Tournament basketball picks – plenty of sexy matchups on Friday
March Madness odds are out, which means everyone is focusing on their tournament basketball picks right now. Online sports betting sharps got an excellent feel for the Tournament on Thursday and now Friday should be an equally exciting follow up. There should be a few laughers on Friday, so if you are making your tournament basketball picks, don’t expect any real upsets.
Tournament basketball picks: lots of close games on Friday
- Arizona is inconsistent, but will win
- Beware of an Ohio State letdown
- Arizona State will ride its defense
There are seven games on the board in the sportsbook with spreads of 5.5 or smaller, so there should be some close games. Making picks might be difficult, so let’s take a closer look at those tight contests.
Arizona vs Utah lines have the Utes favored by 1.5 points. Not many people are giving them much credit even though they are seeded seven spots higher than Arizona.
The Wildcats are a very talented team and, based on that alone, they should be able to move on. The problem is that they are and have been very inconsistent all season long and not many people are sure whether to trust them for tournament basketball picks. They have also been undisciplined, which is a sign that they miss their former head coach Lute Olsen.
Another game with a small spread is the Siena vs Ohio State line. Siena is a very underrated squad that has improved yearly. In the 2008 Tournament, Siena pulled a shocker when it upended No. 4 seed Vanderbilt in the first round.
The Buckeyes made an impressive run in the Big Ten Tournament but were mediocre before then. They are ripe for an upset so stay away for your tournament basketball picks.
The Temple vs Arizona State line has the Sun Devils favored by a short 5.5 points. The Sun Devils will have to use their stifling zone defense to slow down Temple’s star, Dionte Christmas, and the Sun Devils are more than capable. Look for them to win a thriller over a tough No. 11 seed. The Sun Devils are a solid tournament basketball pick because of their defense.
The sports betting lines for NCAA basketball have Tennessee as a small favorite over Oklahoma State but the Vols have been too inconsistent to trust. On the flip side, the Cowboys have won eight of their last 10 games and should be confident heading into this contest. Look for them to win outright as a small underdog.
In the remaining three contests, USC is favored by 2.5 over Boston College, Marquette is a 4.5 point favorite over Utah State and Florida State is a two-point favorite over Wisconsin.
All three underdogs look strong here. Boston College is a versatile ACC team, while USC is a mediocre Pac-10 team. Marquette has been stumbling since it lost star guard Dominic James for the season, and Wisconsin has a serious edge in experience over Florida State.
Check out the Betting Edge daily as we take a look at March Madness betting in all four regions this week.
Washington Tucker was practically raised at Rucker Park. Though a freak knee injury cost him a major college basketball scholarship, his “sixth-sense” on the hardwood has translated into a spectacular career in basketball handicapping.
