Tag: UC Santa Barbara

March Madness: Friday’s best NCAA Tournament first-round upset picks and predictions

Analyzing NCAA Tournament betting odds for Friday’s first round, with predictions and picks for the 4 best underdog bets.

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Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament brings 16 more betting opportunities and an upset or two is likely. Below, we break down Tipico Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament odds and lines and list Friday’s best first-round upset bets to cash in on among SportbookWire’s expert college basketball picks and predictions.

Cashing in on those opportunities requires a little bit of in-game luck — a turnover here, a 4th foul there, a momentum-swinging 3-pointer made, or a key free throw on the front end of a 1-and-1. However, we can also do our best to make wise assessments when seeking out these upset possibilities. We’re looking for leverage with value plays where the win is more probable than what the public is seeing.

Below are the 4 best bets for Friday upsets.

See Top 25: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

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Friday’s NCAA Tournament upset picks

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 12:25 p.m. ET. All game times ET; ML = moneyline.

NC STATE +5.5 (-112) vs. Creighton – 4 p.m.

NC State is likely due some positive regression in its defensive numbers. The Wolfpack went on an 11-2 from Dec. 13-Feb. 4, and the Bluejays had a stretch that saw them go 8-0 from Jan. 14-Feb. 11. However, recent skill indicators point to NC State being closer to getting back to that level than Creighton is.

The Bluejays are 0-4 against the spread in their last 4 games against teams playing .600 or better basketball. Both teams have played schedules tilting toward better offensive talent, and the Under is a likable play, so look for the Wolfpack to leverage that kind of game into something quite close down the stretch.

UC SANTA BARBARA +11.5 (-105) vs. Baylor – 1:30 p.m.

UC Santa Barbara swept the regular-season and tournament titles in this season’s Big West Conference play. UCSB sported that conference’s most efficient offense, shooting 49.34% from the field (7th nationally). The Gauchos take care of the ball and frequently get to the free-throw line — and they enter this battle on a 7-game win streak.

Baylor lost its regular-season finale and Big 12 tourney opener — both to Iowa State — and is just 2-4 across its last 6 games.

UCSB was a profitable 20-10-1 ATS this season, and while an outright win is unlikely, this double-digit point spread makes the Gauchos a solid underdog play.

DRAKE (+110 ML) vs. Miami – 7:25 p.m.

This contest is a 12-5 (DU-UM) Midwest Region battle in Albany. A 12-seed has won 53 first-round games since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

Miami may be getting a little too much credit coming out of a weaker-than-usual ACC. The Hurricanes are 2-5 ATS under coach Jim Larrañaga in their last 7 NCAA tourney games.

Drake is 13-1 over their last 14 games and has outscored foes by an average of 14.7 points while shooting 40.9% from distance over that stretch. DU is an experienced bunch and one that plays responsible ball at both ends of the floor. Miami can sometimes struggle against teams that defend the perimeter well, and that’s a Drake strength (30.6% 3-point defense, 28th).

MONTANA STATE +8.5 (-110) vs. Kansas State – 9:40 p.m.

Peg this game as more of a “wild opportunity for a bracket run” than just a 1-time upset. There are some weak spots in the potential 2nd and 3rd games should Montana State advance here.

Kansas State has logged back-to-back flat performances, and the Wildcats are just a few weeks removed from a similar stretch in February. Montana State gets to the line a ton (23.4 free throws per game, 9th), and the Bobcats enter the East Region brackets having won 8 consecutive games.

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Oklahoma Sooners dominate in season opening blowout of UC Santa Barbara

The Oklahoma Sooners used a nine-run first inning and a combined perfect game to open the season with a 14-0 win over UC-Santa Barbara.

The Oklahoma Sooners started the 2022 softball season off with a bang in their season opener against UC Santa Barbara, picking up the 14-0 run-rule win.

On the backs of an offense that exploded for nine runs in the top of the first, the Sooners picked up right where they left off from their historic national championship run in 2021. Last season, the Sooners set an NCAA record for home runs and they wasted little time hitting the long ball in this one.

Second baseman Tiare Jennings got Oklahoma going in the top of the first with a lead off home run to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead. The Sooners erupted in their first at bat of the season with nine runs, including a grand slam from 2021’s national player of the year Jocelyn Alo to cap off the explosive inning.

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Jennings’ lead-off home run would be the game winner as three Sooners pitchers combined for the perfect game victory over UCSB. True freshman Jordy Bahl got her first start of the season for the Sooners and led the way with 2.2 innings pitched and four strikeouts. She retired all eight batters she faced before giving way to sophomore Nicole May, who struck out the only batter she faced. Hope Trautwein took over in the bottom of the fourth and closed out the game for the Sooners, striking out three of the six batters she faced in her two innings of work.

The Sooners would get another home run from Jennings and Kinzie Hanson hit her first of the season to help Oklahoma erupt for their first win of the season.

On the afternoon, nine players recorded a hit and nine players drove in a runner for Oklahoma. Jennings, Alo, Hansen, and shortstop Grace Lyons combined to go 7 for 13 with four home runs, seven RBIs, and 10 runs scored.

The Sooners quest to defend their 2021 national title got off to a great start with the offensive explosion and the pitching dominance. If the Oklahoma Sooners continue to get performances like this from their pitching staff, they’ll be incredibly difficult to beat all year.

The Sooners will next compete in the Mark Campbell Invitational where they’ll face Loyola Marymount and Mississippi State on Friday, before a pivotal early-season matchup with UCLA on Saturday. They’ll close out the weekend against UC-San Diego on Sunday.

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