On Thursday, March 20, the first round of the NCAA Tournament, also known as the Round of 64, begins.
Today, there are 16 games that’ll occur between 12:15 pm ET and 10:10 pm ET
The winner of these games will play in the Round of 32, which begins on Saturday, March 22.
(Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)
Below, I’ll examine three NCAA games today and offer up my best point spread bet for each, including Drake, UC San Diego, and Tennessee.
Let’s dive in.
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College Basketball Best Bets Today: Drake, UC San Diego, and More
College Basketball Best Bets Today:
- Drake +6.5 (-112) at DraftKings Sportsbook
- UC San Diego +2.5 (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook
- Tennessee -18.5 (-115) at FanDuel Sportsbook
Take a moment to explore our
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Drake vs Missouri Best Bets
Drake +6.5 (-112) at DraftKings Sportsbook
Leading off my list of the best college basketball bets today, I’ve got Drake.
Of all the Round of 64 games—all 32 of them—Drake and Missouri might be my favorite ones.
Why?
These teams play a completely different style of basketball from one another.
Missouri is among the best offenses in college basketball, scoring 125.3 points per 100 possessions. However, they allow 100.9 points per 100 possessions, which is 73rd in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Meanwhile, Drake is a bit more balanced.
They score 112.6 points per 100 possessions (76th) and surrender 98.5 points per 100 possessions (46th).
Where this game will get interesting, though, is how Missouri will work against Drake’s slow style of play.
Drake averages just 61.9 possessions per game.
If that sounds low to you, it’s because it is.
Drake’s 61.9 possessions per game is the least in the country among any Division I basketball team.
With that, if you look at the points they allow on a per-game basis, they give up 59.7, which is second-least in the country.
Missouri will also need to address Drake star Bennett Stirtz. He’s been fantastic this season, averaging 19.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per game.
I think this game has upset written all over it, but I’ll take the points just to be safe. This is easily one of my best college basketball picks today.
UC San Diego vs Michigan Best Bet
UC San Diego +2.5 (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook
In their first season of tournament eligibility, the UC San Diego Tritons have made it to the dance and will take on the Big Ten champions, the Michigan Wolverines.
The Tritons went 30-4 this season with two Quad 1 wins and two Quad 3 losses.
As for Michigan, they went 12-7 in Quad 1, 4-2 in Quad 2, and 9-0 between Quad 3 and 4.
This is almost like a “David and Goliath” situation, with Michigan being this storied program and UC San Diego’s only beginning at the Division I level.
But the Tritons are ready to upset them.
Michigan is scoring 116 points per 100 possessions (48th) and allowing 93.7 points per 100 possessions (13th).
Conversely, UC San Diego averages 115.0 points per 100 possessions (60th) and gives up 96.6 points per 100 possessions (32nd).
These teams rank 25th and 37th, respectively, in KenPom’s rankings.
Now, if you look at per-game statistics, they’re nearly identical in scoring, but UCSD allows just 62.8 points per outing (7th) to Michigan’s 71.2 (142nd).
The Tritons have two players averaging 2.1 steals per game or better, headlined by Hayden Gray.
Gray averages 3.2 steals per game.
Offensively, they have four players averaging double-digit points, and two are at 16.4 points per game or better.
They’re led by Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones. He averages 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
UCSD is also a disciplined team, averaging just 9.0 turnovers per game (4th) to Michigan’s 14.1 (340th).
Michigan is the powerhouse program of these two, but UCSD will hang in there, keep it close, and potentially deliver a No. 12 over No. 5 upset.
Tennessee vs Wofford Best Bet
Tennessee -18.5 (-115) at FanDuel Sportsbook
My next pick for the college basketball games today isn’t a potential upset. Instead, it’s an incoming No. 2 over No. 15 blowout.
The Volunteers are 18.5-point favorites, and I’m fine laying all of that to Wofford.
Wofford had a nice run winning the Southern Conference, but they were a No. 6 seed. Due to upsets, they only had to beat a No. 3, No. 7, and No. 5 seed to win the title.
Looking at their metrics, they’re not terrible offensively, scoring 113.6 points per 100 possessions (69th), but defensively, they’re abysmal, giving up 109.5 points per 100 possessions (231st).
Meanwhile, Tennessee has one of the best defenses in all of college basketball.
Tennesse allows just 89.1 points per 100 possessions (3rd) and scores 120.3 points per 100 possessions (18th).
Wofford doesn’t have many bigs who can contest down low. Their tallest player is Don Douglass (6 feet, 10 inches), but he plays just a few minutes per game.
Kyler Filewich is their best rebounder at 9.4 per game, and he’s one inch shorter than Douglass.
Speaking of Filewich, he’ll provide some entertainment in this game—he does underhanded free throws.
He’ll be scrappy down low, but Tennessee has multiple guys at his height or taller, and two of them average 6.2 rebounds per game or more.
Tennessee allows a nation-low shooting percentage at just 38.2%.
Wofford has been a great story, but Tennessee should beat them by 20 or more.
If looking for March Madness tournament schedules, matchup breakdowns, and expert picks, head to our
March Madness section.
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