March Madness doesn’t reach its full frenzy until Thursday when the first round ends. But before that, the 64ers have two more first four games to field.
[Free bracket contests for men’s & women’s tourneys for shot at $25K]
Here are the picks for Wednesday’s second set of first four games with the spread from betmgm,
Texas Southern (-2.5) on Fairleigh Dickinson.
You’d have to go a long way to find Fairleigh Dickinson on any list that ranks every Division I team. the knights are in number 301 net ranking, He is ranked 312 in Kenpom. FDU is the lowest ranked team in this region.
That’s the beauty of the NCAA Tournament. If you warm up at the right time each team has one shot to play, and FDU warms up and NEC wins the auto bid. Texas Southern is a similar story, a 14–20 team that won the SWAC Tournament.
Texas Southern won the first four games in 2018, 2021, and last season it defeated Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 76–67, in each of the last four seasons. Texas Southern has played well in Dayton before, the Tigers are the better team and are the right side in this game.
Arizona State (-2.5) over Nevada.
The team with the most mock brackets in Nevada missed out. Maybe it’s because they weren’t involved in the tournament.
Nevada making it over Rutgers or Oklahoma State wasn’t cocky, but the Wolf Pack was the last at-large team in the region, and for a reason. Nevada stumbled to the end, losing its final three games. Nevada is not a dominant team.
Neither is Arizona State. There’s a reason the Sun Devils are in Dayton. But they got a win in Arizona late in the season (yes, they needed half court shot for the win, but they played very well against the strong No. 2 seed that just won the Pac-12 Tournament). They also defeated USC in the Pac-12 Tournament. This is a matchup between two flawed teams, but ASU has a slight edge.
Here is the rest of the sports betting slate for Wednesday:
76ers-Cavs in NBA spotlight
It’s a good night in the NBA if you like the pro game. The Cleveland Cavaliers matchup with a good one is seven games with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are the No. 3 team in the East, and the Cavs are No. 4. Cleveland is a good home team, although the 76ers have been solid on the road. Philadelphia is favored 2.5 with the Cavs playing Tuesday.
The other game in ESPN’s doubleheader is the Golden State Warriors at the Los Angeles Clippers. Both teams have dealt with injuries, but the Warriors are recovering and starting to rise to the top. The Clippers are 2.5-point favorites.
NHL has 4 games
It’s a light night in the NHL, but the Colorado Avalanche at the Toronto Maple Leafs is a strong matchup for the first game of a TNT doubleheader. Toronto is the -150 favourite. The other game on TNT is the Minnesota Wild at the St. Louis Blues, who have been shorthanded and fading since the trade deadline. The Wild-145 is a favorite.
What’s the best bet?
Golden State has been impossibly bad on the road this season. The Warriors are 7-26 away from home. I’ll ride that trend and take the Clippers.