Our team of experts has three best bets for the first day of the second round on Saturday.
So, read below for NCAA Tournament best bets, including three March Madness picks and predictions for Saturday, March 22.
(Even though our official recommendation isn’t a parlay, there’s an option for one below.)
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NCAA Tournament Best Bets for Saturday
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today’s slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| [teammatchup link=”#1″ firstfullname=”McNeese State Cowboys” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/mcn.png” secondfullname=”Purdue Boilermakers” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/pur.png”][/teammatchup] | 12:10 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#2″ firstfullname=”Arkansas Razorbacks” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/ark.png” secondfullname=”St. John’s Red Storm” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/sju.png”][/teammatchup] | 2:40 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#3″ firstfullname=”BYU Cougars” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/byu.png” secondfullname=”Wisconsin Badgers” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/wis.png”][/teammatchup] | 7:45 p.m. | |
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game.
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[anchor name=”1″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”McNeese vs. Purdue”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Purdue -6″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/mcn.png” awayname=”McNeese Cowboys” awayslug=”mcneese-state-cowboys” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/pur.png” homename=”Purdue Boilermakers” homeslug=”purdue-boilermakers” date=”Saturday, March 22″ time=”12:10 p.m. ET” network=”CBS” bookname=”Caesars Sportsbook” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/256064_caesars_800x200.png” bookreviewslug=”caesars-sportsbook”][/gameheader]
After upsetting five-seeded Clemson 69-67 on Thursday, 12-seeded McNeese takes on Purdue in Providence, RI.
The final score of the Clemson-McNeese game appears closer than it actually was, as the Cowboys were up 40-16 at one point and dominated from start to finish.
Brandon Murray led McNeese with 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field.
Yes, that win versus Clemson was impressive, but I don’t think the Cowboys can repeat that performance versus Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers.
Purdue looked solid in its Round of 64 game versus High Point. I took Purdue -7.5 in that game and cashed it, as Purdue won by 12, 75-63. Trey Kaufman-Renn led the squad with 21 points and shot 10-of-16 from the field.
Looking at this upcoming matchup, I think that the Boilermakers are just too deep for McNeese. Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith is in peak form and Purdue matches up well against Will Wade’s team.
Both of these teams like to play slow, but if Purdue’s offense can limit turnovers and knock down its 3s, I don’t see how it doesn’t win by 10+.
Expect Purdue to make a statement, as I can see McNeese becoming a popular pick on Saturday. Not for me, though.
Pick: Purdue -6 (Play to -8.5)
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[anchor name=”2″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Arkansas vs. St. John’s”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Arkansas +7.5″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/ark.png” awayname=”Arkansas Razorbacks” awayslug=”arkansas-razorbacks” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/sju.png” homename=”St. John’s Red Storm” homeslug=”st-john’s-red-storm” date=”Saturday, March 22″ time=”2:40 p.m. ET” network=”CBS” bookname=”DraftKings ” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]
Arkansas (21-13 straight up, 15-17-1 against the spread) has been playing outstanding basketball since the start of February, posting a 9-5 SU record and a 10-3-1 ATS record in its last 14 games.
However, two of the three non-covers were by a combined one point. The Razorbacks are 7-2 ATS, with four outright wins in their last nine games as underdogs. And one of those non-covers was a winner for some Arkansas backers after the number closed at 7.5.
Since the start of February, John Calipari’s team has an 89-79 win at Kentucky, a 78-70 win at Texas, a 92-85 home win over Missouri, an 86-81 home win over Texas in overtime, a 90-77 win at Vandy, a 93-92 home win over Mississippi State and yesterday’s 79-72 win over Kansas.
Star guard Boogie Fland returned from a 15-game absence to play 24 minutes and contributed six points, three steals and three assists without a turnover.
Back the Razorbacks in Providence.
Pick: Arkansas +7.5
[anchor name=”3″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”BYU vs. Wisconsin”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”BYU -102″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/byu.png” awayname=”BYU Cougars” awayslug=”byu-cougars” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/wis.png” homename=”Wisconsin Badgers” homeslug=”wisconsin-badgers” date=”Saturday, March 22″ time=”7:45 p.m. ET” network=”CBS” bookname=”BetMGM” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betmgm”][/gameheader]
There was a stretch in late January and early February in which Kansas State was playing better basketball than just about any team in the country. During its six-game winning streak, the Wildcats knocked off four ranked opponents.
If you evaluated them based upon that 17-day window, you could make a strong argument that Kansas State was the best team in the country. The Bart Torvik rankings confirmed that, placing KSU in the top perch ahead of Auburn, Duke, Florida and Houston.
But as we know, that mini-run wasn’t who Kansas State truly was this season. The Wildcats finished 16-17 overall, got obliterated down the stretch (losing six of their last nine games by double digits) and missed postseason play altogether.
The point is that streaks can be misleading. So, when BYU got hot in mid-February, I was cautious to anoint it a true Final Four threat.
But the Cougars kept stacking wins, including a pair of victories over Iowa State. They reeled off nine in a row before Houston took them to the woodshed in the Big 12 Tournament.
Even with that humbling loss on its resume, BYU had done enough to earn a sterling reputation within the ratings community (KenPom, Bart Torvik, Evan Miya, Haslametrics, ShotQuality).
The Cougars average a national ranking of 15th across those ratings services, buoyed by an elite offense that refuses to cool off.
After handling VCU’s pressure defense, I have faith that the Cougars are going to score 80+ for the ninth time in their past 11 contests.
The Cougars have mismatches to exploit on the offensive end to get this done.
Junior wing Richie Saunders is a volume scorer with a knack for getting to the line. While Wisconsin has been disciplined this season on the defensive end — fouling at a low rate — if you bring the fight to the Badgers, you can get to the line.
Arizona attempted 40 foul shots against them this season and two of the more aggressive teams in the Big Ten (Illinois, Michigan State) each found a way to put up 24 or more attempts from the charity stripe against the Badgers.
You can attribute BYU’s willingness to drive and draw fouls to its offensive explosion this season.
Kevin Young’s team opened the season 6-6 in Big 12 play, with the nation’s 291st foul shot rate. Since then, the Cougars have leapfrogged 140 teams in that metric, boosting its scoring punch while forcing opposing stars to the bench with foul trouble.
The Cougars have become an elite rim-and-3 team, ranking inside the top 50 in shot location from deep or within five feet of the basket. This explains both their shooting efficiency (eighth) and foul shot rate bump.
Against a more disruptive defense, Egor Demin’s turnover issues could be problematic (3.1 TO per game). But the Badgers apply zero pressure on ball handlers (330th in TO%), and their legs are going to come into play in this game.
This will be the Badgers’ sixth game in nine days, a first in postseason play for the program. Toss in the altitude in Denver and an opponent that’s accustomed to playing at altitude, and fatigue should begin to creep in here for UW.
I’ll play the hot hand against the team that could be running on fumes.
Pick: BYU ML -102
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