2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament: 10 early March Madness betting thoughts

Sam Panayotovich

FOX Sports Betting Analyst

Let the insanity start!

The 68-team ground is all eager for the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament and the opening-round making a bet strains are after all foundation to decide then about two hours of the percentages display screen getting lit up like a Christmas tree.

I’ll be posting my favourite first-round performs within the coming days right here on FOX Sports activities, however first, I sought after to collision some preliminary leans, marketplace strikes and common ideas on the most productive rattling making a bet tournament in The united states.

Listed below are 10 early ideas for March Insanity.

1. UConn’s area is indubitably one thing

The entire Huskies must do to go back to the Ultimate 4 is live much longer than the Fat Ten, Fat XII and SEC event champions. Severely. UConn wouldn’t must play games all 3 of them, however the ones manage 4 seeds are palms ailing the most productive of any area. School basketball sorcerer Ken Pomeroy ranks UConn first within the nation with Auburn fourth, Iowa State 5th and Illinois 10th.

Sheesh.

UConn remains to be as prime as -120 to snip ailing the regional nets in Boston.

2. You’re paying a top class on convention champions

Talking of convention champions, you’re now not precisely ordering off the worth menu when making a bet a crew like Auburn or Illinois within the early rounds.

In the meantime, peep that 6-11 matchup within the Midwest.

DraftKings opened South Carolina as a 1.5-point favourite over Oregon. If you happen to suppose that’s low, Chris Andrews and his group opened it PK on the South Level in Las Vegas. The consideration is actual, even though that quantity would’ve almost certainly been nearer to -3 a couple of days in the past earlier than Oregon’s Pac-12 identify run.

3. Sharps are sizing up Samford in opposition to Kansas

The Jayhawks must have Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar again within the combine for his or her first-round sport, however that hasn’t cancelled smart guys from backing Samford early. FanDuel opened Kansas -9.5 and that form lasted about 45 seconds. An pace after, the Westgate SuperBook opened Kansas -6.5.

I’ll be actually to look the place this quantity closes on Thursday.

4. $10,000 bets had been ample on Sunday

The South Level used to be the primary Vegas store to publish NCAA Match video games past due Sunday afternoon, and so they had been taking $10,000 limits on the counter. “We had plenty of 10 dime bets,” sportsbook director Chris Andrews instructed FOX Sports activities. “They bet me Morehead State, Long Beach, Alabama and Akron.”

5. It’s the “Pardon My Take” combat within the first around

Wisconsin vs. James Madison.

Cheese vs. Charter.

Fat Cat vs. PFT Commenter.

What a content material juggernaut this will probably be for Barstool Sports activities’ manage podcast. Fat Cat’s Badgers are 4.5-point favorites in opposition to PFT’s 31-3 Dukes out of the Solar Belt. James Madison is shaping as much as be a stylish underdog pick out and one nationwide pundit says the Dukes are getting to the Candy 16.

We’ll see.

“I need this win so bad,” Fat Cat mentioned by means of textual content.

6. Loads to love about Kentucky’s draw

Vegas Stats and Knowledge Community (VSIN) morning display host Mitch Moss is almost certainly the one individual with extra Kentucky nationwide identify keep than me presently. So we’re getting to seem like general idiots if the Wildcats get bounced as 13.5-point favorites in opposition to the Oakland Blonde Grizzlies.

Fat image, Marquette is excellent, now not superior and past I really like Houston’s protection, I don’t like groups that may’t ranking. It’s now not my factor. The Cougars will inevitably have that sport the place they ranking 59 issues and lose a heartbreaker.

Additionally, Kentucky would keep away from UConn till the nationwide identify sport, which used to be almost certainly the spotlight of my while, simply forward of paying $22 for a cheeseburger.

“If they put me in charge of putting the brackets together this year based on all my Kentucky futures, I don’t think I could’ve put together a better draw myself,” Moss instructed FOX Sports activities.

7. In a position to wager in opposition to Tom Izzo?

Chris “The Bear” Fallica is.

“Mississippi State +2.5 was my first bet,” the Bear Bets host instructed me. “I think Michigan State is more along the lines of being a double-digit seed. The SEC was a much stronger conference than the Big Ten and the Spartans will have trouble scoring. And the whole January, February, Izzo thing is overplayed.”

Undoubtedly there’s an international the place the Bulldogs proceed off the favourite.

8. Purdue narratives, past inactive, are tricky to forget about

“Purdue chokes each yr.”

I wager you realize any person who says that.

Granted, the Boilermakers haven’t made a Ultimate 4 since 1980 – a 44-year drought – and everyone recalls endmost yr’s embarrassing loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in a 1-16 matchup. On the other hand, Purdue’s guards are all a yr used and if Zach Edey makes his detached throws, they must achieve the Elite 8.

And bear in mind, I used to be all about them choking endmost yr.  

9. I’ll almost certainly turn on my bracket by means of Saturday

What else is unused? It’s been a once a year custom to fill out a bracket – one bracket best – since I used to be about 9 years impaired. That mentioned, I’ll turn on that factor such as you wouldn’t consider. 3 years in the past, my bracket had Illinois making the Ultimate 4, but if the Illini met Loyola within the Spherical of 32, I wager Ramblers +7 surrender first. It’s noteceable to sovereign church [bracket] and order [bets] whilst you’re making a bet at the tourney as a result of matchups are the entirety.

10. Come on Fat Blue!

If Kentucky channels its measurement, skill and scoring talent, they’ll hit the Ultimate 4. I wholeheartedly consider that. Clearly, it’s horrifying how younger they’re, however John Calipari hasn’t had this a lot NBA skill because the 2015 crew with Karl-Anthony Cities, Devin Booker, Willie Cauley-Stein and Aaron and Andrew Harrison. That crew misplaced to Wisconsin within the nationwide semifinal.

Let’s see what occurs. 

Sam Panayotovich is a sports activities making a bet analyst for FOX Sports activities and NESN. He prior to now labored for WGN Radio, NBC Sports activities and VSiN. He’ll almost certainly pick out in opposition to your favourite crew. Observe him on Twitter @spshoot.

Get extra from School Basketball Observe your favorites to get details about video games, information and extra