2024 March Insanity forecasts roundtable: Betting the preliminary of
Mar 20, 2024, 03:11 PM ET The possibilities are limitless as we get set for the first round of the men’s NCAA competition, but which games should you bet on? And which must you avoid?Here are our
males’s college basketball specialists Dalen Cuff, Jeff Borzello, Tyler Fulghum, Anita Marks and Mackenzie Kraemer to explain which games they are keying in on for Thursday and Friday.What’s your preferred choice against the spread?San Diego State(-6.5)vs. UAB. UAB’s offense carried it down the stretch of the season, but it hasn’t dealt with a defense like San Diego State, which ranks in the top 10 nationally in adjusted protective efficiency. And the Blazers ‘defense doesn’t force turnovers, suggesting it will likely have to bet a settled Aztecs defense the majority of the game.– Borzello Men’s Competition Obstacle Total your bracket by picking the winner for each game of the 2024 guys’s NCAA tournament. Play
Guys’s Competition Difficulty Kentucky( -13.5)vs. Oakland. The Grizzlies don’t have the firepower to hang with the Wildcats, who have 5 players who balance
double digits. Kentucky has size, coaching experience and a top-five offense per KenPom, averaging almost 90 PPG.– Marks Alabama(-10.5 )vs. Charleston. The Cougars play a similar style as the Tide that is speed, space and threes. The Tide simply do it much better and more efficiently than Charleston. Roll Tide.– Cuff Auburn (-12.5 )vs. Yale. Yale is a terrific story with its buzzer-beater to win the Ivy League, but Auburn is no Brown. The Tigers have shorter odds than every 2-seed but Arizona
to win it all.– Fulghum Baylor(-13.5) vs. Colgate. Colgate does not have the offending firepower that previous tournament groups had. Baylor must overwhelm Colgate offensively, and Colgate will not keep up.– Kraemer
What’s your’favorite preferred ‘that’s under -200 moneyline?Florida Atlantic( -145)vs. Northwestern. If Matthew Nicholson doesn’t bet Northwestern, I do not think they have a prayer of safeguarding Vlad Goldin on the interior. And if he does suit up, I still believe FAU has excessive firepower. Boo Buie can just do so
much.– Borzello South Carolina (-120)vs. Oregon. The Ducks are the fashionable pick, which is foregone conclusion all year for South Carolina. Lamont Paris will utilize all the Oregon hype like he did their preseason media survey selection of 14th in SEC. He’s now Coach of the Year because league and the Gamecocks are 22-9 ATS.– Cuff New Mexico(-140 )vs. Clemson. New Mexico opened as a 1.5-point favorite and are now up an indicate -2.5. A minimum of one 11-seed has actually won a first-round game in 18 consecutive NCAA competitions.– Fulghum Drake(-120 )vs. Washington State. Drake has competition experience, Tucker DeVries, and is among the very best rebounding groups in the
tourney. They are only 14th in turnover rate and will play in Omaha, which is right up I-80.– Marks Dayton( Even)vs. Nevada. Dayton isn’t technically the favorite, but it has the very best player on the flooring(DaRon Holmes) and the better coach. When in doubt, fade the Mountain West in March. BPI offers Dayton a 58 %opportunity to win.– Kraemer What’s your favorite upset pick?McNeese(+225)vs. Gonzaga. Buckle up, due to the fact that the Cowboys(30-3 )are going to surprise some folks. McNeese holds
opponents to under 40 %shooting, while they shoot near to 50 %from the field. They are scrapy and defensively force 17 turnovers a game with a 14% steal rate.– Marks Editor’s Picks 2 Related James Madison(+190 )vs. Wisconsin. JMU is 31-3 and might even be the much better group, as they showed when they beat Michigan State in November. Are we sure Wisconsin is the better group?– Kraemer Morehead State( +550 )vs. Illinois. The Illini are flying high after winning the Big 10 tournament behind the dominance of Terrence Shannon, but the Eagles have a star of their own who might help them steal this game
and make a Cinderella
run. Remember the name: Riley Minix.– Fulghum Samford( +250 )vs. Kansas. The Jayhawks absence of depth made them vulnerable to distress even before Costs Self announced that Kevin McCullar is out for the tournament. Samford plays 10-deep, presses all game and might wreak havoc on the Jayhawks’at altitude in Salt Lake City.– Cuff Texas A&M (Even)vs. Nebraska. I actually choose Samford(+225), McNeese (+220) and James Madison (+190 ), however one more underdog choice I like is the Aggies. A&M’s offensive battles appear to be behind them, and Wade Taylor is playing his
most efficient basketball of the season.– Borzello What’s your favorite choice versus the point total?Alabama vs. Charleston OVER 173.5. Two groups that love to play with rate, will want to shoot within the first 15 seconds of the shot clock and wish to score. Alabama has discussed in 10 of its past 11 games , and
Charleston will not have a problem keeping up.– Borzello Long Beach State vs. Arizona OVER 163.5. Both have fun with a high pace, with Long Beach initially in speed of play. Long Beach also has one of the worst transition defenses, which will play right into the hands of what Arizona does well– rating!–
Marks Illinois vs. Morehead State OVER 147.5. Illinois can really score and has embraced a”we’ll try to outscore you”mentality recently. Morehead State can try to decrease the game, however I think the Illini push it to an over for the 13th time in their previous 15 games.– Cuff South Dakota State vs. Iowa State UNDER 135.5. Iowa State has actually been the very best protective group in the nation, but its shooting takes an action back away from home. South Dakota State will have a hard time to rating, but it can do enough defensively to require an under.– Kraemer Kentucky vs. Oakland OVER 163.5. If the Wildcats are involved in a game, I’m betting the over.
Coach Calipari’s team saw 23 of their 32 games end up over the closing overall this year, by an average of +10.5 points per game.– Fulghum Which game are you avoiding entirely?Arizona vs. Long Beach State. The Wildcats have regularly not played to their level when they think they’re dealing with an inferior opponent. They are here
and must penalize The Beach however I would not be surprised if they don’t get out of 2nd gear and stop working to cover.– Cuff McNeese vs. Gonzaga. McNeese has actually been dominant against a terrible schedule. Gonzaga is skilled and battle-tested. The winner can make a deep run, however all the best figuring out which team that
is.– Kraemer Tennessee vs. St. Peter’s. Rick Barnes has actually been a difficult coach to trust against the spread, though his Volunteers profile as one of the tournament favorites. I’ll take a wait and see method before getting invested.– Fulghum
BYU vs. Duquesne. BYU is always a challenging read
since the Cougars shoot more 3s than practically anyone in college basketball, however they’re a middle-of-the-road group when it comes to making them. And they’re playing a team in Duquesne that was the best in the Atlantic 10 in defending the 3-point line. It might not matter since BYU shoots many of them,
however I’m avoiding anyhow.– Borzello Michigan State vs. Mississippi State. This match is a toss-up. Those leaning toward the Spartans are doing so since of Tom Izzo, and those who have the Bulldogs are hoping they pull off a win with their stellar 3-point defense. Turn a coin.– Marks