After a 2-0 start with underdogs on Thursday, we’re looking to find two more March Madness underdog picks to bet on Friday during the Round of 64.
Samford covered the spread for us, but fell short of the moneyline bonus. Oregon ran away from South Carolina in an easy win, meaning we didn’t need the comfortable closing line value.
On Friday, we turn to two double-digit seeds who we think can advance. Once we’ve locked these bets in, we’ll turn to OddsShopper and find the hundreds of player props available that are plus-EV. That will help us continue to build our bankroll while utilizing March Madness promos.
March Madness Underdogs | Friday, March 22
James Madison (+5.5, FanDuel) over Wisconsin
This is the upset everyone is picking, but I believe in it. The Dukes are 31-3 and already beat a Big Ten team in Michigan State to open the year, so they will not be afraid of a matchup like this. The Dukes are led by Terrence Edwards Jr. at 17.4 points and 3.5 assists per game.
The epitome of Wisconsin’s season has been inconsistency. They just recently started playing up to their potential in the Big Ten tournament, despite losing to Illinois in the championship game. The Badgers are better on offense than defense with a ranking of 13th of 120.0 in adjusted offense on KenPom. That defense is why I like James Madison to keep it close. The Badgers slow place and poor defense should allow the Dukes to keep things close, particularly considering Wisconsin’s struggles to defend the three.
Get real-time NCAAB odds here.
Grand Canyon (+6, DraftKings) over Saint Mary’s
It is a clash of styles because the Gaels look to slow the pace while Grand Canyon is run-and-gun. The biggest advanced for Grand Canyon is Tyon Grant-Foster, who will be the best player on the floor. He averages nearly 20 points per game and is just one of the better athletes Grand Canyon will have over Saint Mary’s.
When looking at the betting market, most sportsbooks are offering Grand Canyon at +5 or +5.5. But above we can see DraftKings is asleep at +6. This is too good of value to pass up with a market-based betting approach. BetMGM is an option at +5.5 if you’re looking to avoid extra juice, because FanDuel is offering +5.5 at -115, while -110 gets you just +5 at Caesars.
