Happy Friday, sports betting amigos! Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament is here, and we can't wait to watch more college hoops. Today's winning teams will earn the right to play in Round 2 matchups on Sunday, March 23.
While there are tons of enticing matchups on the board, my Friday player props card focuses on Baylor vs. Mississippi State, Vandy vs St. Mary's, and Oklahoma vs. UConn. Best of luck with all of your wagers and enjoy the action!
Baylor vs. Mississippi State: 12:15 PM ET • CBS
Mississippi State is one of the best rebounding teams in the land and none does it better than Mr. Murphy. The 6'10" junior averages 7.5 rebounds per game and Baylor will have a hard time keeping him off the glass in this one.
Baylor has a good rebounder in Norchad Omier, but he's three inches shorter than Murphy. That should work out in our favor. As a team, the Bears rank just 162nd in rebounding while the Bulldogs rank 32nd.
There also should be plenty of rebounding opportunities in this game. Both of these teams rank outside the Top 120 in effective field goal percentage, so there should be plenty of missed shots. Look for Murphy to crush this rebounding number and get us to the cash-out window early on Friday afternoon.
Murphy is 20-13 to the Over vs. this line in '24-25.
Murphy has gone Over this line in 11 of 18 road/neutral games.
Murphy is 9-3 to the Over vs. this line over his last 12 games.
Vanderbilt vs. Saint Mary's: 3:15 pm ET • truTV
I watched Vandy play in person at the SEC Tournament in Nashville and was shocked at how undersized they were. The Commodores have a lot of really solid guards, but they don't really have a true center on the roster.
This will really hurt them here in the First Round against St. Mary's, who has a team full of big men. Murauskas is one of those big men, as he's 6'8" and 235 pounds.
He leads the team in rebounding, as he pulls down 8 boards per game. The sophomore from Lithuania should have a field day against a Vandy squad that ranks just 169th in overall rebounding. Give me another Over!
Murauskas is 18-15 to the Over vs. this line in '24-25.
Saint Mary's ranks 6th in offensive rebounding.
Murauskas is 4-3 to the Over vs. this line over his last 7 games.
Oklahoma vs. UConn: 9:25 pm ET • TNT
The defending champs have been a huge disappointment this season, but you have to think that Dan Hurley gets his boys fired up for this Round 1 game against an SEC foe. Diarra has been one of the bright spots of this underachieving UConn squad and I think he tortures the OU defense.
The 6'2" senior point guard is a salty old veteran who drives the lane with ease and creates lots of opportunities for his teammates. Diarra should dish out plenty of dimes against a Sooners team that ranks 93rd in assists allowed per game. OU also ranks just 207th in defensive efficiency.
I made this line 6.5 instead of 5.5, so there's plenty of value in this at plus money over at FanDuel. Let's end the night with another Over!
Diarra is 18-15 to the Over vs. this line in '24-25.
UConn ranks 6th in assists per game.
Diarra is 4-3 to the Over vs. this line over his last 7 games.