Ricky Dimon
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From now through the end of March Madness, we will be providing a daily update with everything you need to know about the NCAA Tournament. Covering line movements to betting trends, statistics, quotes, and more, we will provide you with everything you need to know about all of happenings in Indiana.
With the first round having come and gone and the second round halfway over, let’s take another daily in-depth look at the Big Dance by previewing the final day of action prior to the Sweet 16. In addition to helping you fill out your bracket before the festivities begin, we now want to help you make the best possible bets each day during the tournament.
Line movements
Move for the favorite
Iowa -4 to -5.5 vs. Oregon
Alabama -4.5 to -5.5 vs. Maryland
Florida State -1 to -2 vs. Colorado
Move for the over
Iowa-Oregon 145 to 147
Michigan-LSU 147 to 149
Move for the under
Creighton-Ohio Under 150.5 to 149
Be sure to check out our in-depth line movement summary.
Public Money
Alabama -5.5 vs. Maryland
The public is all over the Alabama Crimson Tide in their second-round showdown against the Maryland Terrapins on Monday night. It is a No. 2 vs. No. 10 meeting in the East Region. Per BetMGM, 78 percent of the handle and 73 percent of the bets are on Alabama -5.5.
Alabama vs. Maryland preview and picks
UCLA vs. Abilene Christian Over 133.5
Bettors are also hammering the over in this unlikely matchup between the UCLA Bruins and Abilene Christian Wildcats. It is a No. 11 vs. No. 14 meeting in the East Region. UCLA has already won two games, having defeated Michigan State in the First Four before upsetting BYU. Abilene Christian pulled off a shocker against Texas. For Monday’s contest, 84 percent of the handle and 82 percent of the wagers are on Over 133.5.
UCLA vs. Abilene Christian preview and picks
Stat of the Day
62 – The magic number of points scored for USC. The Trojans are 23-2 this season when they score at least 62; they are 0-5 when they score fewer than 62.
Led by the Mobley brothers, USC boasts arguably the best defense the Pac-12—a conference that has been incredibly impressive in this NCAA Tournament. Evan Mobley is averaging 3.0 blocks per game and Isaiah Mobley is adding one block per contest. When the Trojans score even a decent amount of points (62 or more!), they generally win. With Marcus Garrett and David McCormack, Kansas can also play lockdown defense. It will be interesting to see if USC can get to the magic number in this No. 3 vs. No. 6 showdown.
Kansas vs. USC preview and picks
Quote of the Day
“We’ve been top 10 this year. We’ve beaten plenty of teams that are just as good as Gonzaga. We’re going into this game like we have nothing to lose, but they’re beatable. We just have to play basketball and leave it all out there.”
— Oklahoma big man Brady Manek on the Sooners’ second-round matchup with No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga.
Fact check: Oklahoma has not beaten plenty of teams—or any team—as good as Gonzaga this year. After all, the Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the nation, undefeated, and a heavy favorite to win the NCAA Tournament. Manek is correct, however, that the Sooners were in the top 10 at one point. In fact, they were as high as seventh in the AP Poll in February before losing multiple games in a row to Oklahoma State. OU is talented, but Monday’s line is a lofty -14 in the Zags’ favor in part because the underdogs are missing De’Vion Harmon (Covid-19).
Gonzaga vs. Oklahoma preview and picks
Pickswise is the home of March Madness Predictions. Check out all of our March Madness Picks, including daily March Madness Parlays throughout the NCAA Tournament.
