After a pretty muted Friday slate of March Madness action, Saturday provided plenty of excitement and entertainment across the course of 12 hours of college goops, including an instant classic between Vanderbilt and Nebraska that nearly ended in stunning fashion on a half-court heave. Now, Sunday marks the conclusion of the Round of 32 and the 8-game slate features a number of fascinating matchups across each region. There are a ton of games to look forward to and find value in, so let’s take a look at my best bets for March 22.
I bounced back with a winner with Houston on Saturday, but still ended up going 1-1 on my best bets after Arkansas failed to cover as a double-digit favorite, so let’s bounce back with my college basketball predictions for Sunday’s loaded slate. Also, be sure to keep an eye on our March Madness picks for expert analysis and bets for EVERY game of the NCAA Tournament!
Stop busting brackets and sign up for the Pickswise March Madness Premium Picks now! Our expert picked Florida at HUGE +4000 odds last year and is up +30.7 units over the last 3 NCAA Tournaments! Get futures picks and daily best bets throughout all of March Madness, all for just $50. Click here to join NOW!
March Madness best bet: Kansas Jayhawks +3.5 vs St. John’s Red Storm (-110)
Odds widely available at time of publishing. Playable to Kansas +3.
To kick off our best bets on Sunday, let’s look at this matchup between a couple of storied programs and Hall of Fame coaches, as St. John’s gets set to take on Kansas in the East Region. These teams strongly resemble each other in a myriad of areas, so it’s a bit of a surprise that we’re getting more than one possession with Bill Self and the Jayhawks in this one. The market is clearly down a bit on Kansas, but it’s important to consider that this team was still up by 26 points in the second half on Friday before taking its foot off the gas and allowing Cal Baptist to make the game interesting late. Furthermore, the Jayhawks have a top-1o defense and the best player on the court in Darryn Peterson, who should see success in isolation situations against a St. John’s defense that has not faced a guard of his caliber since the early days of the season.
On the other side, it’s undeniable that St. John’s has been playing at an extremely high level in recent weeks. Rick Pitino’s team has rattled off 7 straight victories heading into this matchup, but the competition has not been the strongest for the Red Storm during this run of form, especially compared to what Kansas has faced. This is still a St. John’s offense that ranks 188th in effective field goal percentage and sits well outside the top 200 in 3-point percentage on the season. Kansas’ defense is also excellent in transition, which is imperative against a Red Storm offense that likes to generate quick buckets early in possessions. Ultimately, it’s hard to see either team getting much separation in this one, so I’ll take the points with the underdog.
Read our full St. Johns vs Kansas prediction
NCAA Tournament best bet: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Florida Gators 1st Half Under 68.5 (-110)
Odds available at Fanatics Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to Under 67.5
For my second best bet, I’ll target a matchup between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Florida Gators. This game is an extreme clash of styles, but I think Iowa should be able to leave its imprint on the proceedings, at least for the first 20 minutes. The Hawkeyes play at one of the slowest paces in the nation (361st in adjusted tempo at KenPom), and we can expect Ben McCollum’s team to grind this game down to a screeching halt and keep the ball in the hands of Bennett Stirtz. In turn, this should keep Florida out of transition, which is imperative to how this Gators offense wants to operate. On the other side of the ball, the Gators’ transition defense is elite and should prevent any easy looks should Iowa decide to look for early offense. Add in the fact that this will be the second game in the span of 48 hours for both teams, and I could see this one getting off to a slow start.
Read our expert’s full Iowa vs Florida prediction
Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources and never miss a story
