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After a wild two days of huge victories and gut-wrenching upsets, we're officially on to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Basketball March Madness Tournament.
The games will follow an identical schedule on Sunday and Monday, and we'll have eight contests on both days leading into a break before the Sweet Sixteen next weekend. With the next round set in stone, let's see if we can find some "Best Bets" to jump on for Sunday and Monday.
Here are some of the top college basketball betting picks for the Second Round (Sunday and Monday, March 21 and 22, 2021). Let me know your thoughts, and follow along with the action on Twitter @BellRoto. All game times below are Eastern Standard Time.
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#6 Texas Tech vs. #3 Arkansas - 6:10 PM, Sunday
The Red Raiders started out slow against Utah State in Round 1 on Friday afternoon, but they kicked into gear quickly in the second half, riding scoring from Terrence Shannon Jr. and Kyler Edwards. While holding the Aggies to 53 points was an impressive start to their tournament lives, Texas Tech will need to ratchet up the defense once again to keep themselves competitive against Eric Musselman and the Razorbacks. I do think Tech has athletic enough guards to slow down Moses Moody and company, and Marcus Santos-Silva should have a rebounding edge on both ends so long as he can stay on the floor.
Arkansas looked beatable for much of their contest against Colgate, and it was the outside shooting that kept the game close for the first 30 minutes or so. The Red Raiders can get hot from outside too. However, their rebounding and athleticism far exceeds that of Colgate's, which should make it tough for Arkansas to go on runs like it did on Friday. I see this one coming down to the last few possessions, and if Mac McClung and company can hit an open look or two down the stretch along with some timely free throws, I have Chris Beard's squad coming out victorious in this one.
Pick: Texas Tech -1
#15 Oral Roberts vs. #7 Florida - 7:45 PM, Sunday
Colin Castleton and the Florida Gators started off the Round of 64 in thrilling fashion, hanging on tight to an overtime victory against Virginia Tech. I was very impressed by the Michigan transfer's play all game long, and he was truly the difference for Florida down the stretch.
Enter Oral Roberts after a stunning overtime victory themselves, taking down the two seed Ohio State on the back of their star guard Max Abmas. The guard play from the Golden Eagles should match up well with Florida and propel them, much like it did for Virginia Tech. The question will be how Oral Roberts fares with Castleton down low. After watching the team dismantle Eric Liddell and company with group effort blocks and rebounding, I'm willing to see this one out.
It appears to me that Oral Roberts is for real. I think this line is too heavy in Florida's favor, and I'd even be willing to put a little sprinkle on the money line to see if Abmas and the Golden Eagles can keep the magic going into the second weekend.
Pick: Oral Roberts +8.5
#13 Ohio vs. #5 Creighton - 6:10 PM, Monday
Jason Preston. That's it. That's the message.
The 21-year-old point guard has led his team to a handful of big wins in March, but none more spectacular than the 62-58 upset of Virginia on Saturday night. Preston and his two complimentary scorers Ben Vander Plas and Ben Roderick will take on Creighton in the Round of 32, and while Marcus Zegarowski has been impressive in his own right, he and the rest of the Blue Jays have not done enough to give this Ohio team 5.5 points.
The Bobcats will probably face some issues when they come across a Power 5 school with a capable big man who can potentially dominate the glass against them, but for now I'll gladly take the points from Creighton, who has been shaky in their own right. Much like Oral Roberts, I wouldn't talk you off a money line play either. Let's go 'Cats!
Pick: Ohio +5.5
#10 Maryland vs. #2 Alabama - 8:45 PM, Monday
Keep the dogs coming! I knew Maryland would be a tough out for UConn in the first round, and yes the Huskies missed A LOT of shots around the rim despite having plenty of offensive rebounding opportunities, but I came out impressed with Maryland's balance and toughness nonetheless. They have two really capable scorers in Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins, and while the Terps don't have a true dominant big man, they make up for it with strength and quickness to contest EVERY shot that goes up.
Alabama has some studs on their roster, particularly if we start looking at their offensive abilities. However, I think they only reach their true potential when you let them get out in transition to find open shots and layups. Maryland tried to work up tempo against Michigan in the Big Ten tournament, and while it worked for the first 15 minutes, it came back to bite them in the end, simply because they don't have the firepower to keep up for a full game with some of the more overwhelming offenses.
That all being said, I think Maryland knows what it has to do from the jump in this one, and that's slow the pace, contest jumpers, and win the rebounding battle. If they can get big scoring games from Ayala and Wiggins while keeping the tempo of the game down and their strong defenders in Darryl Morsell and Donta Scott out of foul trouble, this one should come down to the bitter end. I have less faith in a money line play here than in the two previous underdog write-ups, but I could very well see the bully ball nature of Maryland's play win out against what I feel is a slightly overrated Crimson Tide bunch. Either way, grab the points.
Pick: Maryland +6
Thanks for reading, and remember to gamble responsibly.
