Thursday's odds and best bets for Midwest Region Round 1
Andrew Caley
The Terriers enter the Tournament on a 20-game winning streak - the longest in the country.
The time has come! March Madness is finally here! The Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament tips off Thursday and there are four games in the Midwest Region highlighted by a 7-10 matchup between Seton Hall and potential tournament darlings Wofford. We break down the odds, totals, trends and give best bets for all six games so you can make winning bets.
(12) New Mexico State Aggies vs (5) Auburn Tigers
Odds: AUB -5.5, 145.5 @ bet365
Start Time: 1:30 p.m. ET, Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
There are few teams entering the NCAA Tournament with more momentum than Auburn, which reeled off four victories (3-1 ATS) in four days to capture the SEC Tournament title and earn the fifth seed in the Midwest Region entering Thursday?s first-round matchup with 12th-seed New Mexico State.
Now, the 12-5 matchup is always one bracket builders love to circle as a potential upset. And they may be thinking this is a good spot to pencil in New Mexico State considering it brings a 19-game winning streak into the tournament. But we?re here to tell you to look elsewhere.
A quick look at the standard stats and you might think the Aggies were a good bet. They run the floor well, have a good scoring defense and rebounding. But their advanced stats aren?t as strong. The Aggies rank near the bottom of the country in true shooting percentage and are one of the worst teams in the Tournament in adjusted defensive efficiency.
They are also one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, going up against one of the best. Auburn shoots almost more 3-pointers than anyone, hitting 37.2 percent of its attempts. But the big factor will be ball security. The Aggies turn over the ball too much against a Tigers team that hustles on the defensive end, ranking third in steals and 13th in blocks per game. If the Aggies get down early, they don?t have the tools to come back and their shots will eventually drop. Lay the 5.5 points with Auburn, this spread should be close to -10.
(13) Northeastern Huskies vs (4) Kansas Jayhawks
Odds: KU -6.5, 143
Start Time: 4:00 p.m. ET, Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
What a roller coaster of a season for the Jayhawks. They enter the Tournament without being the Big 12 Tournament champion for the first time in 15 seasons. They lost Udoka Azubuike to a season-ending injury as well as Lagerald Vick and the lack of depth behind Dedric Lawson has shown, especially on the road. The Jayhawks went 22-1 at home and on neutral sites and 3-8 in true road games (2-9 ATS).
Bettors look like they are jumping on Kansas? troubles, moving their line against the Northeastern Huskies to-6.5 from the opening number of -8.5.
The Huskies find themselves in the Big Dance for only the second time since 1991-92 after knocking off top-seeded Hofstra 82-74 in the Colonial Athletic Association title game. But bettors may like the fact they won 16-of-18 (13-4-1 ATS) on the back of their 3-point shooting. They rank 22nd in the country in 3-point percentage, while Kansas can have problems defending the perimeter.
The problem is the Huskies don?t really play much defense, ranking 144th in adjusted defensive efficiency and Kansas, and they also have a big edge on the glass. The Jayhawks rank 44th in rebounds, compared to 306th for the Huskies.
People are betting for the Jayhawks struggles to continue here, but to be fair those struggles have mostly come against the likes of Iowa State, Texas Tech and Kansas State among. Kansas? young players are getting better as the season has gone along and its athleticism will wear out Northeastern in the end. The Jayhawks may not go deep in this Tournament, but they should be more than 6.5-point faves here. Lay the points and take a look at the Over as well.
(15) Abilene Christian Wildcats vs (2) Kentucky Wildcats
Odds: UK -22, 132
Start Time: 7:10 p.m. ET, Where: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
?Who are we??
?The Wildcats!?
?Who are we going to beat??
?The Wildcats!?
Fantastic Simpsons jokes aside, the Kentucky Wildcats face off against the Abilene Christian Wildcats in a 15-2 matchup.
Kentucky is fully healthy and maybe playing their best basketball heading into their opening matchup against 15-seed Abilene Christian. Graduate transfer is back Reid Travis (11.1 points, 6.9 rebounds) averaging 9.5 and 6.5 in two SEC Tournament games after missing five contests with a knee injury.
Travis is a big part of Kentucky?s depth. Four Wildcats average double-digit points, led by P.J. Washington at 14.8 ppg, while shooting almost 42 percent from beyond the arc. Fifteen seeds have beaten 2?s before but maybe look elsewhere if looking for an upset.
Kentucky ranks 7th in the KenPom rankings while ABU sits at 145, so the 22-point spread is reasonable, but will they cover the number? Kentucky was a 20-point for greater favorite five times earlier in the year, going just 1-4 ATS. But, they had an average first half margin of +15.8 in those games.
The ABU Wildcats on the other hand is making its first Tournament appearance since becoming a Div I team in 2013-14. While ABU shoots well from 3-point range (which Kentucky struggles with defending a bit) but it could take them a bit to get used to the bright lights of the Big Dance. The Wildcats are going to win this one? err the one?s from Kentucky, but to be safe back them on the first half spread of -13.
(10) Seton Hall Pirates vs (7) Wofford Terriers
Odds: WOF -2.5, 144.5
Start Time: 9:40 p.m. ET, Where: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
The Wofford Terriers are set up to be the darlings of this year?s Tournament. The Terriers head into their opening round matchup against Seton Hall having won 20 games in a row ? the longest streak in the nation.
The Terriers achieved that streak by being one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the county, ranking second in deep ball percentage at 42.1 percent with their top four scorers hitting a combined almost 44 percent. The Terriers are led by senior guard Fletcher Magee who scores 20.8 ppg on almost 43 percent from three. He also hits over 90 percent of his free throws.
Meanwhile, Seton Hall won four of its final five games and played its way off the bubble with a run to the Big East Tournament championship game, where they lost 74-72 to Villanova. The Pirates went 5-0 ATS in their last five games. But the Pirates defense can be suspect at times and even worse they can go ice cold from the field. They rank in the bottom third in the country in 3-point shooting percentage and true shooting percentage.
In the end, the Terriers shot making ability will be the difference in this matchup. If you can still find Wofford at less than 2.5-points jump all over it, but -3 is still a decent number.
Andrew Caley
The Terriers enter the Tournament on a 20-game winning streak - the longest in the country.
The time has come! March Madness is finally here! The Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament tips off Thursday and there are four games in the Midwest Region highlighted by a 7-10 matchup between Seton Hall and potential tournament darlings Wofford. We break down the odds, totals, trends and give best bets for all six games so you can make winning bets.
(12) New Mexico State Aggies vs (5) Auburn Tigers
Odds: AUB -5.5, 145.5 @ bet365
Start Time: 1:30 p.m. ET, Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
There are few teams entering the NCAA Tournament with more momentum than Auburn, which reeled off four victories (3-1 ATS) in four days to capture the SEC Tournament title and earn the fifth seed in the Midwest Region entering Thursday?s first-round matchup with 12th-seed New Mexico State.
Now, the 12-5 matchup is always one bracket builders love to circle as a potential upset. And they may be thinking this is a good spot to pencil in New Mexico State considering it brings a 19-game winning streak into the tournament. But we?re here to tell you to look elsewhere.
A quick look at the standard stats and you might think the Aggies were a good bet. They run the floor well, have a good scoring defense and rebounding. But their advanced stats aren?t as strong. The Aggies rank near the bottom of the country in true shooting percentage and are one of the worst teams in the Tournament in adjusted defensive efficiency.
They are also one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, going up against one of the best. Auburn shoots almost more 3-pointers than anyone, hitting 37.2 percent of its attempts. But the big factor will be ball security. The Aggies turn over the ball too much against a Tigers team that hustles on the defensive end, ranking third in steals and 13th in blocks per game. If the Aggies get down early, they don?t have the tools to come back and their shots will eventually drop. Lay the 5.5 points with Auburn, this spread should be close to -10.
(13) Northeastern Huskies vs (4) Kansas Jayhawks
Odds: KU -6.5, 143
Start Time: 4:00 p.m. ET, Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
What a roller coaster of a season for the Jayhawks. They enter the Tournament without being the Big 12 Tournament champion for the first time in 15 seasons. They lost Udoka Azubuike to a season-ending injury as well as Lagerald Vick and the lack of depth behind Dedric Lawson has shown, especially on the road. The Jayhawks went 22-1 at home and on neutral sites and 3-8 in true road games (2-9 ATS).
Bettors look like they are jumping on Kansas? troubles, moving their line against the Northeastern Huskies to-6.5 from the opening number of -8.5.
The Huskies find themselves in the Big Dance for only the second time since 1991-92 after knocking off top-seeded Hofstra 82-74 in the Colonial Athletic Association title game. But bettors may like the fact they won 16-of-18 (13-4-1 ATS) on the back of their 3-point shooting. They rank 22nd in the country in 3-point percentage, while Kansas can have problems defending the perimeter.
The problem is the Huskies don?t really play much defense, ranking 144th in adjusted defensive efficiency and Kansas, and they also have a big edge on the glass. The Jayhawks rank 44th in rebounds, compared to 306th for the Huskies.
People are betting for the Jayhawks struggles to continue here, but to be fair those struggles have mostly come against the likes of Iowa State, Texas Tech and Kansas State among. Kansas? young players are getting better as the season has gone along and its athleticism will wear out Northeastern in the end. The Jayhawks may not go deep in this Tournament, but they should be more than 6.5-point faves here. Lay the points and take a look at the Over as well.
(15) Abilene Christian Wildcats vs (2) Kentucky Wildcats
Odds: UK -22, 132
Start Time: 7:10 p.m. ET, Where: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
?Who are we??
?The Wildcats!?
?Who are we going to beat??
?The Wildcats!?
Fantastic Simpsons jokes aside, the Kentucky Wildcats face off against the Abilene Christian Wildcats in a 15-2 matchup.
Kentucky is fully healthy and maybe playing their best basketball heading into their opening matchup against 15-seed Abilene Christian. Graduate transfer is back Reid Travis (11.1 points, 6.9 rebounds) averaging 9.5 and 6.5 in two SEC Tournament games after missing five contests with a knee injury.
Travis is a big part of Kentucky?s depth. Four Wildcats average double-digit points, led by P.J. Washington at 14.8 ppg, while shooting almost 42 percent from beyond the arc. Fifteen seeds have beaten 2?s before but maybe look elsewhere if looking for an upset.
Kentucky ranks 7th in the KenPom rankings while ABU sits at 145, so the 22-point spread is reasonable, but will they cover the number? Kentucky was a 20-point for greater favorite five times earlier in the year, going just 1-4 ATS. But, they had an average first half margin of +15.8 in those games.
The ABU Wildcats on the other hand is making its first Tournament appearance since becoming a Div I team in 2013-14. While ABU shoots well from 3-point range (which Kentucky struggles with defending a bit) but it could take them a bit to get used to the bright lights of the Big Dance. The Wildcats are going to win this one? err the one?s from Kentucky, but to be safe back them on the first half spread of -13.
(10) Seton Hall Pirates vs (7) Wofford Terriers
Odds: WOF -2.5, 144.5
Start Time: 9:40 p.m. ET, Where: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
The Wofford Terriers are set up to be the darlings of this year?s Tournament. The Terriers head into their opening round matchup against Seton Hall having won 20 games in a row ? the longest streak in the nation.
The Terriers achieved that streak by being one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the county, ranking second in deep ball percentage at 42.1 percent with their top four scorers hitting a combined almost 44 percent. The Terriers are led by senior guard Fletcher Magee who scores 20.8 ppg on almost 43 percent from three. He also hits over 90 percent of his free throws.
Meanwhile, Seton Hall won four of its final five games and played its way off the bubble with a run to the Big East Tournament championship game, where they lost 74-72 to Villanova. The Pirates went 5-0 ATS in their last five games. But the Pirates defense can be suspect at times and even worse they can go ice cold from the field. They rank in the bottom third in the country in 3-point shooting percentage and true shooting percentage.
In the end, the Terriers shot making ability will be the difference in this matchup. If you can still find Wofford at less than 2.5-points jump all over it, but -3 is still a decent number.