It's hard to believe that the first round of the NCAA Tournament has already come and gone. It truly is the most exciting 48 hours in all of sports, so it's always kind of a downer when it comes to an end. That being said, the second round of games usually packs its own level of entertainment as well.
Ready to keep adding to your March Madness betting bankroll? We've deeply analyzed the board and found 3 college basketball best bets for Saturday, March 18. Best of luck with all of your bets this weekend!
Duke -3 over Tennessee
This Duke team is finally starting to live up to its huge amount of potential. The Blue Devils have won 10 straight games, one of which was an ACC Title Game win over Virginia. They made quick work of Oral Roberts by opening the game with a 15-0 run.
Tennessee has a ton of talent, but they've been inconsistent in a lot of areas this season. The Vols narrowly squeaked by Louisiana-Lafayette in the opening round of the tourney. Tyreke Key led the way with 12 points, but it wasn't an impressive performance by the boys from Knoxville.
The Vols have a solid defense, but we're rolling with the Blue Devils in this one. Duke is arguably the hottest team in the country, and Tennessee has had an awful time adjusting to the loss of point guard Zakai Zeigler.
In the end, Kyle Filipowski will be too much to handle down low on the block. Lay the small number with Duke! Shop around for a -3 on this one. Buying the half point for an extra 10 cents isn't a bad idea if you need to.
Arkansas +3.5 over Kansas
Arkansas looked pretty impressive in the opening round over Illinois. Ricky Council IV led the Razorbacks with 18 points and 10 rebounds en route to a 73-63 victory over the Illini. Arkansas outrebounded Illinois, and they also created 17 turnovers.
Kansas made quick work of Howard in their opening-round game on Thursday. The Jayhawks cruised to a 96-68 victory thanks to 20 points from Jalen Wilson. As you might expect, the game was never really close, and KU covered the 20.5-point spread with relative ease.
We think the Hogs will give the Jayhawks all they want and more in this game. Arkansas ranks 6th in the country in blocks and 21st in steals. Kansas obviously has plenty of offensive weapons, but Arkansas's defense is scrappy enough to contain them. Take the points and maybe sprinkle a little something on the moneyline!
Alabama / Maryland OVER 143.5
Alabama has been a team on a mission of late, even with all of the distractions surrounding the Brandon Miller situation. The Crimson Tide had no trouble with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the first round. Nick Pringle led the way for the Tide with 19 points and 15 rebounds!
Maryland showed a lot of character by fighting back to beat West Virginia on Thursday. The Terps fought back from a 12-point deficit to send the Mountaineers home early. Julian Reese spurred the comeback with 17 points and 9 rebounds.
Jump on this total before it continues to rise! Alabama has been in the zone on offense since the SEC Tournament started, and we don't see them slowing down in this game. The Crimson Tide ranks 3rd in the country in scoring, with an average of 82.6 per game.
