.
- Best bet: UTST +5.5 (-120 at FD) — 0.5 units
- Pick: UCLA
Omaha (15) vs. St. John’s (2) Odds, Best Bets, Pick
TV: CBS, 9:45 p.m.
Betting odds:
- spread: OMAHA +18.5 (-110); SJU -18.5 (-110)
- moneyline: OMAHA +1400; SJU -3500
- total: 148.5 (o-108; u-112)
I recommend tuning into this one to see St. John’s live, especially if you havent caught any of their games yet this year. I don’t, however, expect a close game.
SJU is too good defensively for this one to be close for more than a half, if that. Good luck to Omaha as it tries to do what few teams could all year: score on the grizzled Johnnies.
- Best bet: Omaha TT Under 64.5 (-114 at FD) — 1 unit
- Pick: St. John’s
UC San Diego (12) vs. Michigan (5) Odds, Best Bets, Pick
TV: TBS, 10 p.m.
Betting odds:
- spread: UCSD +2.5 (-110); MICH -2.5 (-110)
- moneyline: UCSD +118; MICH -142
- total: 143.5 (o-110; u-110)
The Tritons, who are on a 15-game winning streak, are getting a ton of respect from both pundits and oddsmakers, and understandably so.
UCSD was dominant down the stretch of the regular season, and its well-documented prowess at forcing turnovers gives good reason for Michigan fans to hate this matchup.
But Wolverines bigs Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin should be no match for UCSD inside. I like that duo to lead Michigan to the second round, even if it takes some last-second heroics vs. UCSD to get there.
- Best bet: MICH -2.5 (-110 at FD) — 1 unit
- Pick: Michigan (barely)
UNC Wilmington (14) vs. Texas Tech (3) Odds, Best Bets, Pick
TV: truTV, 10:10 p.m.
Betting odds:
- spread: UNCW +15.5 (-115); TT -15.5 (-105)
- moneyline: UNCW +890; TT -1700
- total: 143.5 (o-110; u-110)
If Texas Tech, which has been hampered by injuries, is at its best tonight, it won’t have any trouble with the Seahawks.
That being said, I like Wilmington, which is top-50 nationally in free-throw rate, to keep this one tight for at least 20 minutes.
- Best bet: UNCW 1H +8.5 (-106 at FD) — 0.5 units
- Pick: Texas Tech
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