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The NCAA Tournament officially begins tonight with two of the First Four games being played in Dayton. Those are mostly uninteresting betting picks, but the first eight games of the NIT are also tonight and we have some really nice matchups there.
There will be some great games and some big upsets, and we can add to all the fun with some betting picks. As is the case every year, there are trendy picks to go along with some stacked blue bloods that figure to be popular 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 my favorite college basketball betting picks for the First Round of the NIT and the First Four of the NCAA Tournament for Tuesday, March 14, 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.
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Texas A&M Corpus Christi vs. Southeast Missouri State
OVER 156
These teams love to get the ball up and down the court. The Redhawks averaged a shade over 78 points per game this season and the Islanders topped out at 80.4. That includes games against Arizona (61), Oklahoma State (58), and Mississippi State (44) that seriously brought down their average.
We have seen teams that make their first tournament appearance and play in the first game of the entire tournament come out a bit jittery, but I do expect these two to find their footing and put on a show at some point. If over/unders aren't your thing, I like the Islanders -4 in the game.
Hofstra at Rutgers
Rutgers -7.5
A touchdown is a little harder to cover with a round ball than an oblong ball, but the Scarlet Knights were a nose away from making the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the committee stated that they likely would have made it if Mawot Mag weren't out for the rest of the season. I don't know about you, but that feels more like adding insult to injury than a feel-good story.
The Scarlet Knights sometimes struggle to score, but they own a decided height advantage against the Pride even without Mag. Hofstra is 288th in rebounding and Clifford Omoruyi is an absolute beast on the boards. Rutgers will get enough second-chance shots to cover this touchdown and two-point conversion.
Southern Mississippi at UAB
UAB -9.5
The Blazers are 15th in the nation in scoring at 81.4 points per game. This team even scored 70 on a brutal West Virginia defense. Don't be too concerned with them getting blown out by FAU in the Conference USA title game. The Blazers are a fun team to watch and the defense is better than advertised.
Jordan Walker averages a cool 23.4 points per game and shoots nearly 40% from beyond the arc. Southern Miss had a solid season in a weak conference, but they didn't face an offense like this.
Villanova at Liberty
Villanova ML (+135)
Justin Moore is feeling soreness after the Big East Tournament, which might be bad news for the Wildcats. Nova started to turn their season around with Moore on the court, but if they are without him here, it could be a problem. That's what bettors and the casinos seem to be banking on right now.
I'm not following those sheep. Villanova has several pieces left from lengthy tournament runs over the last few years. They know what it takes to win on this stage. Yeah, some teams get disinterested when being tossed into the NIT. I don't expect that from Villanova. They are well-coached and have a core of veterans that can decimate an NIT bracket.
Bradley at Wisconsin
Bradley +3
If you're feeling froggy, I don't mind a moneyline bet here either. Wisconsin was brutally awful from the floor over their last three games or so. This is not your typical Wisconsin club. They're long, but they don't defend particularly well (63.8 points per game). They take a bunch of three-pointers, but they don't hit them at their usually high rate (35%).
Bradley is a good defensive team, but they aren't particularly great shooters either. They are going to need big games from their guards to win this, but the fans will travel over to Madison from Milwaukee for this one and the Badgers just seemed disinterested down the stretch. If that carries over, they're toast.
Favorite Parlay
Rutgers -7.5, Villanova ML, UAB -9.5, Vanderbilt -3.5, Bradley +3, Texas A&M-CC -4 (+5859)
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 dollar 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 Villanova ML, Rutgers -7.5, and UAB -9.5.
Thanks for reading, and remember to gamble responsibly.
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