Last chance to WIN $250, join our FREE March Madness bracket by 12PM EST TODAY. Good luck 🙏

Password: allfour1seeds

NCAAM Tournament Preview

We're off to a GREAT start after last night's Rutgers vs. Notre Dame double-OT finish, but there’s nothing quite like the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament. Undoubtedly one of the least productive days of the year, eyes will be glued to TV screens from the first tip of the day (12:15 PM ET) til past midnight, as 32 teams from all across the country will either win or go home 💪

After a wild regular season, this year’s edition of March Madness promises to be just as unpredictable, as the field looks as wide-open as ever. However, Gonzaga may beg to differ. Preseason title favorites, the Bulldogs still have the best odds to cut down the nets in April. Here’s a look at the top contenders 👇

Odds to Win the 2022 Men's NCAA Championship

• Gonzaga: +325 (bet $100, win $325)

• Kentucky: +650

• Arizona: +675

• Duke: +1200

• Baylor: +1200

• Auburn: +1200

• Kansas: +1200

Unsurprisingly, the Zags are also the most popular pick to win it all amongst bracket submissions. The elusive title would be the first in program history, despite four appearances as a 1-seed over the last eight tournaments 🤯

Spotlight: Marquette vs. North Carolina

None of today’s 16 tournament matchups are without intrigue — it is March Madness after all, and as UVA learned four years ago, anything can happen 😜

With that being said, 8/9 matchups are almost guaranteed to provide some competitive action, and we’ve got a great one going down in Fort Worth between the Marquette Golden Eagles and the North Carolina Tar Heels. Take a look at the lines ahead of the Big East-ACC clash 👇

#9 Marquette vs. #8 UNC Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: UNC -3.5

• Moneyline: UNC -164 (bet $164, win $100), Marquette +136 (bet $100, win $136)

• Over/Under: 151.5

Part of what makes this matchup so interesting is that the Tar Heels and Golden Eagles truly had polar opposite seasons 🧐

• Ranked to begin the year, UNC fell out of the top 25 before December even hit. After looking like a fringe tournament team for most of the year, the Tar Heels got hot at the right time, going 8-2 over their last 10 games, including a huge win over #4 Duke in Coach K's last game at Cameron

• On the other hand, Marquette was picked to finish ninth in the Big East before emerging as one of the nation’s biggest surprises with six ranked wins this year. But, the Golden Eagles enter the tournament having dropped six of their last ten games

Momentum is on North Carolina’s side, but as Marquette proved with an impressive seven-game win streak back in January, few teams can contain them when they get hot from deep 🎯

• UNC has a big size advantage in this matchup, so Marquette will likely live and die by the three. They’re 11-1 this season when hitting 10 or more from behind the arc

• The key for the Tar Heels will be ensuring that misses don’t turn into second chances, and fortunately for them, they have one of the best rebounders in the country in Armando Bacot. The junior is third in the nation with 12.5 boards per game to go along with a team-leading 16.5 points

Bacot and the Heels found themselves in an 8/9 matchup last year as well, and the results weren’t pretty. I expect them to come out hungry for redemption this time around 😤

Other Games To Watch

As much as I’d like to touch on every game going down today, for simplicity’s sake lets shift the spotlight to two other matchups worth keeping an especially close eye on 👇

📍 #10 San Francisco vs. #7 Murray State

• Spread: Murray State -2.5

• Moneyline: Murray State -140, San Francisco +116

• Over/Under: 137.5

A rarely-seen first round matchup between a pair of mid-majors? Sign me up 🍿

• Led by Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year KJ Williams, Murray State went a perfect 18-0 in conference play this season. The Racers are top-20 in the nation in scoring at 79.7 PPG

• San Francisco, making their first tournament appearance since 1999, kicked off the season with 10 straight wins and continued their strong play all year. However, All-WCC forward Yauhen Massalaki will miss the matchup due to injury 😰

📍 #12 Indiana vs. #5 Saint Mary's

• Spread: Saint Mary's -2.5

• Moneyline: Saint Mary's -140, Indiana +116

• Over/Under: 126.5

Speaking of mid-majors, Saint Mary’s, a tournament regular over the past decade, has the unfortunate luck of playing one of the hotter 12-seeds you’ll ever see

• On the wrong side of the bubble entering the Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers earned a spot in the Big Dance with impressive wins over Michigan and Illinois. They then took care of business against Wyoming in their play-in game on Tuesday night

• While Indiana is a hot upset pick, count out the Gaels at your own risk. Their seed, the highest they’ve had under head coach Randy Bennett, is well-earned, and they’re the lone team to take down Gonzaga since the first week of December 

For My Parlay Gurus

As much as I'd like to see Marquette's shocking season continue, unfortunately I don't think their first round draw did them any favors. I'm banking on the Tar Heels dominating the inside, and I'm doubling-down on Power-5 teams with Indiana as well. Take a look 👇

• UNC -3.5 vs. Marquette: -110

• Indiana +2.5 vs. Saint Mary's: -110

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

Want more betting content from Overtime? Check out OvertimeLocks on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok 🤑

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Join thousands of other informed subscribers

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Many will enter, only one can win. Giveaway ends 12 hours after the completion of the final game references within the giveaway. The winner will be notified via the email address used to enter. Restrictions apply. See the General Conditions and Releases sections of Overtime's Terms of Use at https://overtime.tv/terms for additional giveaway terms.

©2022 Overtime Sports, Inc. All rights reserved.