The Montana Grizzlies take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Wisconsin is favored by 16.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -2000. The total is set at 153 points.
Here are my Montana vs. Wisconsin predictions and college basketball picks for March 20, 2025.
Montana vs Wisconsin Prediction
My Pick: Wisconsin Team Total Over 84.5 (Play to 85.5)
My Montana vs Wisconsin best bet is on the Badgers team total over, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Montana vs Wisconsin Odds, Lines
[gamematchup league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/mont.png” awayname=”Montana” awayslug=”montana-grizzlies” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/wis.png” homename=”Wisconsin” homeslug=”wisconsin-badgers” date=”Thursday, March 20″ time=”1:30 p.m. ET” network=”TNT” col1text=”Spread” col2text=”Total” col3text=”Moneyline” col1awaytext=”+16.5″ col1awayline=”-110″ col1hometext=”-16.5″ col1homeline= “-110″ col2awaytext=”153″ col2hometext=”153″ col2awayline=”-112o / -108u” col2homeline=”-112o / -108u” col3awaytext=”+1000″ col3hometext=”-2000″ col3awayline=”” col3homeline=”” bookname=”bet365″ bookthumbnaillogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/860991_Bet365ALT.png” bookreviewslug=”bet365″][/gamematchup]
- Montana vs Wisconsin spread: Wisconsin -16.5
- Montana vs Wisconsin over/under: 153 points
- Montana vs Wisconsin moneyline: Wisconsin -2000, Montana +1000
- Montana vs Wisconsin best bet: Wisconsin Team Total Over 84.5 (Play to 85.5)
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[howtowatch gameid=”252779″ date=”20250320″][/howtowatch]
My Montana vs Wisconsin NCAAB Betting Preview
The Big Sky champion Montana Grizzlies will try to slip on Cinderella’s slippers against the Wisconsin Badgers on Thursday in Denver, Colorado.
The Grizzlies are massive underdogs against the Badgers, who are coming off a defeat in the Big Ten title game.
The spread is significant because the Grizzlies have a tall task against the Badgers, and it’s not the best matchup schematically.
Montana doesn’t rely on shooting the triple offensively, as it’s a strong interior scoring squad.
The issue is that the Badgers have allowed their opponents to shoot 46% inside the arc, which is 34th in the country. This Montana team is severely outsized here, so it could be extremely tough for it to score.
Malik Moore and Money Williams are a nice offensive pair for the Grizzlies, but unfortunately, they’re severely outclassed otherwise.
Montana’s offense isn’t even my biggest concern; it’s the defensive side of the ball.
Every NCAA Tournament, there’s always going to be the casual bettor who looks at a team and automatically assumes that they know their identity.
The Badgers in years past have been a slow-tempo, win-a-game-in-the-60s type of squad. But Greg Gard’s team is far superior to that in 2025.
I love the Badgers’ offense, and they’re flying a bit under the radar due to their poor performance in the Big Ten title game. I’ll attest that their poor offensive effort was simply due to tired legs, as they had played four games in four days.
Montana’s defense is practically non-existent, entering the matchup 250th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric. The Grizzlies can’t consistently force turnovers, and they get absolutely abused in the paint.
The Badgers are 18th in adjusted offensive efficiency and have all the weapons to dismantle the Montana defense. The Grizzlies will hold on for dear life for most of the matchup, but I can’t envision many stops from their defense.
What also doesn’t help the Grizzlies is that the Badgers are the country’s top free throw shooting team. Due to the Grizzlies’ lack of size, I could envision the Badgers attacking inside often, ultimately resulting in them getting into the bonus early.
The spread is too large for my liking, but I love the Badgers’ team total here. The few days off following the Big Ten Championship should help them recoup their legs, and I expect a pissed-off, fiery effort from the offense after blowing a late lead in the title game.
The Grizzlies’ defense simply has no answers.
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