With March Madness finally here, the Wednesday slate continues with a pair of play-in games. This article will examine our March Madness best bets for Wednesday and offer professional opinions and evaluations to assist you in making wise and well-informed betting choices, with the aid of OddsShopper’s college basketball odds and best bets resources. Nonetheless, onto our First Four predictions and projections.
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March Madness Best Bets & First Four Predictions | March 15
March Madness Best Bets: Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern
Winner of the Northeast Conference, Fairleigh Dickinson will take on SWAC Champion Texas Southern for the right to play Purdue on Friday. An interesting clash of styles, Texas Southern made the NCAA Tournament with a 14-20 record. However, a deeper dive indicates one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the country, featuring opponents like Texas Tech, Houston, Auburn and Kansas. With that said, Fairleigh Dickinson still holds a few potential edges here.
First of all, Fairleigh Dickinson holds a massive offensive advantage. The Knights rank 63rd in offensive efficiency, while Texas Southern checks in at 343. Texas Southern does play superior defense, but this team lacks the ability to score with an offense ranked 343rd in the country. Interestingly, both teams rank within 22 spots of each other in rebounding, despite Texas Southern holding a height advantage.
From there, Texas Southern ranks 333rd in offensive turnovers, while Fairleigh Dickinson ranks top 75 in turnovers generated on offense. Texas Southern has played the more difficult schedule without a doubt. However, they’ve also lost all of those games, making them particularly difficult to evaluate. With Fairleigh Dickinson catching points in an uncertain matchup, the underdog makes sense.
First Four Prediction: Fairleigh Dickinson +2.5 (-115) at BetMGM
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March Madness Best Bets: Arizona State vs. Nevada
Arizona State takes on Nevada in Dayton in final First Four play-in games. The Sun Devils entered the PAC12 Tournament as the six seed and ended up losing to Arizona in the semi-finals. Nevada finished as the four seed in the Mountain West, losing in the quarterfinals to San Jose State. Instead of looking at a side, the over stands out as a potential target in a game between these foes.
First of all, this game projects to be played at an above average pace. The NCAA average for possessions per game hovers around 70.0 in any given season. Nevada averages 69 possessions per game, while Arizona State plays much faster at 71.9 possessions per game.
From there, Nevada looks like the superior offense, ranked 110 in the country. They will clash against a 40th ranked Arizona State defense, but this team takes care of the ball and finds high percentage shots. On the other side, Arizona State ranks 255th in overall offensive efficiency, which poses a theoretical problem. However, this number has jumped to 125 since the beginning of conference play. While the Sun Devils definitely play somewhat inconsistent on offense, the overall improvement in conference play appears to be discounted in the listed betting line.
First Four Prediction: Over 133.5 (-115) at BetMGM
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