2026 Men's NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Best Bets: Arizona, St John's, UConn Picks & Odds (Mar. 22)

The 2026 men's NCAA Tournament Round of 32 is wrapping up today, and there's a loaded Sunday slate.

(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Today's slate features eight highly anticipated matchups. Currently live, No. 7 Miami Hurricanes are battling against No. 2 Purdue.

While today's picks focus on the No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 4 Kansas, No. 9 Utah State vs. No. 1 Arizona, and No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 2 UConn, there are several marquee matchups ahead.

As the tournament gets deeper, the games *should* get more competitive, and bettors should see closer spreads. As we head into the Sweet 16 next week, Duke remains the favorite to win the NCAA championship (+440) on FanDuel. Additionally, Arizona (+390), Michigan (+300), Florida (+750), and UConn (+4000) are all in the running according to oddsmakers.

While the first matchup of the day is already taking place, No. 7 vs. No. 2 Iowa State will begin at 2:25 p.m. ET. Tonight concludes the Round of 32, and the final matchup of Sunday will feature No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 4 Alabama.

If you're planning to bet on the NCAA Tournament, all games will air on TBS, TNT, CBS, and truTV.

In this article, you will find my three best men's NCAA March Madness bets, picks, and predictions for Sunday, Mar. 22. But first, let's take a look at the betting odds, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Men's NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Betting Odds for Sunday, Mar. 22 (FanDuel)

Men's NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Best Bets & Predictions for March 22

• Arizona Wildcats -11.5 vs. Utah State Aggies
• St. John's Red Storm -3.5 vs. Kansas Jayhawks
• UConn Huskies -4.5 vs. UCLA Bruins

No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 9 Utah State

• Arizona -11.5 (-115 DraftKings)

My first best bet for Sunday, I'm taking Arizona to cover the 11.5-point spread against Utah State. I do believe the line is low, and it should increase as the day goes on.

Arizona is the No. 2-ranked team in KenPom's rankings and ranks among the top three teams in the nation in offensive rating (127.9) and defensive rating (69.9). Not only do they boast the second-best net rating (+37.96) in the country, but they also finished 33-2 on the season.

Aside from Duke, Arizona is one of the most elite teams in the country, and this program has been seeking an NCAA championship for some time. Led by head coach Tommy Lloyd, this team has few weaknesses.

Not only does Arizona have one of the best freshman guards in the country in Brayden Burries (16 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals), but Koa Peat (13.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists) headlines this team. Considering they have a strong freshman class, perhaps the only weakness could be folding under pressure.

Can Koa Peat and Arizona Win it All?

One could argue this team has one of the most elite frontcourts in the country with Motiejus Krivas, Tobe Awaka, and Ivan Kharchenkov. Boasting size and length, Krivas stands 7-foot-2!

Arizona is the No. 1 seed for a reason and took care of Long Island University with no problem in the first round, 92-58. Holding the Sharks to 32% shooting, Burries led the way with 18 points for the Wildcats. Most impressive, Arizona had four players score in double figures, and it was a collaborative team effort. In the win, they shot 53% from the floor, 46% from three, and finished 22-of-33 (67%) from the free-throw line. That part could be improved. And quite frankly, their 3-point shooting can be inconsistent at times.

I like Arizona to cover the spread, mainly because I do believe these teams are far apart. Not to take away from Utah State, but Arizona averages 86.3 points per game and is one of the better 3-point shooting teams (36.3%) in the country. 12-2 against top-25 schools, they boast a +13.2 point differential over the last 10 games.

Final Men's NCAA Tournament Best Bet: Arizona -11.5 (-115 DraftKings)

Perhaps what sold me was Arizona's Big 12 Tournament 79-74 championship over the Houston Cougars. Not only did they defeat Houston by five points, but they did so against one of the top defenses in the nation. That interior is fierce, and scoring inside against Arizona will be a struggle for Utah State.

• Utah State has had an incredible season and defeated Villanova in the first round, 86-76. This is an experienced team headlined by Mason Falslev and MJ Collins Jr. Don't sleep on this team; they put up a ton of 3-pointers. However, Arizona is one of the best teams in the paint.  I've yet to see Utah State play a top-25 team, so I'm laying the points with Arizona  (-11.5). If they have consistent 3-point shooting, I think they can easily win by double-digits. The level of talent and size overpowers the Aggies. 

No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 4 Kansas

• St. John's -3.5 (-105 FanDuel)

I'm taking all spreads today, but that's how it panned out. St. John's vs. Kansas, this should be a matchup for the books.

With a 29-6 record, the Johnnies are one of the hottest teams in the country. Led by head coach Rick Pitino, St. John's has become one of the most talked-about programs. Back-to-back Big East Tournament champions, it's not so much UConn's conference anymore, is it?

I do believe St. John's did get the raw end of the stick and was placed in a competitive East Region that includes Kansas, UConn, Michigan State, UCLA, and more. However, we have to look at how well this team has performed.

Although 2-4 against top-25 teams, St. John's beat UConn not once, but twice. In both matchups, the Red Storm held a +32 point differential, including a 20-point victory over Connecticut in the Big East Tournament finale.

St. John's took care of Northern Iowa in the first round, 79-53, although it wasn't a thrilling performance. Shooting 47% from the field and 34% from three, star forward Zuby Ejiofer struggled with just 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting. While the defense spoke for itself, missed free throws, turnovers, and personal fouls were an issue.

St. John's is Hot at the Right Time

Overall, this is a team that's led by Ejiofer, Bryce Hopkins, and Oziyah Sellers. Ranked No. 14 in KenPom's rankings, this gritty team is defined by ball pressure and defense. Ranking among the top ten schools in defensive ranking (93.9), they allowed just 69.5 points per game.

If this team wants to cover and win, Zuby Ejiofer must step up. We all remember how cold they went against the Huskies earlier this season, and St. John's shot 2-of-22 from the three in last year's tournament.

Taking on Kansas is no easy feat. Boasting a 24-10 record, the possible No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Darryn Peterson headlines this team. Although battling some injuries, Bill Self had to defend why Peterson hadn't played full games or had been taken out of some. Either way, he leads the team with 20.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.

Kansas doesn't have as much depth, but it relies on the core four of Peterson, Tre White, Flory Bidunga, and Melvin Council Jr.

Final Men's NCAA Tournament Best Bet: St. John's -3.5 (-105 FanDuel)

Overall, I was not impressed with its 68-60 victory over Cal Baptist in the first round. Peterson led the way with 28 points, and shot 11-of-24 from the field, and 4-of-11 from 3-point. Disappearing once again, there was hardly any offense outside of Peterson. Scoring 28 of the team's 68 points, White scored 12.

I'm going with St. John's here, a team that's covered the spread in five straight games and has a 7-3 ATS record over the last 10 games.

• There's no question that Kansas is a talented team and is one of the most decorated programs in NCAA history. 6-6 against top-25 schools, they arguably held the hardest schedule of anyone this year. Putting up 75.4 points per game, I question the stagnant offense at times and Peterson's inconsistent playing time. While he's NBA-ready, I just can't trust his production for an entire game. St. John's can easily run him off the 3-point line, and then, who steps up?  I'll lay the points with St. John's, -3.5. 

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No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 2 UConn

• UConn -4.5 (-110 FanDuel)

I got burned last time by betting UConn to cover the 21.5-point favorable spread against Furman in the first round. UConn took care of them 82-71.

Overall, it was an ugly game, and UConn was without its top players. Silas Demary Jr. and Jaylin Stewart. They are both listed as questionable for today's matchup, along with UCLA's top scorer, Tyler Bilodeau (Knee). Bilodeau, who's a crucial chess piece for UCLA, leads with 17.6 points and shoots 46.4% from beyond the arc. There's no question that injuries may affect the outcome of this game.

UConn finished 30-5, which was good enough for the No. 2 under head coach Dan Hurley. To be honest, I haven't been all that impressed with Connecticut. Blown out by 20 in the Big East Tournament finale by St. John's, they looked sloppy in the first round.

Against Furman, the Huskies shot just 5-of-25 (20%) from deep, but made up for it in the interior. Tarris Reed Jr. saved the day with 31 points and 16 rebounds, recording a double-double in the first 11 minutes.

Outside of Alex Karaban (22 points) and Braylon Mullins (12 points), I wasn't impressed. Without two top players, Solo Ball and Malachi Smith combined for just 13 points.

I do think UConn gets one of its stars back, and everything is contingent on Bilodeau for UCLA.  24-11 on the season, UCLA has several bucket getters in Donovan Dent, Trent Perry, Eric Dailey Jr., and Skyy Clark. However, without its top star, it will present challenges to cover, let alone win.

Final Men's NCAA Tournament Best Bet: UConn -4.5 (-110 FanDuel)

Ranked top 10 in KenPom's rankings, UConn isn't as strong as the years past, but hangs its hat on defense (94.6). Boasting the 10th-best net rating (+27.65) in the nation, the Huskies were 6-3 against top-25 schools, where UCLA was 4-6 against the top 25.

• I don't trust UCLA's defense as much, and now its top star is questionable. I do believe UConn can make a run here, as long as it's at full strength. While the offense gets cold at times, we have to remember this is a team that finished 7-3 in Quad 1 matchups. UCLA has scorers, but I'm not sure if the defense can keep up with UConn. Connecticut has more size, and UCLA barely survived against UCF in the first round, 75-71. Without Bilodeau, they shot just 40% from the field and 29% from three.