(USA TODAY Sports)`Fairleigh Dickinson and Belmont won the first of four play-in games to tip off the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Tonight, two former college hoops stars, Chris Mullin and Bobby Hurley, will try to coach their teams to do the same when St. John’s takes on Arizona State. Here’s a sports betting recap from Tuesday and a lookahead to Wednesday.
Fairleigh Dickinson, Belmont Move to Round of 64
In the first play-in game of the NCAA Tournament, Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) battled back and outscored Prairie View A&M by 13 points in the second half to win 82-76.
A 2-point favorite at tip-off, FDU backers covered the spread despite Prairie View A&M using a 14-0 run to take a 41-33 lead at half. Prairie View A&M fell back down to earth, helping FDU cover the second half spread (-3) as well.
FDU will face No. 1 seed Gonzaga Thursday night. Gonzaga opened as 26.5-point favorites (Over/Under 152.5)
Ending the first night of March Madness, Belmont beat Temple 81-70 in a clash between 11 seeds.
To the public’s delight, Belmont covered the spread as 3-point favorites in large thanks to Kevin McClain’s 29 points.
Now they’ll take on No. 6 seed Maryland, and oddsmakers think it will be a close one. Maryland is only a 4.5-point favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook (Over/Under 147.5)
More Play-in Games Tonight
Tonight features play-in games between North Carolina Central-North Dakota State and St. John’s-Arizona State.
Early bets like North Dakota State as 5-point favorites. North Dakota State used their defense to get this far, holding teams to an average of 72.2 ppg.
The winner will be forced to play No. 1 Duke who is expected to be over a 30-point favorite in the first round game.
Saving the best for last, head coaches Bobby Hurley and Chris Mullin will go head-to-head in the most intriguing of the four play-in games.
Mullin’s St. John’s team had an impressive 12-0 start to the season but, after struggling in Big East play, was the last team invited to the Big Dance, according to Tournament selection committee chair Bernard Muir.
Arizona State on the other hand ended the season playing some of their best basketball of the year. Hurley’s team won six of their last eight, but also had an impressive non-conference resume thanks to an 80-76 win over Kansas.
The spread and total has seen movement after opening Arizona State -1, Over/Under 151. Arizona State is now a 2-point favorite and the total has creeped up to 152.5
NCAA Tournament Betting and Bracket Strategies
From rollover betting vs futures markets to first round upsets, we have it all covered. Our own Brett Smiley even shows you how to win your survivor pool and your more traditional bracket pools.
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The Regions
Thomas Casale and I discussed NCAA Tournament picks, sleepers and upsets. Be sure to check out our breakdown of each region. Here’s a few snippets:
East
“The East region is my least favorite from a betting perspective. My top play will likely be the winner of Belmont-Temple over Maryland but since we don’t have that line yet, I’ll go Yale +8 over LSU. This number opened LSU -9/9.5 and is down to 8. I think LSU will win but Yale is a tough first round draw because they shoot the ball so well. KenPom ranks Yale 44th in offensive efficiency and the Bulldogs average over 80 points a game. LSU played tight games away from home this season and will be without suspended head coach Will Wade for the tournament. If Yale can prevent LSU from dominating the boards, they will stay within the number and potentially pull an upset.” – Casale
Midwest
“I love Bruce Pearl’s Auburn team at +1200. The same thing that makes Auburn vulnerable to a first round upset against New Mexico State is the same thing that get them over the top in this region…the three ball. They now own the SEC single-season record for 3-pointers with over 370. If they get hot from the arc they can beat anyone, as Tennessee found out in the SEC Tournament.” – Schmitto
South
“You have to feel bad for Kansas State. Not only could the Wildcats be without Dean Wade (12.9 PPG and 6.2 RPG), who missed the Big 12 Tournament with a foot injury, now they must face one of the most dangerous mid-major teams in the tournament. UC Irvine is tied for the most true road wins in the country with 13. They can play and it won’t be a major upset if Kansas State is one and done. Also, Virginia will hammer Gardner-Webb. Cavs will be the focused No. 1 seed in tournament history. Gardner_Webb relies on the three-ball and Virginia ranks first in defending the three. That’s a 50-point win. Lay the 24 points.” – Casale
West
“It might be the homer in me, but I’m not sure there’s a better futures bet than Texas Tech at +3300, which I prefer over +600 to reach the Final Four. Seeding went really well for them especially after taking a look at a couple of the other regions. Gonzaga and Michigan are the lowest No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively, and Texas Tech was the second 3-seed selected. They have one of the best coaches in the tournament in Chris Beard, who previously led Little Rock Arkansas to a first-round upset over Purdue in 2016. Texas Tech’s No. 1 adjusted defense (Ken Pom) is sure to travel, it’s more of a question if their offense will show up and if Big 12 player of the year Jarret Culver can make free throws down the stretch.” – Schmitto
We have more NCAA Tournament info coming to you throughout the day, including the first RotoGrinders Sports Betting podcast! Don’t miss it!
Quick Links
Don’t forget to check out Casale’s NCAA Tournament breakdown.
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