Caleb Wilfinger
Show Bio
Following a wild and unpredictable regular season, this year’s NCAA Tournament has not disappointed. Now that we’re in the second weekend of the action, these Elite Eight games feature a number of new faces with a chance to make the Final Four. Hopefully we should see some excellent matchups as a result. I’m currently on an 19-10 run over my last 29 best bets in this column, so let’s keep the momentum going!
Here is a look at my best bets for Sunday, but make sure you also check out our college basketball picks for the day’s biggest games.
You can bet on March Madness with FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new customer offer where you can get a $1,000 No Sweat Bonus Bet! Click here to take advantage of this incredible offer.
Texas Longhorns -3.5 (-115) over Miami Hurricanes
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Throughout the duration of the tournament, the Texas Longhorns are a prime example of a team that is playing its best basketball at the right time. Texas has looked impressive in all three of its wins thus far, including a dominant effort to knock off Xavier on Friday. And while this might be a spot where Texas could be overrated in the market, I’ll continue to back the Longhorns until the wheels fall off.
The Longhorns are used to playing in the halfcourt, so they will hold an edge if they are able to control the pace of this game against a Miami team that is much more successful in transition. And while Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack have caused a ton of problems for Indiana and Houston already in this tournament, but Texas has an excellent perimeter defense to combat that, to say nothing of the Longhorns’ trio of guards (Marcus Carr, Tyrese Hunter and Sir’Jabari Rice). We should see runs from both teams in this game, but ultimately I have Texas’ defensive prowess being the deciding factor.
Bet365 – the world’s #1 sportsbook – has arrived in the United States! If you sign up right now and bet just $1, you can immediately get $365 in bonus bets! Join Bet365 by clicking this link.
Creighton Blue Jays -1.5 (-110) over San Diego State Aztecs
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
For my second best bet I’m targeting the Creighton Bluejays to advance to their first-ever Final Four. This is actually a rematch of a game between these teams in the round of 64 last season, where it took a late collapse by the Aztecs for the Jays to advance in overtime. However, that Creighton team was without Ryan Kalkbrenner for some of that game due to injury, plus Trey Alexander, Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma have all improved significantly this season. Tack on the addition of Baylor Scheierman as a key contributor and you have a completed different team from a year ago.
Both teams have been excellent in this tournament, but I’ve been more impressed by the Bluejays’ path to the Elite Eight. If you pay attention to the likes of KenPom and BartTorvik, the Jays were likely underseeded in this tournament compared to their statistical profiles. This has been one of the best teams in the nation since the return of Kalkbrenner, as Creighton ranks in the top 25 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency per KenPom. And while San Diego State’s defense is one of the best in the nation, the Aztecs have gotten the benefit of poor shooting variance from their opponents, particularly from beyond the arc. I don’t expect Creighton’s offense to be stagnant and the Jays should fair better than Alabama from beyond the 3-point arc. I’ve backed Creighton all tournament and that won’t change here.
All of college basketball’s biggest games are available to bet with BetMGM, the premier destination for online sports betting. New customers can earn themselves a $1,000 deposit bonus by signing up right now! Click here to lock in this great sign-up offer.
Pickswise is the home of free College Basketball Picks and College Basketball Predictions. With top College Basketball picks available daily, including our College Basketball Best Bets.
