Over 50 (!) best bets for Friday's March Madness games
Quotes from oddsmakers, updated betting splits and over 50 best bets from respected handicappers
March Madness is upon us, and we saw a wild slate of games on Thursday, highlighted by a massive upset as No. 3 Kentucky lost outright 80-76 to No. 14 Oakland as a 13.5-point favorite. Overs/unders split the day 8-8, while favorites went 9-7. You can check out a more full recap of the day’s betting storylines here at USA Today.
I’ve spoken with multiple oddsmakers over the past few days, and in this file, I’ve compiled their thoughts on every Friday first-round matchup, along with aggregated picks from a bunch of really sharp college basketball handicappers and public betting numbers from DraftKings.
It’s a very unique way to look at NCAA tournament games, and something I don’t think you’ll find anywhere else. I’ll be adding to this file with more picks and quotes from conversations with oddsmakers as they happen over the next few days, so be sure to check back often.
I’m always looking to improve this experience for subscribers, so feel free to let me know what else you’d like to see in some of these entries. My DMs are open on my Twitter.
Good luck with your wagers!
Friday’s March Madness games
No. 5 Wisconsin (-5, 145) vs. No. 12 James Madison
6:50 p.m. ET
DraftKings betting splits: 75% of bets, 80% of $$ on James Madison +5
“Most-bet matchup for us so far is James Madison vs. Wisconsin. James Madison moneyline is by far the most popular underdog ML. I would expect that to be a popular wager at many books. We have a 6-to-1 ticket count and 8-to-1 money on James Madison ML +190. Very trendy team.” — Zachary Lucas, retail sportsbook director at TwinSpires
“James Madison looks to be the public’s darling for an upset. Incredibly popular with the public right now. Line opened Wisconsin -4.5, up to -5.5. Might be a Pros vs. Joe’s game. JMU is really popular at start of the season. Wisconsin left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths the last month or so, outside of the Big Ten Championship. This could end up being the most lopsided bracket upset that we have. More money on JMU ML than the spread so far.” — Seamus Magee, BetMGM trader
Best bets:
James Madison +4.5 — Greg Peterson, VSiN
James Madison +4.5, JMU-Wisconsin OVER 145 — Matthew Winick, ScoreBet
James Madison +5.5 — Sam Panayotovich, FOX Sports/NESN
James Madison +5.5 — Jim Root, Three-Man Weave
James Madison +5.5 — Julian Edlow, DK Network
James Madison-Wisconsin OVER 145 — Thomas Casale, CBS SportsLine
Wisconsin -5.5 — Matt Youmans
No. 5 San Diego State (-6.5, 139) vs. No. 12 UAB
1:45 p.m. ET
DraftKings betting splits: 77% of bets, 69% of $$ on UAB +6.5
“UAB was a very popular to start at +7.5, now currently +7 which it’s been for a little bit here. Money has come in on UAB. The Under is also getting played in that game. Now that it got bet up to 139.5, we’re starting to see some resistance come in, since it moved three points from opener. I’m confident UAB will be a popular underdog come Friday with the public.” — Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City
“UAB is a really popular side as well. We’re at UAB +7, we had +7.5 for a bit. One-sided money on UAB spread and moneyline, 4-1 tickets on UAB ML, 6-1 money. We’re at UAB +230 on the ML.” — Zachary Lucas
Best bets:
UAB +7.5 — Matt Youmans, VSiN
UAB +7 — Sammy P