Andrew Wilsher

The New Jersey Devils will face the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. Both teams have had difficult seasons and will most likely not be making the playoffs. The Devils come into this one winning 6 of their last 8 games. The Devils have also been scoring well with 4+ goals in 6 of their last 7. This is shocking considering they are averaging 2.63 goals per game, which ranks them 28th in the NHL. While they statistically haven’t scored many goals, they do have the 5th-most shots on target in the NHL. This makes sense considering the impressive improvement recently. All considered, the Devils will be relying on offensive production again today.

The Rangers are last in the Eastern Conference even though they have won 4 of their last 5 games. On the season, they are only averaging 2.79 goals per game and 25.2 shots per game. This minimal offensive production has made it difficult for their goaltenders. This is even more prominent when we consider that they allow 29.1 shots on goal per game. Overall, I suspect the Devils’ offense will keep producing against a struggling Rangers squad. I am taking the Devils on the money line.

Devils vs Rangers prediction: New Jersey ML (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Pittsburgh Penguins meet the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina at 7:00 pm ET. This is the third meeting of the season, with the home team winning each of the first 2 installments. Pittsburgh won 5-1 on Dec. 30 as slight underdogs (+110), while Carolina posted a 5-4 win in a shootout last Tuesday as heavy favorites (-210), as the Pens cashed as underdogs on the puck line. The winning team in each of the past six meetings in this series has scored at least four goals, with the Over going 2-0-1 in the past three in the series, if you’re looking for same-game parlay (SGP) possibilities.

Carolina suffered a stunning 5-1 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night with rookie Brandon Bussi in between the pipes. Suddenly, the rookie has dropped three straight starts, and Carolina is just 2-3-0 in the past five outings. They’re expected to turn to veteran Frederik Andersen in the second end of the back-to-back. The Canes have won three straight starts with Andersen in between the pipes, and 4-1-0 in his past five starts since the Olympic break. Carolina is 24-9-2 on home ice, while Pittsburgh is 18-9-7 on the road. Let’s go with the Canes at home as moderate favorites, but don’t get carried away.

Penguins vs Hurricanes prediction: Carolina ML (-160) available at time of publishing. Playable to -170.

The Philadelphia Flyers will be kicking off their west-coast road trip on Wednesday night when they are in Anaheim to take on the Ducks. This will be the second meeting between these two teams; the Flyers took the first meeting by a score of 5-2. These teams will be tied together for the foreseeable future due to the Cutter Gauthier and Jamie Drysdale trade. Gauthier is leading the Ducks with an impressive 34 goals and 59 points in 66 games. He is an elite goal scorer that has the Ducks winning the trade thus far. The Ducks are in a tight race for the top spot in the Pacific Division, and the top spot is very important as it would mean they could potentially avoid a first-round playoff matchup with the Edmonton Oilers or the Vegas Golden Knights. The Ducks are very good on home ice, so they will have the edge in this game. They are 22-10-1 at the Honda Center.

The Flyers offense has plagued them all season. They average 2.77 goals for per game, which is ranked 26^th in the NHL. This won’t be enough to keep up with the potent offense of the Ducks. Give me the Ducks in this one.

Flyers vs Ducks prediction: Ducks ML (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The anatomy of an upset. We’re going to break it down. The Badgers are a team that lead with offensive first, play with pace, and love to attack from the perimeter. When it all goes well, Wiscy can put up 100 points and look unstoppable. But if the shots don’t fall? Wisconsin can be in trouble. Particularly, when the opponent plays with pace and score like the Panthers can.

If you are filling out your bracket, High Point is worth being written down to spring the annual 5 vs. 12 upset. From a betting perspective, getting the Panthers with the points is one of the better plays you will encounter perhaps in any sport, this week. We don’t even need High Point to win to cash this ticket, but they can win. That’s the whole point. Wisconsin is tagged by many to be a dark horse in the West region. Analysts love the prospect of an Arkansas-Wisconsin smokeshow in the Round 32. The problem is that horse may never get out of the gate. But because High Point has gone to March Madness two years in a row and hasn’t won a game yet in school history, it seems unfathomable for such events to unfold. That’s how brackets are broken and how winning plays are uncovered. A Panthers victory would be inconceivable to many but the set-up is there, and all we need is the Panthers to compete in a game that I believe they will win outright.

High Point vs Wisconsin prediction: High Point +10 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

One of the more intriguing first round matchups on Thursday features the VCU Rams vs the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Rams rolled through the A-10 tournament, and they ended the season on a 6-game winning streak. The Tar Heels come into the tournament vulnerable, with star freshman Caleb Wilson out for the year. If you are shopping for an upset for your bracket, this would be a good spot to look. For bettors, there is still value here too, and I look for VCU to keep this game close at +2.5.

The Heels obviously still have lots of talent without Wilson, no doubt about that. Seth Trimble especially will step up and carry the load. But there is more here. In particular, this is a dangerous matchup for Carolina. VCU is an elite 3-point shooting team, and when they aren’t shooting threes, they are good at getting themselves to the foul line. While UNC does not foul a lot, they do struggle to defend the arc. If there is one tried and true formula for a first round upset, that is it—the ability for underdogs to make 3s. It is also worth noting that VCU beat Virginia Tech by 18 and nearly upended NC State, so they can go toe to toe with ACC squads. And those games were in November; the Rams have only improved since then. I like VCU in this spot.

VCU vs North Carolina prediction: VCU +2.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Idaho Vandals and the Houston Cougars will face off on Thursday for round one of the NCAA Tournament. This game is a late tip off in Oklahoma City following the Saint Mary’s and Texas A&M game. I do not expect this one to be a very close one as Houston should be able to handle Idaho with not many issues. The Vandals finished the regular season just 17-14 but went on a four-game winning streak to win the Big Sky Conference Tournament. The Big Sky has not fared well in the big dance as they are just 3-10-1 against the spread since 2010. I expect Houston to add to that bad record and cover the spread here.

Houston -23.5 is my best bet of the game because I do not see Idaho having any success against Houston’s high-level defense. The Cougars have an elite defense every year under Kelvin Sampson, and this year is no different. According to KenPom, Houston’s defense is ranked #5 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, #17 in effective field goal percentage and #10 in two-point percentage. The Vandals offense is ranked just #176 in adjusted offensive efficiency, so I expect them to struggle to score. They shoot a bunch of threes but only shoot 34.5 percentage from beyond the arc and will likely not be able to score much inside here. Take Houston to cover.

Idaho vs Houston prediction: Houston -23.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -25.

Teams that score and play with tempo are fun to watch. They also get a lot of love from the betting market. That’s Prairie View A&M in this situation. The Panthers also have been on a sick heater against the spread — 10 straight covers and an incredible march through the SWAC to land PVAM in the First Four. Where were the Panthers 2 weeks ago? Sitting at 11-17 staring down the barrel of a bottom-tier seed in the conference tournament before they did the unthinkable.

That narrative will curry a lot of market favor. The market is investing in the story as much as the allure of a fast-paced offensive team that can run it up and down the floor. But this isn’t the SWAC; this is the Big Dance, and tempo teams don’t exactly fare well. Enter Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks quietly orchestrated their own uncanny run to the First Four on the heels of solid defense that carried them through the Patriot League Tournament. Unlike the Panthers, the Hawks play slow and let the game come to them. This is exactly the sort of side that A&M doesn’t want to see in a play-in game to make the main bracket. But here we are. The Mountain Hawks will turn this into a grind and a knuckle-dragging rock fight that will throw the Panthers out of rhythm. This is the perfect spot to back Lehigh. Let’s lay the points.

Prairie View A&M vs Lehigh prediction: Lehigh -2.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable to -3.

Miami Ohio couldn’t have asked for a better regular season, finishing a perfect 31-0 while leading the MAC in scoring. However, that momentum came to a halt after a quarterfinal exit against UMass in the MAC Tournament. Now the RedHawks will look to put that behind them and prove their undefeated regular season wasn’t a fluke as they prepare to face SMU in the First Four matchup. The Mustangs didn’t close out the season the way they had hoped, dropping 5 of their last 6 games — which includes an opening-round loss in the ACC Tournament to Louisville 62-58. The Mustangs also struggled away from home, going just 5-10 on the road and at neutral sites this season. That said, both teams bring high-powered offenses into this matchup. Miami Ohio averaged 90.7 points per game in conference play and SMU put up 84.2 in the ACC. 

Miami Ohio does a great job moving the ball and creating open looks, but the level of competition is a concern, as they didn’t face a Quad 1 opponent this season. SMU also plays at a fast pace and can score in bunches while also bringing a physical presence inside. That interior strength could be a major factor in this matchup, especially after Miami Ohio was dominated in the paint by UMass (54-30) and out-rebounded 41 to 24 in their tournament loss. Even with SMU’s advantage inside, its struggles away from home and its defensive issues can’t be ignored. With Dayton just about an hour from Miami Ohio’s campus, the RedHawks should have plenty of fan support in this matchup. This game sets up to be a fast-paced, high-scoring battle, with SMU looking to control the paint. However, I expect the RedHawks to generate open looks from the perimeter and knock down shots from deep, which should allow them to keep this game close. 

Miami Ohio vs SMU prediction: Miami Ohio +7 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.