March Madness Picks

Basketball Betting Game Trends

After No. 14 Davidson nearly beat No. 3 Marquette earlier on Thursday, bettors had to wonder if the Crimson would fade in similar fashion. But Harvard finished what it started, led by Laurent Rivard and his five 3-pointers, while Wesley Saunders topped the team with 18 points, including eight from the free-throw line. New Mexico’s Tony Snell was also held in check, totaling just nine points on 4-of-12 shooting.

Arizona wrapped up a great day for the Pac-12 Conference by routing the Bruins, another so-called darling of March Madness that failed to live up to the hype. The Pac-12 went 3-0 SU and ATS on Thursday with two 12-5 upsets, as Oregon knocked off Oklahoma State and Cal edged UNLV. The Wildcats had the biggest margin of victory though and easily covered the 4.5-point spread. Arizona also dominated Belmont inside, outscoring the Bruins 36-18 in the paint and outrebounding them by a 44-18 margin. Mark Lyons scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Wildcats and made three of the team’s nine 3-pointers.

This will be an interesting matchup, but one that Arizona clearly should win. The Wildcats may have struggled down the stretch, failing to cover seven of 11, but this is a new season with an easier path to the Sweet 16 now than they had expected. Meanwhile, Harvard hopes to follow Cornell and send an Ivy League team to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010 when the Big Red did it. The key for Arizona will be not underestimating the Crimson and realizing the West is wide open for them, especially with top seed Gonzaga also struggling on Thursday.

The magic number for the Wildcats lately seems to be 70 points. In the last nine games they have scored 70 or more, they are 8-1. And they have dropped four of their past five when they have scored less than 70. Meanwhile, Harvard has given up more than 66 points twice in its last 10 games and lost both times.

Look for Arizona to push the pace and blow the Crimson out of the arena…

Pick: Arizona 75, Harvard 60