Wise n' Shine: March Madness picks, NBA predictions and NHL best bets for Thursday, March 16

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Phil Agius

NBA

Show Bio

I've been writing about the NFL and a host of other sports for the UK's top daily betting paper the Racing Post for more than 20 years. An incurable Browns fan (1-31 survivor), I also specialise in all kinds of motorsport betting including F1, MotoGP, IndyCar and NASCAR.

Good morning, Pickswise Nation. Let the madness begin! The NCAA Tournament starts today and we will have wall-to-wall basketball action for the foreseeable future. There’s also NBA, NHL, soccer and golf to enjoy today, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better.

About Last Night

76ers v Cavs SGP cashes at +646 odds
We cashed our 76ers vs Cavaliers Same Game Parlay at +646 odds last night as the Sixers won 118-109. In other games, the Heat beat the Grizzlies and the Clippers overcame the Warriors despite 50 points from Steph Curry, while the Rockets beat the Lakers 114-110.

Entertaining night of NHL action
There were only 4 games in the NHL on Wednesday but they provided 2 shootouts and the other 2 games featured 22 goals between them. The Avs beat the Maple Leafs and the Capitals beat the Sabres in the shootouts, while the Wild won 8-5 against the Blues and the Islanders got it done 6-3 against the Ducks.

Knights and Sun Devils join the party
The Farleigh Dickinson Knights and the Arizona State Sun Devils became the 63rd and 64th teams to qualify for the men’s NCAA Tournament with comfortable First Four wins over Texas Southern and Nevada.

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Today’s Slate

16 March Madness games today
The NCAA Tournament action begins with West Virginia vs Maryland on CBS at 12:15 pm ET and runs right through to UNC Asheville vs UCLA at 10:05 pm ET on truTV. Check out all of today’s March Madness picks.

Magic vs Suns on NBA TV
The NBA has a 5-game slate tonight including Magic vs Suns on NBA TV at 10:00 pm ET. Read all of today’s NBA picks.

11-game NHL slate
Non-basketball fans are also catered for today with an 11-game NHL slate including Stars vs Oilers and Bruins vs Jets. Check out today’s NHL predictions.

There’s golf and soccer too
 There is still time to get involved in golf’s Valspar Championship, so be sure to check out our golf predictions from Diane Knox Balas, and we also have soccer picks for the Europa League after going 4-0 with our EPL and Champions League picks on Wednesday.

Best Bet of the Day

NCAAB: San Diego State Aztecs -4.5 over Charleston Cougars
3:10 pm ET, truTV

San Diego State’s excellent defense should cause problems for Charleston’s offense. Charleston loves to play in transition but this is a brutal matchup for them in that respect as San Diego State allows the lowest initial transition attempt rate to their opponents in the country. If they can force Charleston into a half-court game, it could be a long afternoon for the Cougars. Check out our full Charleston vs San Diego State predictions.

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Must-read

Head over to our March Madness hub for all our NCAA Tournament picks, parlays and analysis, including our experts’ best bets, longshot picks, #5 vs #12 analysis and our comprehensive team guide.

Away from the college hardwood, you can read our NBA mega parlay and Magic vs Suns Same Game Parlay, plus our NHL mega parlay and hockey player props.

Look out for more great betting content as it comes in throughout the day on our Analysis tab.

Stat of the Day

#12 seeds have defeated #5 seeds in the NCAA Tournament nearly 36% of the time in the first round since 1985.

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Pickswise is the home of free sports picks, news and best bets. Check out our expert NFL Picks, NBA Picks, MLB Picks and NHL Picks pages for our latest game picks.

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