We look at the 16 games on opening round Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament and make our upset predictions, which include the Charleston Tigers, James Madison Dukes, and Colorado Buffaloes, for Friday based on the best March Madness odds for Round 1.
The second day of the NCAA Tournament features a few double-digit seeds who have the potential to take down the favorites. The No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide has their hands full with the No. 13 Charleston Cougars, while the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers have to play the No. 12 James Madison Dukes, who have won 31 games.
We also examine the No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes, who, after playing on Wednesday night in Dayton, may have an advantage over the No. 7 Florida Gators.
To help with your March Madness bracket, here are our best March Madness upset predictions for Friday (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick co nfidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Friday's top NCAA Tournament upset predictions
- Charleston (13) vs. Alabama (4) (+375 via bet365) ????
- James Madison (12) vs. Wisconsin (5) (+195 via bet365) ????
- Colorado (10) vs. Florida (7) (+100 via BetMGM) ????
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Best odds: +375 via bet365
Game info: Friday at 7:35 p.m. ET, at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Wash.
This is the worst matchup the Crimson Tide could have asked for. Despite being the highest-scoring team in the country, they drew a Mid-Major in Charleston that averages 80.0 points per game. And with how slack the Crimson Tide's defens e is, there is no reason to think the Cougars can't pull off the upset.
The Cougars are also an unusual Mid-Major because they have 10 players who average at least 10 minutes per game. Additionally, they don't rely on one shooter to do the bulk of scoring. They have six players who average between 8.2 and 12.8 points. The Crimson Tide defense probably won't be able to shut down that many players.
The price for this upset at best sports betting sites ranges from +345 to +375. While getting the best number is most important, they all offer a solid potential return, as a winning $10 bet at +345 would pay out $44.50, while +375 garners $47.50. The implied probability ranges from 21.05% to 22.47%.
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Best odds: +195 via bet365
Game info: Friday at 9:40 p.m. ET, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
The Dukes are 31-3, and they won at Michigan State earlier in the season. While their schedule hasn't been too difficult, they are solid on both sides of the ball. They average 83.0 points per game and allow just 69.5.
The Badgers have had some huge wins this year, defeating the Purdue Boilermakers and Marquette Golden Eagles.
But they've also lost to many mediocre teams. While the Big 10 is always considered one of the best conferences, it struggled in the tournament last season, with three of its eight teams losing in the first round and only one making the Sweet 16.
The Dukes are a very popular upset pick, so it's not surprising that the moneyline price is under +200. But the Dukes could win this game by a significant margin, so getting +175 or better is worth a wager.
A +200 wager would pay out $30 while +175 odds garner $27.50. The implied probability on those odds range from 33.33% to 36.36%.
Best odds: +100 via BetMGM
Game info: Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
In the last three seasons, at least one of the teams that played in Dayton won an additional game in the Round of 64. This season, that team should be Colorado. The Buffaloes hit 49.2% of their shots from the field during the regular season, the eighth-best in the nation.
Defensively, the Gators rank 85th in effective field goal percentage. The Buffaloes played on Wednesday night and are already into the rhythm of the tournament, so they should be able to jump on the Gators early.
The price for this upset isn't great, with BetMGM the only sportsbook currently offering a price of +100. However, considering the Buffaloes should arguably be the favorites, a profit of $10 on a $10 bet provides solid value. The +100 odds imply a probability of 50%.
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