The Second Round of the NCAA Tournament rolls on with some intriguing evening matchups featuring two No. 1 seeds in Houston and UConn.
But we're searching for the best value, so with that in mind, here's March Madness best bets and odds, including four picks for today's evening NCAAB games.
College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:10 p.m. | |
| 6:10 p.m. | |
  | 7:10 p.m. | |
| 7:10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Washington State vs. Iowa State
Washington State +6.5
By John Feltman
Washington State and Iowa State both looked impressive in their first-round matchups on Thursday. Many people certainly overlooked the Cougars, but they looked impressive from tip to finish against Drake.
Let’s not forget that the Cougs swept the season series against Arizona and are a very underrated team coming out of the Pac-12. They don’t have as good of an offense as the Clones, but their defense is right there with some of the best teams in the nation.
Wazzu sits inside the top 25 in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency and will have an advantage in the rebounding department. Despite being a physical and tenacious team, the Clones aren't a great rebounding group.
The Cougs need to avoid turning the ball over to survive throughout the contest, which is a tall task against an ISU group that ranks second in the nation in forcing turnovers. The Cougars do a decent job of protecting the ball on offense already, so they’ll have to remain consistent on that front.
The Clones have the better offensive team, but with a total this low, it’s implied that this is going to be a low-scoring contest.
The number seems too big for a game that should be slow-paced and mostly played in the half-court.
Pick: Washington State +6.5 (Play to +5.5)
Under 129.5
By Brett Pund
If you’re a fan of defensive battles, yesterday may not have been the day for you. But I believe this will be the game for that crowd.
Starting first with the Cougars, they come into this matchup ranked in the top 100 in mid-range and near-proximity attempts per 100 possessions, per Haslametrics. They’ll take on an Iowa State team that’s inside the top 70 in both of those statistics defensively.
The other key avenue for points for Washington State is from offensive rebounds. But unfortunately for Wazzu, the Cyclones are among the top 20 schools in the nation in allowing second-chance opportunities and conversion rates.
Whenever Iowa State has the ball, it also likes to attack inside, ranking 65th in percentage of points coming from 2-pointers. This is the same squad that’s also first in the nation in potential quick points from steals.
However, Washington State ranks in the top 100 in both of those metrics defensively. The Cougars are also 27th in defensive rebounding.
You also have to factor in how these two offenses have played away from home. In conference play, both were outside the top 200 in effective field goal percentage on the road and neither ranked highly in points per possession.
When you add it all up, the under cashed in eight of Iowa State’s 13 games against Big 12 foes on road or neutral floors.
Meanwhile, only 4-of-17 games went over the posted total in Washington State contests away from Pullman.
Pick: Under 129.5 (Play to 127.5)
Oakland vs. NC State
NC State -5.5
By D.J. James
The NC State Wolfpack are on a run that’s unlikely to come to an end on Saturday. They benefited greatly from Kentucky’s shocking loss on Thursday to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.
Oakland is a lethal 3-point shooting team, and the Grizzlies like to launch plenty of them. NC State allows opponents to shoot over 34%, but the Wolfpack don’t yield a lot of 3-point chances.
Additionally, NC State will default to the post-up often, and the Wolfpack usually like to get the ball to DJ Burns Jr. Oakland ranks 331st the country in points per possession on post-ups. This should be a tremendous advantage for the Wolfpack.
NC State has had issues on the glass, both offensively and defensively. Oakland doesn’t have much size, though, so the Grizzlies won't out-rebound the Wolfpack in this one.
If Oakland takes the ball inside, NC State should have another edge, as the Wolfpack rank in the top 40 in points per possession at the rim on defense.
Oakland doesn’t shoot on the inside much unless it’s on a post-up. NC State, though, is really strong defending the post, and with the size advantage, the Wolfpack should have yet another plus.
Take the Wolfpack to -6.
Pick: NC State -5.5 (Play to -6)
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NC State -5.5
By Matt Gannon
Is it time a new Cinderella comes about?
Oakland turned a ton of heads after its first-round upset over Kentucky.
Although it was surely an upset, there was a path for Oakland to succeed. The Wildcats had struggled defensively all season, and the Golden Grizzlies did more than exploit it. Oakland shot a ton of 3s and cashed in on them, as Jack Gohlke shot 10-of-20 from deep in the win.
NC State dominated in the first round against 6-seed Texas Tech. The Wolfpack have an extremely dominant frontcourt led by Burns, and I’m expecting him to take control against a small Oakland frontcourt.
Unlike Kentucky, NC State hasn't been awful on defense. The Wolfpack don’t have the offensive ceiling that Kentucky has, but they won’t allow Oakland to get open looks.
I expect this game to be close out of the gates, but NC State has the defensive prowess to limit Oakland and cover in the end.
