March Madness Basketball Predictions – Picks, Odds, & Analysis. The Bookie’s Daily Sports Betting Newsletter.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

5:10 PM EST 
Televised on TRU TV.

715 Mt. St. Mary’s -1 / 133.5
716 Texas Southern

Prediction: Mt. St. Marys is getting sharp action with 47% of the tickets but 70% of the money. The total on this game has been dropping because of sharp action which is in favor of Mt St Mary’s as well. Mt. St. Mary’s allows only 57 points per game but Texas Southern averages 75 points per game. Mt. St. Mary’s averages 63 points per game and Texas Southern allows 72 points per game which also indicates this will be a low-scoring game that will go Under the total and that favors Mt. St. Mary’s.

The Bookie: Mt. St. Mary’s -1 / Under 133.5
Fade The Public: Mt. St. Mary’s / Under
Sharp Action:  Mt. St. Mary’s / Under

6:27 PM EST
Televised on TBS.

713 Drake -1.5 / 141
714 Wichita State

Prediction: Drake is getting 70% of the money with only 30% of the public tickets which indicates a lot of sharp action on Drake. Drake is expected to have one of its injured players, Hemphill who averages 14 points per game. The public is backing the Shockers because of its recent history however this Shocker team doesn’t have the same coach as he was dismissed at the beginning of the season. Drake went most of the season undefeated until 2 major injuries and now that 1 of those players is back, look for Drake to pull off at least a win in this game. With Drake’s offense clicking, you can expect the total to go over in this one. 

The Bookie:  Drake -1.5 / Over 141
Fade The Public:  Drake / Under
Sharp Action:  Drake / Over

8:40 PM EST
Televised on TRU TV.

711 Norfolk State
712 Appalachian State    -3 / 133.5

Prediction: The total on this game does not make much sense considering both of these teams average over 70 points per game on offense. This is a tournament game on a neutral court which usually means more missed shots and a higher intensity defense. Appalachian State is getting the sharp action because they play better defense. If this total is any indicator of who is going to control the tempo of this game then the pick is going to have to be Appalachian State. In tournament games with low spreads, you may want to consider taking Moneylines because the lines are tight and backdoor covers happen often. The Under should be the play in this one.

The Bookie:  Appalachian St. -3 / Under 133.5
Fade The Public:  Appalachian St. / Under
Sharp Action:  Appalachian St / Under

9:57 PM EST
Televised on TBS.

717 UCLA
718 Michigan State -2 / 135

Prediction:  Tom Izzo is notoriously known for dominating March Madness however as a double-digit seed, Izzos is 0-2 in his career. The public is pounding Michigan State and the public thinks UCLA is bad because they lost the last 4 games. However, this UCLA team is playing good basketball if you have had a chance to watch them down the stretch the offense is starting to click again after losing Chris Smith. Both of these teams play top-notch defense and you can expect the team that plays better defense to win this game. Mick Cronin has plenty of tourney experience to have his boys prepared for a good battle. The Spartans have been bad all year with a few big wins. There is a lot of money coming in on the Spartans but the line is not moving which is very fishly. Look for the UCLA Bruins to win this one Straight Up. 

The Bookie:  UCLA +2 / Under 135
Fade The Public: UCLA / Under
Sharp Action:  Michigan St. / Under