Top March Madness Betting Picks of the Week – March 19th Edition

Selection Sunday has come and gone, and now we have the 68 teams in place for the 2019 March Madness Betting action. In the four regions, the ACC took three top seeds, with Duke, Virginia and North Carolina leading three, and Gonzaga taking the fourth top seed. Duke is a heavy favorite to win the tournament, with an opening moneyline of +225, now that Zion Williamson has returned from a knee injury, averaging 27 points and 10 boards pre-game in the three games of the conference tournament. The top contenders who are not 1-seeds include Michigan, Kentucky, Michigan State, Tennessee, and Auburn, according to the oddsmakers. We have three NCAAB Betting picks for games from the opening week of tournament action.

Top March Madness Betting Picks of the Week – March 19th Edition

The Big Dance is about to begin! 🕺#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/wHQJ4yqmUZ

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) 19 de marzo de 2019

Thursday, March 21

(9) Baylor vs (8) Syracuse (-1.5) / 9:57 pm ET / TruTV / Vivint Home Smart Arena

Baylor comes into this game on a four-game losing streak, but for the season they have a +4.5 point differential per game, shooting 42.2 percent from the floor. Tristan Clark and Makai Mason lead the team with 14.6 points per game, and Mario Kegler also scores double figures. The Bears have lost five of six games not played in Waco, though, and are also 1-5 against the spread in their last six games in the NCAA tournament. Syracuse also sputtered down the stretch, dropping six of nine. Tyus Battle leads the Orange with 17.2 points per game, and Elijah Hughes puts up 13.4 points per contest. Oshae Brissett also scores in double figures. The biggest problem for the Orange is that they don’t have a go-to scorer down the stretch but instead have to rely on their team defense to yield turnovers and grind wins. Jim Boeheim is one of the great NCAA tournament coaches, and Syracuse has covered in four straight games in the Big Dance. Final Score Prediction: Syracuse 72, Baylor 67

(6) Villanova (-6) vs (11) St. Mary’s / 7:20 pm ET / TBS / XL Center, Hartford

St. Mary’s comes into March Madness on the momentum of a big upset win over Gonzaga in the title game of the West Coast Conference tournament. That 60-47 victory shut down one of the most dynamic offenses in the nation, but the Gaels have had one of the more intrepid defenses in the nation this year. They finished regulation with an 18-6 run to cement the win. Jordan Ford leads the Gales with 21.3 points per game, and the Gales permit just 64.4 points per game. Villanova did win the Big East Tournament, holding off Seton Hall in the tournament final, 74-72, on Saturday. The Wildcats led by nine points, 68-59, with three minutes left in regulation and did just enough to get the win. Villanova averages 74.5 points per game, averaging 10.6 shots from downtown per contest, led by Phil Booth at 18.6 points per game. Can Saint Mary’s shut down another elite offense? I see Villanova falling prey to the same upset bug that has bitten them several times this season. Final Score Prediction: St. Mary’s 64, Villanova 60

Friday, March 22

(3) Texas Tech (-14) vs (14) Northern Kentucky / 1:30 pm ET / TNT / Bank of Oklahoma Center, Tulsa

Northern Kentucky enters the tournament from the Horizon League, with their best wins coming against Northern Illinois and their toughest matchups coming in losses to UCF and Cincinnati. Drew McDonald leads the Norse with 19.1 points and 9.5 boards per game, and Tyler Sharpe averages 14.1 points per game. Jalen Tate (14.0) and Dantez Walton (11.1) also scored in double figures for the season. Texas Tech enters with a 26-6 record, with wins outside the Big 12 over Memphis, USC, and Nebraska as well as a 29-point home win over Kansas in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders went to Duke in nonconference play and pushed the Blue Devils hard before losing in the second half. Texas Tech was upset in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament by West Virginia, but their season has been strong Jarrett Culver leads the team with 18.5 points per game, and Davide Moretti (11.6) and Matt Mooney (10.9) also score in double figures. Texas Tech is fourth in the nation at fewest points permitted per game (59.3) and second in shooting percentage permitted (36.8%). While the Red Raiders are favored, I’m not sure they have the offense to cover that 14-point spread. Final Score Prediction: Texas Tech 72, Northern Kentucky 66