X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Free Betting Picks For Round 1 Of The NIT/NCAA Tournament First Four- 2023 March Madness

NBA Betting Picks

The NCAA Tournament is officially underway in Dayton. Those are mostly uninteresting betting picks, but the second set of the first-round NIT games provides some very interesting lines. We had a rough night last night with Rutgers blowing it, Bradley getting blown out, and SEMO slowing that game down to a crawl with the foul-o-rama they had going on in Dayton. UAB was the only team that covered as I went 1-4. Yikes.

There will be some great games and some big upsets, and we can add to all the fun with some betting picks. With the amount of data out there, it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, so I will simplify this by using either over/under bets, spread, or moneyline. I won't have any prop bets here.

Here are my favorite college basketball betting picks for the first round of the NIT and the First Four of the NCAA Tournament for Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Once you're done here, be sure to also check out the rest of our NCAA Tournament articles and analysis including previews, predictions, sleepers, busts, and guides on how to fill out your brackets. You can access all of our latest sports betting promos, and sign up for Caesars Sportsbook here.

Featured Promo: Get any Props Premium Pass for 30% off using code NEW. Win more with our two new Props Optimizer tools -- one for PrizePicks Props, and one for Sportsbook Betting Props. Find optimal prop bets and get our recommended picks daily! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern

Fairleigh Dickinson moneyline (+120)

The Tigers opened the season losing eight of their first nine games with the only win being against Arizona State in that span. They proceeded to stumble through the SWAC, losing their last three games before the conference tournament. The Tigers own tournament time and they have some NCAA Tournament experience.

FDU is here because of the dumbest rule in an organization full of dumb rules – the probationary period that institutes a four-year ban for teams moving up from Division II. It's dumb. It robbed James Madison of postseason play in football and it did the same to Merrimack in basketball.

So how do you decide between two teams that kind of backdoored their way in? You take the team that won 20 instead of the one that lost 20.

 

Central Florida at Florida

UCF moneyline (+130)

Taylor Hendricks will be a lottery pick if he comes out after this season. Even Colin Castleton might not be a lottery pick and Hendricks won't even have to deal with Castleton. Florida has struggled defensively since Castleton went down, allowing 77.8 points per game in the 10 games since his injury.

UCF only allows 66 per game. Florida can still score fairly well thanks to Riley Kugel, but they don't have a presence in the middle that can deal with Hendricks. I'll take the team with the best player on the court in a road game...especially since the hordes of UCF fans will flock up I-75 to Gainesville.

 

Arizona State vs. Nevada

Nevada +2.5

I don't mind the moneyline here either, but I'll leave it at the spread for the parlay. Much like the 11 seeds last night, this is going to be a very close game. The Pack have a better NET ranking. Arizona State is likely only in this spot because of a half-court prayer to beat Arizona in the last week of the season. Lunardi said they were the last team in. If that's the case, Nevada should win, right?

 

Oklahoma State at Youngstown State

Oklahoma State -5.5

Arena conflicts in Stillwater put the Pokes on the road despite being a one-seed in the NIT. We've seen the spread dip because of that, but they are a strong defensive team, which Youngstown didn't have to deal with this year. I also like the u148.5 if you would rather bet that. We will see if the Big 12(10) is as strong as they looked beating the hell out of each other all year.

 

UC-Irvine at Oregon

UC Irvine +7.5

The Ducks will be without Will Richardson and Jermaine Couisnard and might be without N'Faly Dante as well. That's a lot of production that the Ducks have to pick up on the fly. On top of that, the Highlanders already beat Oregon in Eugene back in November. I don't know that Irvine wins outright again since Oregon does have good backup guards, but covering by a touchdown while missing over 60% of your offensive production is a tough ask.

 

Favorite Parlay

FDU ML, UCF ML, Oklahoma State -5.5, Nevada +2.5, UC Irvine +7.5 (+3421)

As you'll notice, I sometimes get a little crazy on parlays. I will bet a few smaller parlays, but I'll always post my big one for those trying to make 50 bucks off a quarter. Please, don't bet more than a couple of dollars on these. These are meant to be a fun longshot, not something to help you retire. Save the higher bets for singles or three-leg parlays.

My three-legger is going to be UC-Irvine -7.5, Oklahoma State -5.5, and Central Florida ML.

Thanks for reading, and remember to gamble responsibly.

More March Madness Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Roki Sasaki2 hours ago

Officially Added To 40-Man Roster
Jacob Wilson2 hours ago

Belts Two Home Runs, Collects Five RBI On Monday
San Francisco 49ers2 hours ago

Siran Neal Signing With 49ers
Javier Assad3 hours ago

Officially Placed On 15-Day Injured List
Daylen Lile3 hours ago

Highlights Trio Of Reassignments For Nationals
Matt Shaw3 hours ago

Added To Major-League Roster
Randal Grichuk3 hours ago

Leaves Game With Ankle Soreness
Clayton Kershaw3 hours ago

Tony Gonsolin, Michael Kopech Placed On 15-Day Injured List
Edgar Quero4 hours ago

Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero Reassigned To Minor-League Camp
Angel Perdomo4 hours ago

Traded To The Angels
Spencer Strider4 hours ago

Shines In First Spring Training Start
Cleveland Browns4 hours ago

Browns Could Be Desperate Enough To Trade Up For Cam Ward
Noah Murdock4 hours ago

Earns Opening Day Roster Spot
Raheem Mostert4 hours ago

Expected To Be No. 2 Back In Vegas
Stefon Diggs4 hours ago

Raiders Could Target Stefon Diggs
Michael Gallup5 hours ago

To Visit With Seahawks
Rui Hachimura5 hours ago

Has Progressed To Three-On-Three Work
Pittsburgh Steelers5 hours ago

Isaiahh Loudermilk Returning To Steelers
Dorian Finney-Smith5 hours ago

Ready To Face Spurs
Houston Texans5 hours ago

Ronald Darby Signs One-Year Deal With Texans
Luka Dončić5 hours ago

Luka Doncic Officially Available Monday
Travis Homer5 hours ago

Re-Signs With Bears
Toumani Camara5 hours ago

Ruled Out Monday
Esteury Ruiz5 hours ago

A's Option Esteury Ruiz, J.T. Ginn To Triple-A
Patrick Sandoval5 hours ago

Steadily Progressing In His Rehab
Santi Aldama5 hours ago

Misses Sixth Consecutive Game
David Hamilton5 hours ago

The Front-Runner For Second Base Job?
Aaron Gordon5 hours ago

Upgraded To Available
Scotty Pippen Jr.5 hours ago

Out Against Kings
Sean Newcomb5 hours ago

A Candidate For Rotation Spot
Quinten Post5 hours ago

Available Monday Night
Spencer Torkelson5 hours ago

Could Play Regularly As DH
Christian Braun6 hours ago

Misses Monday's Game
Joey Gallo6 hours ago

Trying His Hand At Pitching
Josh Rojas6 hours ago

Dealing With Hairline Fracture In His Big Toe
Stephen Curry6 hours ago

Good To Go Against Nuggets
Michael King6 hours ago

Named Padres' Opening Day Starter
Jamal Murray6 hours ago

Sits Out Monday's Action
Nikola Jokić6 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Out Against Warriors
Brice Turang6 hours ago

Down 3-5 Days After Throwing Session Doesn't Go Well
James McCann6 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Braves
Corey Kispert6 hours ago

Leaves Road Trip Due To Thumb Injury
Marcus Smart6 hours ago

Not Healthy Enough To Play On Monday
Jordan Clarkson6 hours ago

Active On Monday
Keyonte George7 hours ago

Returns From Four-Game Absence Monday
Collin Sexton7 hours ago

Will Not Play Monday Night
Lauri Markkanen7 hours ago

Available Against Bulls
Coby White7 hours ago

Cleared For Action Monday
Josh Giddey7 hours ago

Remains Out On Monday
Grayson Allen7 hours ago

Sits Out Fourth Straight Game
Philadelphia Eagles7 hours ago

Azeez Ojulari Heading To Philadelphia
Pittsburgh Steelers7 hours ago

Juan Thornhill Heading To Steel City
Minnesota Vikings7 hours ago

Garrett Bradbury Released By Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles8 hours ago

Eagles Rework Lane Johnson's Contract
Andrei Svechnikov9 hours ago

Could Return To Action Thursday
Dustin Wolf9 hours ago

Faces Maple Leafs Monday
Jake Allen9 hours ago

Searches For Third Consecutive Victory Monday
Jet Greaves9 hours ago

Receives Starting Nod Monday
Ivan Fedotov10 hours ago

Starts Against Lightning
Joonas Korpisalo10 hours ago

Starts For Bruins Monday
Roman Dolidze10 hours ago

Extends His Win Streak To Three
Marvin Vettori10 hours ago

Suffers Back-To-Back Losses
Will Zalatoris10 hours ago

Has Been Consistent At Least In 2025
Carson Young10 hours ago

Makes The Cut In Second Straight Tournament
Xander Schauffele10 hours ago

Struggles At The PLAYERS Championship
Nicolai Hojgaard10 hours ago

Misses First Cut In 2025
Lucas Glover10 hours ago

Produces Another Strong Showing At The PLAYERS Championship
Joel Dahmen10 hours ago

Finding Stride Heading To Valspar Championship
Corey Conners10 hours ago

Finishes Tied For Sixth At The PLAYERS Championship
Luke Clanton11 hours ago

Secures PGA Tour Card At Cognizant Classic
Blades Brown11 hours ago

Set To Make Fourth PGA Tour Start In 2025
Cameron Young11 hours ago

A Loose Cannon On Florida Swing
Akshay Bhatia11 hours ago

Secures Third Top-10 Finish
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos11 hours ago

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Sahith Theegala11 hours ago

Seeking Elusive Consistency In Florida
Kyler Murray11 hours ago

Excited For 2025
Joe Highsmith11 hours ago

An Intriguing Option At The Valspar
Chidi Njokuani11 hours ago

Scores TKO Win At UFC Vegas 104
New York Jets11 hours ago

Byron Cowart Inks Deal With Jets
Kurt Holobaugh11 hours ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez11 hours ago

Wins Decision At UFC Vegas 104
PGA11 hours ago

Nico Echavarria Just Attempting To Get To The Weekend
Bud Cauley12 hours ago

Trying To Keep Good Times Rolling
12 hours ago

Tetairoa McMillan Increasing His Draft Stock
Christiaan Bezuidenhout12 hours ago

Needs His Putter At The Valspar
PGA12 hours ago

Byeong Hun An Attempts To Get Off To Faster Start
Joseph Woll12 hours ago

Starting On Monday
Nick Jensen12 hours ago

Not Expected To Play On Tuesday
Dylan Strome12 hours ago

Battling Illness
Jonas Brodin12 hours ago

Not Playing On Monday, Viewed As Day-To-Day
Cody Gibson12 hours ago

Submitted At UFC Vegas 104
Josh Norris12 hours ago

Not Playing On Monday
Da'Mon Blackshear13 hours ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
JJ Peterka13 hours ago

Ruled Out For Monday's Contest
Brendson Ribeiro13 hours ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Vegas 104
Diyar Nurgozhay13 hours ago

Suffers His First Loss
MMA13 hours ago

Seung Woo Choi Suffers First-Round TKO Loss At UFC Vegas 104
Kevin Vallejos13 hours ago

Finishes Seung Woo Choi In Debut
Jameis Winston14 hours ago

To Visit With Giants On Tuesday
Cincinnati Bengals14 hours ago

Bengals Still Hoping To Sign Trey Hendrickson To An Extension
Houston Texans14 hours ago

Texans Make Derek Stingley Jr. The Highest-Paid Defensive Back
Tyler Reddick15 hours ago

Solid Performance Is Derailed By Late Pit-Road Issues At Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney15 hours ago

Struggles End In A Disappointing Exit Late At Las Vegas
Josh Berry16 hours ago

Impressively Earns First Cup Series Win At Las Vegas
AJ Allmendinger16 hours ago

Scores First Top-10 Finish Of Season At Las Vegas
Kyle Larson16 hours ago

Leads The Most Laps, But Settles For A Top-10 Finish At Las Vegas
Ross Chastain16 hours ago

Obtains A Hard-Fought Top-Five Finish At Las Vegas
Daniel Suarez16 hours ago

Scores Career-Best Finish At Las Vegas, But Falls Short Of Winning
Cole Perfetti20 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Victory
Karel Vejmelka20 hours ago

Earns Victory On Sunday
Jordan Kyrou20 hours ago

Tallies Three Points On Sunday
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins20 hours ago

Dishes Out Three Helpers
Cale Makar20 hours ago

Tallies Three Points On Sunday
Dmitry Kulikov20 hours ago

Injured On Sunday
NASCAR22 hours ago

Bubba Wallace Wrecks At Las Vegas But Shows Promising Speed
Alex Bowman22 hours ago

Recovers From Loose Wheel To Finish Seventh
Austin Cindric22 hours ago

Wins Stage 1, But Loose Wheel Foils Victory Bid
William Byron22 hours ago

Loses Las Vegas Race On Strategy But Expands Points Lead
Ryan Preece22 hours ago

Earns Best Career Non-Drafting Oval Finish At Las Vegas
Tee Higgins1 day ago

Becomes Highest-Paid WR2 In NFL History
Ja'Marr Chase1 day ago

Bengals Make Ja'Marr Chase The Highest-Paid Non-QB In NFL History
Miami Dolphins1 day ago

Ryan Stonehouse Signs With Dolphins
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Remains In Rangers Crease Sunday
John Gibson1 day ago

Still Out On Sunday
Nick Bjugstad1 day ago

Returns For Utah Sunday
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Quest For Four Wins In A Row Just Got More Difficult
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Should Contend For Another Win At Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney2 days ago

Once Again The Chalk DFS Pick At Las Vegas
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Fastest In Practice At Las Vegas
Chris Buescher2 days ago

Has Sneaky Upside This Weekend
Chase Elliott2 days ago

May Be A Sneaky DFS Option For Las Vegas Lineups
William Byron2 days ago

Expect William Byron To Compete For The Win At Las Vegas
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Is One Of The Top DFS Options For Las Vegas
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Could Denny Hamlin Be A Quality Driver For DFS At Las Vegas?
Roman Dolidze4 days ago

Set For A Rematch
Marvin Vettori4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Chidi Njokuani4 days ago

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos4 days ago

Looks For His 12th UFC Win
Kurt Holobaugh4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Gibson4 days ago

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Da'Mon Blackshear4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 104
Brendson Ribeiro4 days ago

Searching For Second UFC Win On Saturday
Jacob Bridgeman6 days ago

Use Caution For Jacob Bridgeman At TPC Sawgrass
Nicolai Hojgaard6 days ago

Looks To Stay Consistent Heading Into PLAYERS Championship
Karl Vilips6 days ago

Makes PLAYERS Championship Debut After First PGA Tour Win
Taylor Pendrith6 days ago

A Sneaky Play At TPC Sawgrass
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF