College Basketball’s Best Bets for March 25

Yesterday’s NCAA Tournament games took place in the two regionals where the favorites largely dominated. Only Michigan was not a top-four seed of the eight teams that played on Thursday. 

That’s not the case today with three double digit seeds in action, as well as the only squad that took out a #1 so far this postseason. The question is: Will chaos continue to reign in the East and Midwest? 

For bettors, that hardly matters. The more pressing matter is whether the underdogs can cover, wins and losses be damned. Here’s how we come down on three of Friday’s most intriguing contests. 

Miami vs. Iowa State

The Bet: Miami -2

This is only the fourth ever meeting between a #10 and #11 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and based on the first two rounds, it seems both of these teams were under seeded, particularly Miami. They absolutely dominated #2 seed Auburn in the second round and come into this game against Iowa State with a ton of confidence. 

The Cyclones started the season on fire before really fading in conference play. They took out talented LSU and Wisconsin teams, but they were both down-to-the-wire efforts, which really speaks to their season. They’ve played 15 games that were decided by fewer than ten points.

Ultimately, this one might come down to who best protects the ball, and while the Cyclones are 30th in the country by that metric, the Hurricanes are 5th. They’ll get it done and advance to the Elite Eight.

UCLA vs. North Carolina

The Bet: UNC +2.5

Two blue bloods go to battle a little earlier than one might traditionally expect. Neither UCLA nor North Carolina had the regular seasons their fans wanted, but now, it’s not impossible to imagine either school hoisting another title banner. 

Of the two, North Carolina had the more impressive first weekend. The Tar Heels destroyed Marquette in the first round before taking out #1 seed Baylor in overtime in the second. UCLA, on the other hand, had to eke out a victory vs. Akron before they handled St. Mary’s in a fairly straightforward manner. 

This game will very much be a contest between contrasting styles. UCLA is guard-led and has one of the best assists-to-turnover ratios in the country, while UNC is 12th in rebounds per game with Armando Bacot third in the country individually with 12.5 per contest. 

It’s going to be a battle, and we think the Tar Heels are coming on strong at exactly the right time. Everyone knows Bacot, but this game could be a coming out party of sorts for Caleb Love and R.J. Davis at the guard position. If they can keep the Bruins in check, this team will advance and will be a real threat to win it all.

Purdue vs. St. Peter’s 

The Bet: Purdue -12.5

It’s the question everyone wants to know: Can the Peacocks do it again? The feel-good story of the first weekend will attempt to do something no other #15 seed has done and advance to the Elite Eight. 

Unfortunately, this matchup looks brutal for the Peacocks. If there’s one thing St. Peter’s is elite at, it’s defending the three. But where Purdue gets you is with Trevion Williams inside and with Jaden Ivey’s dribble penetration. 

We saw in the first round St. Peter’s KC Ndefo get into very early foul trouble against Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe. The Boilermakers will almost certainly try to do the same thing here, and if they succeed, it’s game over.