March Madness Picks

Basketball Betting Game Trends

The fifth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers (23-11 straight-up, 13-18-1 against the spread) are coming off an impressive run in the Big Ten Conference Tournament that has gotten the attention of many college basketball fans who are busy filling out their brackets. Meanwhile, the 12th-seeded Ole Miss Rebels (26-8 SU, 17-12 ATS) enjoyed an even better performance in winning the SEC Tournament but may be hurt by playing in a weaker conference. They will meet Friday in second-round action of the NCAA Tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Last season, it was the third-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores who pulled off the big upset by beating the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC tourney before fizzling out in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Of course Kentucky ended up rolling to the national title, something both of the teams in this 5-12 matchup hope to do this year.

Like Vandy, Ole Miss was the third seed in the SEC Tournament and knocked off the top-seeded Florida Gators in the title game last Sunday, 66-63. The Rebels were 11.5-point underdogs in that game but got a combined 44 points from Marshall Henderson and Murphy Holloway, who also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and made 11-of-15 shots from the field. The team has won seven of eight overall and covered four straight heading into the Big Dance.

The Badgers lost 50-43 to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament Championship on Sunday but mowed down Michigan and Indiana en route as underdogs. They are one of the most frustrating teams to watch unless you are a fan of them, slowing the tempo and running the shot clock until they launch a 3-pointer and then rebound a miss. And do it all over again. But they also frustrate opponents and tend to lull them to sleep, taking them out of their offense and making them play the Wisconsin way.

Neither of these teams is perfect, nor will they likely duplicate similar success that they accomplished in their conference tournaments. However, they both have a tremendous amount of confidence right now and do not seem to lack it, even when things are not going well. Case in point for the Badgers, who trailed the Wolverines 16-6 with seven minutes left in the first half of their Big Ten quarterfinal matchup, only to close out the first 20 minutes on an 11-4 run. Wisconsin has won 12 of 13 against Michigan and 12 straight vs. the Hoosiers, who are the No. 1 seed in the East and one of the favorites to win it all.

The UNDER has cashed in the last four games for Ole Miss along with five of six. The UNDER is also 5-1 in the last six games for the Badgers away from home. With the competitive nature and defensive intensity of each team here, there’s just one clear pick in this game…

Pick: UNDER 129.5