Happy Thursday, sports betting family! Welcome to one of the best days of the year: the first day of the NCAA Tournament. Over the next four days, we'll see some dynamic buzzer-beaters and witness some fantastic Cinderella stories.
It really is one of the most wonderful times of the year for hoops junkies. Get my top player props for March 20th below. Best of luck with all of your wagers and enjoy the action!
Creighton vs. Louisville: 12:15 PM ET • CBS
I normally don't like fading a player of Chucky Hepburn's caliber, but I just can't ignore how good Creighton has been on defense all year long. The Jays rank an insanely stingy 5th in opponent shooting efficiency and 25th in opponent effective field goal percentage.
Hepburn gets to the foul line quite frequently, which worries me a little bit. However, I like that the star guard usually only takes about 10 shots from the field per game. Also, Terrence Edwards Jr. has been doing most of the scoring for the Cards lately.
This one may get more than a little sweaty, but the Under is the only way I can look. Let's go that route and root for some solid defense out of Creighton once again.
Hepburn is 24-9 to the Under vs. this line in '24-25.
Hepburn has gone Under this line in 12 of 17 road/neutral games.
Hepburn is 4-1 to the Under vs. this line over his last 5 games.
High Point vs. Purdue: 12:40 pm ET • truTV
Not many in the mainstream media have heard of High Point, but they're 29-5 and have a real shot at upsetting Purdue in this spot. The Panthers were by far the best team in the Big South and Hamilton is one of their most consistent scorers. The 6'7" junior ranks 3rd on the team in points (13.4) and 2nd in rebounds (4.7).
Hamilton transferred to High Point from Mississippi State, so he won't be the least bit intimidated by this step up in competition. He should have plenty of success against a Boilers squad that ranks a pitiful 350th in two-point defense. Purdue also ranks just 243rd in opponent shooting percentage, so I'm thinking that translates into some open looks for Hamilton.
Hamilton's median point total this season is 14. I would think that we'd need to adjust that up at least a tick because of Purdue's lack of defensive prowess. Give me the Over!
Hamilton is 21-13 to the Over vs. this line in '24-25.
Hamilton typically makes at least 3 free throws per game.
Hamilton is 4-2 to the Over vs. this line over his last 6 games.
UC San Diego vs. Michigan: 10:00 pm ET • TBS
Michigan is in for a real fight in the first round against UC San Diego. The sportsbooks obviously know that, so they priced the Wolverines as just a 2.5-point favorite. I think a tight game means more minutes and more rebounds for the Wolf Man.
The 7-foot Yale transfer let me down a couple of times earlier this season in the rebounding department, but he gets an ideal matchup against the Tritons. UC San Diego ranks just 287th in overall rebounding, whereas Michigan ranks 31st.
There's just not a lot of length on this Tritons team, which is kind of common for teams from smaller conferences. Their leading rebounder is a guard. That's not a good sign. Wolf should be a beast on the glass in this Thursday nightcap.
Wolf is 18-16 to the Over vs. this line in '24-25.
Wolf has gone Over this line in 11 of 18 road/neutral games.
Wolf is 3-1 to the Over vs. this line over his last 4 games.