Wise n' Shine: March Madness best bets, NBA picks and NHL predictions for Sunday, March 19

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Ricky Dimon

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Since graduating from Davidson (The College That Stephen Curry Built), I have been writing about sports -- just about any and all you can think of! -- and coaching tennis in Atlanta, GA. Beyond the four major sports, I am an avid tennis fan and cover the ATP Tour on a daily basis. If I'm not busy writing, you can generally find me on a tennis court or traveling the world wherever a sporting event takes me.

Good morning, Pickswise Nation. The second round of the NCAA Tournament concludes on Sunday, which means that by the end of the night the Sweet 16 will be set. This weekend is also coming to a close with plenty of NBA and NHL action. It’s another big day in the world of sports, so let’s get right to it and make your next bet better with Wise n’ Shine! 

About Last Night

Princeton becomes fourth #15 seed in Sweet 16
After upsetting Arizona in round 1, Princeton crushed Missouri 78-63 on Saturday. The Tigers are the fourth #15 seed to reach the Sweet 16 and it has now happened in 3 straight seasons following heroics by Oral Roberts (2021) and Saint Peter’s (2022). Meanwhile, or +614 parlay cashed thanks to ATS covers by San Diego State, Penn State and Alabama.

Grizzlies get the best of Warriors
The Warriors’ road woes continue on Saturday night, as they got blown out 133-119 by the Grizzlies. Joel Embiid continued his MVP form for Philadelphia with 31 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists during a 141-121 thrashing of Indiana.

NHL parlay cashes at +581
College basketball wasn’t Pickswise’s only parlay success on Saturday. A 3-legger in the NHL also cashed, paying out at +581 odds. Winnipeg battled past Nashville 3-2 in overtime, the Rangers disposed of Pittsburgh 6-0 and Dallas worked deep into the night to cap things off with a 6-5 overtime defeat of Calgary.

You can bet on all of today’s sports at FanDuel, America’s #1 sportsbook, which has a great new customer offer where you can get 10 x the value of your first bet back as bonus bets, win or lose, up to $200. Click here to take advantage of this awesome offer. 

Today’s Slate

What will Fairleigh Dickinson do for an encore?
The last of the Sweet 16 tickets will be punched on Sunday. #16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson stunned Purdue on Friday and will try to keep its run going at the expense of Florida Atlantic. We have college basketball predictions for every NCAA Tournament game. 

Devils pay a visit to Lightning
Amidst all of the Madness, don’t forget about the professional hardwood hoopers. There are 8 games on today’s schedule, including a battle between Denver and Brooklyn. The Lakers will wrap things up at 9:30 pm ET by hosting the Magic. Read today’s NBA picks. 

Devils pay a visit to Lightning
A 7-game slate in the NHL is headlined by a huge showdown between the Devils (44-18-7) and the Lightning (42-22-6). It also features the league-best Bruins going on the road to face the Sabres. Check out all of our hockey coverage on the NHL page. 

Best Bet of the Day 

NCAAB: Fairleigh Dickinson +15 (-110) over Florida Atlantic
7:45 pm ET, TruTV 

Fairleigh Dickinson had to win a First Four game just to get into the main tournament and then it shocked #1 seed Purdue on Friday. The Knights are the smallest team in the entire tournament but managed to contain 7’4’’ center and soon-to-be Player of the Year Zach Edey. Now they face the second-smallest team in the field in Florida Atlantic, which scraped past Memphis 66-65 for its first-ever victory in the Big Dance. FAU is just 3-4 ATS in the past 7 when favored by double-digits and this is quite a big line. The Owls shot just 38 percent (25-of-65) against Memphis and only 29% (8-of-28) from beyond the arc, so I don’t think they will score enough to cover. I’m taking the boatload of points. Check out our full Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic predictions.

 

You can bet on our NCAA Tournament predictions at DraftKings Sportsbook, which has thousands of betting options available and a great new customer offer where you can bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets instantly! Click here to sign up for DraftKings. 

Must-read

Head over to our March Madness hub for all our NCAA Tournament picks, parlays and analysis, including our comprehensive team guide, Day 4 millionaire parlay, Sunday mega parlay and best bets. 

Away from the college hardwood, you should also check out our F1 preview and picks for Sunday’s festivities in Jeddah plus today’s NHL mega parlay and hockey player props and soccer picks for today’s games.

Read all of our great sports analysis as it arrives throughout the day on the Analysis tab. 

Stat of the Day

Per KenPom, Baylor’s defense is ranked #315 nationally in 2-point percentage and #232 in effective field-goal percentage. The Bears may not be able to contain a Creighton offense that is ranked #22 in 2-point percentage and #28 in effective field-goal percentage. 

Quote of the Day 

Trayce had his usual game. 

— Indiana head coach Mike Woodson on star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had 24 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks in Friday’s first-round win over Kent State. The Hoosiers face Miami on Sunday. 

You can bet on all of our March Madness picks over at Bet365, where you can get $365 in bonus bets by betting just $1! Click here to sign up for the WORLD’S #1 SPORTSBOOK and take advantage of this can’t-miss offer. 

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

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