Wise n' Shine: March Madness picks, NBA predictions and NHL best bets for Thursday, March 23

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Phil Agius

NBA

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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 resume! The NCAA Tournament is back in action today with 8 of the remaining 16 teams taking the floor. There’s also NBA, NHL and soccer today, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better.

About Last Night

Warriors win a wild one but Mavs cover
We are not short of talking points after the Warriors’ 127-125 win over the Mavericks last night. The game included an uncontested score by the Warriors, who had been 3.5-point favorites, when the Mavericks lined up at the wrong end of the court after a timeout, and those 2 points proved to be the difference between the teams after the Mavs’ Reggie Bullock hit a three at the buzzer for the ultimate backdoor cover. In other games, the Timberwolves kept up the pressure on the Warriors in the standings with a 125-124 win over the Hawks, while the Lakers beat the Suns 122-111. Our NBA Best Bets went 2-1 and we were a superb 6-1 on NBA props.

Penguins-Avalanche SGP cashes at +500 odds
There were only 2 games in the NHL on Wednesday but we cashed a +500 Same Game Parlay on the Penguins-Avalanche matchup, so it was still a pretty good night! The Penguins won that game 5-2, while the Oilers needed overtime to beat the Coyotes 4-3 in the only other matchup.

Now you can bet any of today’s sports predictions at FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new-customer offer to take advantage of. If you sign up for FanDuel right now, you can secure a No Sweat First Bet of up to $1,000! Click here to join FanDuel right now.

Today’s Slate

March Madness is back today
The NCAA Tournament action resumes with the first 4 Sweet 16 games, starting with Michigan State vs Kansas State at 6:30 pm ET on TBS and concluding with a great matchup of Gonzaga vs UCLA at 9:45 pm ET on CBS. Check out all of today’s March Madness picks.

Doubleheader on NBA TV
The NBA has a smaller 4-game slate tonight including Knicks vs Magic on NBA TV at 7:00 pm ET and Thunder vs Clippers at 10:30 pm ET on the same channel. Read all of today’s NBA picks.

12-game NHL slate
The NHL is going large tonight with a 12-game slate starting with Wild vs Flyers at 6:30 pm ET on ESPN, which is also showing Penguins vs Stars at 9:00 pm ET. Check out today’s NHL predictions. We also have soccer picks for the Euro 2024 Qualifying game between England and Italy.

Best Bet of the Day

NCAAB: UConn Huskies -4.5 over Arkansas Razorbacks
7:15 pm ET, CBS

The Arkansas Razorbacks are looking to make a third straight trip to the Elite 8 after taking down the #1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks in a thriller, but they will have their hands full in a Sweet 16 matchup with the UConn Huskies. UConn is possibly the most underrated team in the field, and many may forget the Huskies were ranked #2 after a 14-0 start. They cooled off a bit but have found their footing once again, winning 11 of their last 13 games. Check out our full Arkansas vs UConn predictions.

You can bet on today’s March Madness action over at DraftKings Sportsbook, which has a great sign-up offer where you can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your team wins! Click here to take advantage and claim your bonus bets right now.

Must-read

Head over to our March Madness hub for all our NCAA Tournament picks, parlays and analysis, including today’s Sweet 16 mega parlay and March Madness best bets.

Away from the college hardwood, you can read our NHL mega parlay and NHL player props, while our buildup to the MLB season continues with previews of the NL West and AL Central.

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

Stat of the Day

Florida Atlantic has cashed the under in 4 of 5 postseason games and 5 of its last 6 games at a neutral venue.

Quote of the Day

“I was like ‘What is that?’ I’ve never seen that happen in my life.”

The Mavericks’ Luka Doncic was baffled by the Warriors’ uncontested dunk in last night’s game.

BetMGM is the king of online sportsbooks, and right now they have a great new customer promotion where you can claim a $1,000 deposit bonus by signing up right now! Click this link to join BetMGM.

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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