March Madness – Page 27 – Syndication Server

How to watch UNC’s first NCAA Tournament game against Wagner

UNC makes its long-awaited return to the NCAA Tournament, facing off against Wagner College on Thursday, March 21 at 2:45 p.m.

Fans had to wait a little longer than expected, but the UNC men’s basketball team is finally back in the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina went from complete embarrassment last season to – once again – being a National Title contender this year. The Tar Heels are a deeper, experienced team led by the likes of Armando Bacot and RJ Davis, while sporting a trio of talented, contributing transfers in Cormac Ryan, Harrison Ingram and Jae’Lyn Withers.

UNC, which earned the West Region’s top seed, will battle the NEC Champion Wagner Seahawks on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 2:45 p.m. ET. Wagner held off a late charge from MEAC Champion Howard on Tuesday night, earning its first NCAA Tournament victory in program history.

Thursday is a game North Carolina should win easy, but as we’ve seen in the case of UVA and Purdue, no 1-seed is guaranteed a Round of 64 win. The Tar Heels will look to get back to their winning ways – after all, they embarked on separate winning streaks of eight and 10 this season.

How can you watch UNC-Wagner?

UNC-WAGNER TV, RADIO, AND STREAMING INFORMATION

WHAT: North Carolina (27-7, 17-3 ACC) vs. Wagner (17-15, 7-9 NEC)

WHEN: Thursday, March 21 at 2:45 p.m. ET

LOCATION: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC

TV: CBS (Watch and stream the game live on NCAA.com)

ANNOUNCERS: Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce

SATELLITE RADIO: SiriusXM (201)

WEBSITE: NCAA.com

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Without Kevin McCullar, Kansas on upset watch against Samford

The shorthanded Kansas Jayhawks will be without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, which could lead to an early exit in March Madness.

The Kansas Jayhawks earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament after a pedestrian – by their standard – 10-8 record in Big 12 play and an exit in the first round of the conference tournament at the hands of Cincinnati.

Kansas was missing Kevin McCullar Jr and Hunter Dickinson in that contest, their two leading scorers, and while Dickinson will be back for the team’s first round matchup against the No. 13 seed Samford Bulldogs – McCullar is reportedly going to miss the entire NCAA Tournament with a nagging knee injury.

McCullar missed a few regular season games prior to his absence against the Bearcats, but when he was on the floor he was an incredibly dynamic two-way player for the Jayhawks – averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field and playing at an elite level defensively.

Beyond the loss of McCullar and his specific skill set, this loss exacerbates what has been an ongoing issue for Kansas this season – a lack of depth.

Self has never been one to play a deep bench, but this year’s Jayhawks have been overly reliant on their big four of McCullar, Dickinson, KJ Adams, and Dajuan Harris to get them through night in and night out.

Kansas tried freshman Elmarko Jackson and Towson transfer Nick Timberlake to start at the two alongside the big four, but both struggled to contribute consistently offensively before the job was eventually given to Australian freshman Johnny Furphy.

Furphy has been far and away the best of the bunch, but now he’ll face even more pressure filling in for McCullar while one of Jackson and Timberlake step into a bigger role against the Bulldogs.

Samford’s press-heavy, constant pressure approach could cause serious issues for this depleted Kansas roster – and it is entirely possible we see the Jayhawks heading home unusually early in this year’s big dance.

March Madness: Best NCAA Tournament first-round upset picks and predictions

Beat the Sportsbook: Here’s 4 best underdog picks and predictions for the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

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The best part about the NCAA Tournament is upsets, unless, of course, you’re betting the favorites. We’ll take a look at several underdogs who are a good bet to play straight up.

Below, we break down BetMGM Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament odds and lines and list the best 1st-round upset bets to cash in on among SportbookWire’s expert college basketball picks and predictions.

It’s always interesting when a lower seed is favored. That’s not what we mean by upsets. We’ll pick several teams who are underdogs by more than a few points, who are good plays to cover a big number or just win straight up.

Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

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NCAA Tournament first-round upset picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 9:41 p.m. ET. All game times ET; ML = moneyline.

NC STATE ML (+190) vs. Texas Tech – Thursday, 9:40 p.m.

The Wolfpack are the only team to win 5 games in 5 days to claim the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship. It’s an impressive feat, but the Wolfpack isn’t likely done.

NC State enters the NCAA Tournament with a lot of confidence after that amazing run, and it is actually the longest winning streak for the Wolfpack this season. And it’s the 1st time NC State has won more than 2 games in a row against Power 6 teams.

Texas Tech has sunk like a stone since the end of January. The Red Raiders lost at TCU on Jan. 30, and they’re actually 6-7 straight up (SU) in the past 13 games. While only 1 of those losses came against a non-NCAA Tournament team, it’s a rather frequent occurrence.

The Red Raiders are just 6-9 in Quad 1 games, while the Wolfpack was just 3-8 in Q1 contests.

If you’re a little more on the conservative side, NC STATE +5.5 (-115) still isn’t a bad play, if you can’t go all the way on the moneyline.

Can you survive? USA TODAY Sports’ Men and Women’s Basketball Tournament Survivor Pools are here with a $2,500 prize for each contest! Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now!

SAINT PETER’S +21.5 (-110) vs. Tennessee – Thursday, 9:20 p.m.

The Peacocks made a miraculous run to the Elite Eight in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. That team, led by the mustachioed Doug Edert, coach Shaheen Holloway, etc. broke up prior to the 2023 season. Edert transferred to Bryant, Holloway took the Seton Hall job, taking KC Ndefo with him, and Daryl Banks III went to St. Bonaventure.

In other words, those casual fans who see Saint Peter’s, they should know this is a completely different group.

The Volunteers are a No. 2 seed, and they’re fully expected to advance. However, this is an awfully big number for a team coming off 2 consecutive losses. The Vols lost a marquee battle to Kentucky in the regular-season finale on March 9 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, 85-81 as an 8.5-point favorite, and then it was throttled 73-56 by Mississippi State in its 1st game in the SEC Tournament.

Tennessee has sharp-shooter Dalton Knecht, who was just 4-of-17 from the field for 14 points in the loss to Hail State. He’ll be looking to dent a Peacocks defense which ranked just 161st in the country, according to covers.com, in 3-pointer defense.

Saint Peter’s allowed teams to shoot 33.3% from behind the arc, and the Peacocks really had a difficult time scoring, going for just 65.9 PPG, one of the lowest totals in the country, while hitting just 39.7% from the field. Still, this is an awfully big number.

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WESTERN KENTUCKY +14.5 (-110) vs. Marquette – Friday, 2 p.m.

The Hilltoppers caught fire in the Conference USA Tournament, roughing up New Mexico State by 20, and belting Middle Tennessee by 31, before easing by UTEP 78-71 in the championship game. Western Kentucky covered all 3 games in the C-USA tourney, it has covered 4 in a row, and the ‘Toppers are 9-3 ATS across the past 12 outings.

The Golden Eagles are a No. 2 seed, but they’re a team which is playing .500 ball across the past 6 games, going 3-3 SU and ATS. Of course, the losses are against Creighton, a No. 3 seed in this tournament, and twice to top overall seed UConn.

The big concern with Marquette is the health of F Oso Ighodaro, who carries a questionable tag due to a knee injury, as well as G Tyler Kolek. The latter suffered an oblique injury Feb. 28 against Providence, and he has been sidelined for the past 6 games. He is listed as probable, so he is expected to face Western Kentucky, but will there be some rust? It’s likely.

As far as Ighodaro is concerned, he banged up his left knee, and missed the final 7 games of the Big East title game loss. And G Stevie Mitchell is also nursing a tender left shoulder injury, so Marquette enters this game banged up. That’s good news for Western Kentucky, and its backers.

JAMES MADISON +5.5 (-110) vs. Wisconsin – Friday, 9:40 p.m.

The Dukes got their season off to a great start with an upset over another Big Ten team, Michigan State. James Madison won 79-76 in overtime in East Lansing on Nov. 6, and it was the first of 28 victories against just 3 losses.

Wisconsin tasted defeat 13 times, and it was really in danger of missing this NCAA Tournament all together before stringing together 3 straight wins in the Big Ten Tournament, including a victory over No. 1 seed Purdue, to get its resume in order. The Badgers went all the way to the title game, falling to Illinois 93-87 on Sunday in a thriller.

This is a tough draw for Wisconsin, though. JMU averages 84.6 PPG, and it shoots at a blistering 47.6% from the field. If there is an Achilles’ heel, it’s free-throw shooting, as the Dukes are a dismal 71.1% from the stripe, leaving some points on the floor. And defensively, James Madison allows teams to hit just 28.8% from behind the arc, and that was 5th in the nation defensively.

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2024 March Madness: Final Four long shots worthy of NCAA Tournament futures bet

Beat the Sportsbook: Here are the best 4 long-shot predictions and picks to make the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

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If its the Big Dance, and if we’re looking for a fairytale-comes-true return on investment then its a Cinderella we want.

Below, we look at 4 teams with decent value and their NCAA Tournament Final Four futures odds from BetMGM Sportsbook’s (OR FanDuel Sportsbook’s) and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.

For this analysis, we’ll stay away from the top 20% of teams listed in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and the top 25% seeds (top 4 each region) in the tournament brackets. We’ll look for teams whose chances of reaching the Final Four may not be a slam dunk, but they will have relative value compared to the risk. We’ll track down 4 teams at diverse price points, but value is value.

Final Four long-shot predictions

Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 7:37 p.m. ET.

Wisconsin Badgers (+1400)

Bet $100 to win $1,400

Wisconsin (22-13) — the 5-seed in the South Region — lost to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, but the Badgers led that contest by 9 points inside the 15-minute mark. UW was undone by Illinois going 26 of 30 at the free-throw line.

Wisconsin beat No. 3-ranked Purdue in a Saturday Big Ten semifinal, and the Badgers had played the Boilermakers tough in an earlier loss. Top South Region seeds Houston (No. 1) and Marquette (No. 2) may end up with some injury or injury-return continuity issues, and No. 3 Kentucky needs its potent offense to click to avoid upsets. So, the Badgers have a path.

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San Diego State Aztecs (+2000)

Bet $100 to win $2,000

The Aztecs (24-10) — the No. 5 in the East — are just 6-4 over their last 10 games, but they have the defense (39% field-goal accuracy allowed over those 10 games) and court skills to make for profit leverage at this price point. SDSU’s Jaedon LeDee is a power forward with possible late 1st-round NBA talent, and he could be a difference maker in a lot of key minutes — and games — as the East Region rolls toward crowning its Final Four entrant.

Alongside LeDee, a 6-foot-9, 240-poinder averaging 21.1 points and 8.4 rebounds, San Diego State sports a veteran lineup. The Aztecs get their 1st 2 potential games in their own time zone (games in Spokane).

The futures market had shorter overall futures odds on SDSU a couple weeks ago, and they fit as a decent value when trying to find a play from back in the pack.

McNeese State Cowboys (+8000)

Bet $100 to win $8,000

The Cowboys (30-3) are tabbed as the No. 12 seed in the Midwest. Their path lays out with decent matchups, and they are a dangerous 3-point shooting team (39.4%) playing at a slower-than-average pace. That is often the formula for Cinderella runs in March.

McNeese State may have some trouble forcing enough less-than-optimum mid-range looks, but if it can catch an opponent or 2 having off-kilter shooting games it has a legitimate shot at making a run. The Cowboys create a lot of near-proximity and quality perimeter looks when they’re on offense.

Saint Mary’s Gaels (+1400)

Bet $100 to win $1,400

West No. 5-seed Saint Mary’s (26-7) has filed just 1 loss in 2024. The West Coast Conference champs are 18-1 — knocking down triples at a 39.9% clip along the way — over their last 19 games.

Ranked as the KenPom No. 20, they too can slow down a game and drain 3s. The Gaels also excel on defense (KenPom 3rd in defensive efficiency). SMC’s pace could be problematic for speed demons like Alabama or North Carolina, which could well be 2nd- and 3rd-round matchups.

Saint Mary’s has won tourney games each of the last 2 years and may be poised to takes things a step or 2 farther.

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March Madness: Grambling vs. Montana State odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Wednesday’s Grambling vs. Montana State odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Grambling Tigers (20-14) and Montana State Bobcats (17-17) play for the 16th seed in the Midwest Region when they meet in an NCAA Tournament First Four game Wednesday. Tip-off from UD Arena in Dayton is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET (truTV). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Grambling vs. Montana State odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.

Grambling won the SWAC Tournament with a convincing 75-66 victory against Texas Southern in the final Saturday. Grambling covered all 3 games en route to the SWAC title, and it is 9-1 straight up (SU) across the past 10 games, with only an OT loss at Alabama State in the regular-season finale March 9 as the only setback. Grambling is 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in the past 10 games.

Montana State won the Big Sky Tournament as the No. 5 seed, topping Weber State, Sacramento State and rival Montana for the automatic bid. The Bobcats are 5-1 ATS in the past 6 games while cashing the Over in 4 of the previous 5 contests.

– Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Grambling vs. Montana State odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook’s; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Grambling +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Montana State -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Grambling +3.5 (-110) | Montana State -3.5 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 134.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

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Grambling vs. Montana State and predictions

Prediction

Montana State 71, Grambling 66

Moneyline

Montana State (-175) will cost you nearly 2 times your potential return, and it is too expensive as a standalone wager in this First Four battle. However, if you were to include the Bobcats as part of a multi-team parlay, it’s not terribly priced out of line.

AVOID as a singular wager.

Against the spread

MONTANA STATE -3.5 (-110) is worth playing lightly in Dayton. The Bobcats have covered 5 of the past 6 games, and they caught fire shooting against Montana in the 2nd half of the Big Sky title game.

Grambling +3.5 (-110) won’t be satisfied just to get to the First Four, but it has already made history just by getting to Dayton. It was 1 of just 2 SWAC teams which hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament until qualifying this season.

The Tigers are a tempting play, as they’re 7-1 ATS in the past 8 tries as underdogs, but the Bobcats streak in with a little more confidence and better 3-point shooting, which will be key.

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Over/Under

OVER 134.5 (-115) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most. We’ll likely get some nerves, as this is the 1st game to tip off Wednesday night. It generally takes teams a little while to get a lay of the land at UD Arena before the shots start falling.

The Over has a slight 3-2 advantage in the past 5 games for Grambling, while the total went high in all 3 Big Sky tourney games for Montana State while cashing at a 4-1 clip in the past 5 outings.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Clemson files lawsuit against ACC

Three months after Florida State filed a similar lawsuit in open court against the ACC in Tallahassee, Fla. comes word that Clemson has done something similar in South Carolina.

Three months after Florida State filed a lawsuit in open court against the ACC in state court in Tallahassee, Fla. comes news that Clemson has filed its own suit against the league in state court in Pickens County, S.C.

Both Clemson and Florida State’s lawsuits challenge the ACC’s grant of rights agreement, which binds current conference members and broadcast partner ESPN to the league through 2036.

It schools want to break the grant of rights agreements, the ACC contends those schools must pay an exorbitant exit fee of roughly $140 million.

According to Clemson’s suit:

“Clemson makes this motion on the grounds that the Complaint refers to and describes portions of agreements between the ACC on the one hand, and ESPN, Inc. and ESPN Enterprises, Inc. (together, “ESPN”) on the other hand—specifically, the Amended Multimedia Agreement and the Network Agreement (together, the “ESPN Agreements”)—and that the parties to these agreements maintain that the terms thereof are confidential and constitute trade secrets.”

Veteran college football reporter Ross Dellenger reported in 2023 that Clemson and Florida State were two of seven ACC schools that met to discuss a possible exit strategy from the league. Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech were the other five schools that met to explore ways to challenge the legality of the ACC’s grant of rights document.

In Tuesday’s court filing, Clemson claims that it “cannot protect and advance its interests, or the interests of its student-athletes, in current and ongoing negotiations within the Conference, with the Conference’s existing media partner ESPN, and in collegiate athletics more generally.”

Per the suit:

“The ACC’s actions interfere with Clemson’s free exercise of its rights and are fatally detrimental to Clemson’s efforts to ensure that its athletic programs can continue to compete at the highest level, which is critically important to Clemson even beyond athletics.” Clemson has been a charter member of the ACC since the league’s creation in 1953.

Clemson has been a charter member of the ACC since the league was founded in 1953.

You can read the school’s full lawsuit here.

Fill out your Survivor Pool before March Madness action begins

It is time for March Madness with the men’s tournament tipping off on Tuesday with the play-in games. The winners will advance to the round of 64 which is set to tip off on Thursday.

As for the women’s bracket, the First Four will begin play on Wednesday with the first round beginning on Friday. Could we see a rematch of last year’s matchup of Iowa and LSU? If it comes to fruition, it will come earlier than last year. LSU is the No. 3 seed in the same bracket as No. 1 Iowa.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

As you fill out your brackets for both tournaments, there is additional option with our survivor pools for both tournaments. In looking at the first round, it feels like you could go with Iowa over Holy Cross or UT Martin, Notre Dame over Kent State, and South Carolina over Sacred Heart or Presbyterian.

For the men, UConn over Stetson, Kansas over Samford, and Duke over Vermont could be the picks that you roll with in round one of the survivor pool.

Here are the rules for the men’s and women’s survivor pools:

Each round, pick teams to win that round’s game in the women’s college basketball tournament. If those teams win in that round, you survive, earn points equal to your winning teams’ seed numbers, and advance to pick more teams next round. If any of your picks lose, you’re eliminated. You’ll need to pick three (3) teams in round 1, two (2) teams in round 2, and one (1) in each round the rest of the way. Choose carefully – you can only select each team once all tournament long. If you fail to make the required number of picks per round or have no possible teams left to pick, you’re eliminated. The player(s) who survive the longest with the highest total seed points (and who meet the eligibility requirements) will win the pool! See Official Rules for further details.

BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest, create a pool and invite your friends!

Fill out your Survivor Pool before March Madness action begins

It is time for March Madness with the men’s tournament tipping off on Tuesday with the play-in games. The winners will advance to the round of 64 which is set to tip off on Thursday.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

For the men, UConn over Stetson, Kansas over Samford, and Duke over Vermont could be the picks that you roll with in round one of the survivor pool.

Here are the rules for the men’s and women’s survivor pools:

BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest, create a pool and invite your friends!

Fill out your Survivor Pool before March Madness action begins

It is time for March Madness with the men’s tournament tipping off on Tuesday with the play-in games. The winners will advance to the round of 64 which is set to tip off on Thursday.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

For the men, UConn over Stetson, Kansas over Samford, and Duke over Vermont could be the picks that you roll with in round one of the survivor pool.

Here are the rules for the men’s and women’s survivor pools:

BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest, create a pool and invite your friends!

Fill out your Survivor Pool before March Madness action begins

It is time for March Madness with the men’s tournament tipping off on Tuesday with the play-in games. The winners will advance to the round of 64 which is set to tip off on Thursday.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

For the men, UConn over Stetson, Kansas over Samford, and Duke over Vermont could be the picks that you roll with in round one of the survivor pool.

Here are the rules for the men’s and women’s survivor pools:

BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest, create a pool and invite your friends!