I hope you guys enjoyed the first few days of March Madness because we are just getting started! We have eight games to break down and pick some winners for on this Saturday’s slate. Take a read. Here is my NCAA Tournament day three preview with picks, upsets, and bets for March 23!
CHECK OUT THE SPORTS GAMBLING PODCAST’S DAILY BEST BETS
NCAA Tournament Day Three Preview: March Madness Upsets, Picks, and Bets for March 23rd, 2024
(7) Dayton vs. (2) Arizona (-9.5) (O/U 149.5)
Arizona looked a tad shaky to start the game, but they ended up winning in flying colors in round one. On the other hand, Dayton had an epic comeback in round one against Nevada. They were down and out with seven minutes to go and battled back in an extreme way to win the game. I expect Dayton to get off to somewhat of a slow start in this one.
Coming down from a win that big is never easy, and in a tournament setting, that is not a great thing. You do not want to play from behind against Arizona, and that is what I am expecting.
The Pick: Arizona -9.5
(4) Kansas vs. (5) Gonzaga (-4.5) (O/U 151.5)
These teams had two extremely different round one results. Kansas was taken to the brink and nearly lost to 13 seed Samford the other night. A very controversial foul call ended up being the difference in that meeting.
On the other hand, Gonzaga had one of their best showings of the entire season. They silenced the crowds after being on the opposite side of a trendy underdog pick.
The public needs only one game of sample size to evaluate, and they will be hammering the Zags here. Kansas will get no love even though they will have the best player on the court in Hunter Dickinson. Look for this game to really come down to the wire. 4.5 will be plenty.
The Pick: Kansas +4.5
(9) Michigan State vs. (1) North Carolina (-3.5) (O/U 139.5)
Some blue bloods matchup in Charlotte. This will be a pseudo-home game for the Tar Heels, which I believe will be the difference. You can never count Izzo out in March, but this team leaves a lot to be desired.
Sure, they looked very solid against Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs got off to an awful start and never battled back. UNC has many avenues for success offensively, and I believe they have what it takes to take care of business in the end.
The Pick: North Carolina -3.5
(7) Washington State vs. (2) Iowa State (-6.5) (O/U 128.5)
Iowa State avoided the upset in round one which I believed was their only potential downfall on this first weekend. Washington State rallied extremely late in their matchup against Drake to make it into the round of 32.
Washington overachieved all season long, and I believe this is a great spot to short them. This game will be close to start, but I trust Iowa State’s suffocating style of basketball to be the difference here.
The Pick: Iowa State -6.5
(14) Oakland vs. (11) NC State (-5.5) (O/U 144.5)
Oakland shot nearly 50% from three in their meeting against Kentucky, which is all but unsustainable. The Grizzlies took advantage of a Kentucky team that really struggled to play defense all year.
Although NC State does not have the offensive firepower that Kentucky does, The Wolfpack will do a far better job limiting Oakland’s good looks offensively. That will be enough to advance and cover.
CAREER-HIGH‼️
Make that 21 points and counting for Ben Middlebrooks!
🎥 @MarchMadnessMBB | @PackMensBball pic.twitter.com/YQa5O267tB
— ACC Men’s Basketball (@accmbb) March 22, 2024
The Pick: NC State -5.5
(10) Texas vs. (2) Tennessee (-6.5) (O/U 146.5)
The Vols are still one of my top picks to win this week, but I believe they will struggle at some point. Texas is a very volatile team, but they do have NCAA Tournament experience.
I will lean on that high ceiling and volatile style of basketball to give Tennessee some struggles here. I believe Texas has some speed advantages around the perimeter, which could be the difference. Give me The Vols in a very close game.
The Pick: Texas +6.5
(11) Oregon vs. (3) Creighton (-5.5) (O/U 146.5)
These two won fairly easily in round one and showed the offensive upside. I believe these two will feed off each other from the jump, and we will see a ton of points here. March Madness is the one time of year people love to bet unders, but we will go the other way. Let’s ride with the over here.
The Pick: Over 146.5
(11) Duquesne vs. (3) Illinois (-9.5) (O/U 148.5)
Illinois struggled for a while in their opening contest but flipped a switch in the second half. The Dukes upset BYU as nearly double-digit underdogs, and they are getting little respect here. Year in and year out, we get teams of destiny, and I believe Duquesne can be that. If Illinois plays like they did in the first half of their last game, they will get upset. Either way, 9.5 is too many points.
The Pick: Duquesne +9.5
(11) Oregon vs. (3) Creighton (-5.5) (O/U 146.5)
These two won fairly easily in round one and showed offensive upside. I believe they will feed off each other from the start, and we will see a ton of points here.
March Madness is the one time of year people love to bet unders, but we will go the other way. Let’s ride with the over here—nothing like sweating some points to close out your NCAA Tournament Day Three.
The Pick: Over 146.5
