March Madness betting tips off at the online sportsbook on Thursday with a full 16 game slate set! While the matchups don’t look to be as mouthwatering as what Friday offers up, there’s still money to be made. I’ve initially circled six spots that I really like and will look to take advantage by putting each position into a parlay in hopes of adding a bigger rate of return into the bottom line. Round robin them all with two-team, three-team, four-team, five-team, and six-team parlays and see if we can’t make the first day of the Tournament one we won’t soon forget!
Bet NCAA Tournament Odds at Bookmaker
Thursday, March 16 Parlay #1
Houston -11 1H vs. Northern Kentucky
San Diego State -5 vs. Charleston
Furman +5.5 vs. Virginia
Northwestern/Boise State Under 128
Penn State +3 vs. Texas A&M
Maryland +2.5 vs. West Virginia
Payout: $100 to win $4,821.00
Houston Cougars 1H
Mackey Sasser or no Mackey Sasser, I expect Kelvin Sampson’s Coogs to hit the ground running against an overmatched Northern Kentucky outfit. The Norse took down the Horizon League’s lone bid by winning the tournament as the No. 4 seed. This is a team that relies upon 3-point shooting and forcing turnovers to come out triumphant. The main issue there is that Houston clocks in as one of the best in the nation at protecting its possession of the basketball (No.4). On top of that, the Cougars lock down the perimeter limiting all opposition to a paltry 28.0 percent success rate from downtown (No. 2). It also plays stout 2-point defense (No. 52) and the Norse are clueless from 2-point range (No. 279). Lay the reduced 1H spread with confidence!
San Diego State Aztecs
Charleston has been targeted as a chic No. 12 to pull off an upset in 2023 March Madness betting – I’m selling that noise bigtime! I get that the Mountain West has stunk it up in the Big Dance without a single member logging a win since 2018, but this year’s version of San Diego State is one I believe is set up to not only end that streak, but make some noise in the South Region. Brian Dutcher’s Aztecs have long been known to be a defensive minded team, but this year’s crop actually gets it done at the offensive end of the court where it ranks No. 64 in efficiency and sports a solid guard tandem in Matt Bradley (12.9 PPG) and Darrion Trammell (9.5 PPG). While Charleston ranks out favorable analytically across the board, it’s excelled against the sixth easiest schedule (No. 305) of all teams that made the Field of 68. For reference sake, SDST clocks in at No. 34. This will be a huge wake-up call for the Cougars!
Furman Paladins
The Virginia Cavaliers enter March Madness with the looks of a dominant team having won 23 of 29 played games and logging a 15-5 SU record in ACC play. As the runner-ups in the conference tournament, the selection committee bestowed Tony Bennett’s kids a No. 4 seed. I think that’s absolutely ridiculous! This team is painful to watch at the offensive end of the court where it averages just over 68 points per game (No. 273) and rans No. 74 in efficiency. While the D still rates out well (No. 25), Kihei Clark and Co. will need to fill the hoop with basketballs to survive this first round matchup with the Paladins. Furman possesses the No. 33 ranked offensive efficiency backed by the nation’s No. 1 ranked 2-point scoring offense. The Paladins ability to run effective offense paired with its ability to get to the charity stripe and convert has me buying into the Wahoos being on upset alert all game long – take the points and sprinkle some beer money on the moneyline!
Northwestern/Boise State Under 128
This first round matchup between Northwestern and Boise State is just for you should you enjoy watching offenses slow the game to a crawl and fight to the death for every bucket! The Wildcats play at the nation’s No. 305 ranked tempo while the Broncos chime in at No. 219. Both offenses are subpar when taking all the major players of this tourney into account, but the defenses more than make up for the shortcomings. UNW has been in a tremendous shooting slump for the better part of the last month and only averages 67.7 points per game (No. 290). Boise State’s No. 14 defensive efficiency is going to give Boo Buie and Chase Audige major headaches! Same goes for Max Rice and his mates however with UNW’s size to limit scoring inside (No. 38) and force Boise to excel from deep. Both teams do a tremendous job of protecting their possessions of the basketball as well! This has rock fight written all over it so hit the under for the 1H and full game.
Penn State Nittany Lions
If you followed my stuff throughout the conference tournaments, you’ll know I was extremely bullish on Micah Shrewsberry’s Penn State Nittany Lions. So much so that I confidently bet PSU to cut down the nets at 30-1. Though Jaylen Pickett and Co. ultimately came up short, the Nittany Lions reached the title game by way of defeating Illinois, Northwestern, and Indiana as underdogs before falling to Purdue 67-65 as 7.5-point pups. I’m not finished riding this team just yet. While I have mad respect for the job Buzz Williams has done with Texas A&M and most everyone is clamoring for that Aggies/Longhorns second round matchup, I don’t think PSU is done just yet. A&M thrives on forcing turnovers (No. 40) and getting to the charity stripe (No. 2) where it converts at a 76.2 percent clip (No. 30). Problem there is Penn State doesn’t turn the ball over (No. 5) and doesn’t foul (No. 38). The Nittany Lions hold an extreme advantage offensively in this matchup. If Seth Lundy and Andrew Funk are stroking it from deep, I question whether the Aggies will have the answer to not just cover but win this game outright!
Maryland Terrapins
I absolutely love the Terps’ guard play! Jahmir Young and Hakim Hart take no prisoners attacking the glass and finishing. The duo also does a great job helping the team limit turnovers (No. 49). That doesn’t bode well for the Mountaineers who bank on forcing miscues (No. 47) to get out into transition for easy buckets. On top of that, West Virginia also sports a very porous two-point defense (No. 190) that should find Maryland successfully attacking the paint with regularity. Should the Terrapins get out to a substantial lead, it’s going to be tough for WVU to get back in the game with Maryland slowing the game to a crawl (No. 309) and likely forcing the foul prone Mountaineers (No. 317) to send them to the charity stripe a ton. I think the wrong team is favored in this matchup with WVU the lower seed and coming from the tougher conference. The Terps can bust the South bracket if they can finally shake the stigma of being terrible on the road!
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