Mid-Major Championship Action

Tell your friends! March Madness is officially here! In less than one week we’ll have a full 68-team bracket, and a handful of spots in the field have already been secured. While most of the major conference tournaments will tip off over the next couple days, the mid-majors are ready to punch their tickets to the Big Dance 🎟

March is all about rooting for the little guy, so in honor of that sentiment, let’s put the spotlight on a pair of conference championship matchups going down this evening 👇

• (5PM ET) ASUN Championship: Jacksonville (21-9) vs. Bellarmine (19-13)

• (7PM ET) Northeast Conference Championship: Wagner (21-5) vs. Bryant (21-9)

ASUN Championship Preview

The first championship action of the day is going down at Freedom Hall in Kentucky, where the ASUN crown will be at stake. Take a look at the lines ahead of the matchup 👇

Jacksonville @ Bellarmine Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Bellarmine -2.5

• Moneyline: Bellarmine -150 (bet $150, win $100), Jacksonville +130 (bet $100, win $130)

• Over/Under: 123

While Bellarmine is looking to capture their first conference title in just their second year in the ASUN, they actually are not eligible to play in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of today's outcome 😢

• Because the Knights are officially still in a “transition phase" to Division I, they are ineligible for this year’s tournament

• If they win today’s game, the ASUN’s automatic bid would go to the regular season champ (Jacksonville State), even though they just lost

• Jacksonville beat J’Ville State in their semi-final matchup on Sunday, 54-51 — but if they lose tonight, J'Ville State will get the bid 🧐

The Dolphins can make the debate irrelevant if they're able to steal one on the road. But if the season’s first matchup between the two teams is any indication, that’ll be easier said than done

• In a back-and-forth OT affair back in January, Bellarmine held off Jacksonville, 76-73

• Dylan Penn paced all players with 29 points, the second-highest output of the season for the Knights’ leading scorer 

Jacksonville’s own focal point and first-team All-ASUN selection Kevion Nolan managed 21 points in the losing effort. If the Dolphins are hoping for a different outcome this time around, they’ll likely need another big performance from the standout guard 💪

Northeast Conference Championship Preview 

In the Northeast Conference Championship game, at least both finalists have a shot at going dancing 😅. Here’s how the lines are shaping up ahead of the showdown 👇

Wagner @ Bryant Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Bryant -4

• Moneyline: Bryant -188 , Wagner +155

• Over/Under: 149.5

Just a win away from a tournament spot, both the Seahawks and the Bulldogs find themselves in unfamiliar territory

• Wagner hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since their first and only appearance in 2003 (a 26-point loss in the first round to Pittsburgh)

• Bryant, on the other hand, has still yet to make their March Madness debut

Bryant has a great shot at making history in front of their home crowd tonight, but they’ll surely have their hands full with back-to-back Northeast Conference Player of the Year Alex Morales

• Wagner's senior guard set new career highs this season with 18.2 PPG and 8 RPG, while also being named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year

• Luckily for Bryant, they have a stud of their own with a legitimate case for the league’s top individual honor. Guard Peter Kiss led all of D-1 in scoring with 24.7 PPG, adding 5.8 RPG and 3.3 APG as well

I can't wait to watch one of these two underdogs go up against a heavily-favored Power 5 team in a first round matchup next week, but sadly only one will get to dance 🏆

For My Parlay Gurus

Bellarmine may not be playing for a spot in the Big Dance, but I don't think they'll be any less motivated to capture an ASUN title in front of their home crowd. I'm going with the Knights, and I'm doubling down on home teams with the Bryant Bulldogs as well. Check it out 👇

• Bellarmine -2.5 vs. Jacksonville: -110

• Bryant -4 vs. Wagner: -110

$100 on this parlay would net $264 — if we hit, make sure to email [email protected] for $100*. First come, first serve 😉

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