Championship Saturday
More than one-third of the NCAA Tournament’s automatic bids will be awarded today, so let’s get to it.
A few days ago, I asked Steve Makinen what his favorite trend was for Thursday and he told me to play against Big Ten teams that had byes. That trend went 8-2, including 4-0 on Friday.
I asked him for another trend for Friday and he gave me one about ACC underdogs in the semifinals. That went 0-2.
For today, Steve gave me Unders in the Big East and Big 12 Tournaments:
- Twelve of the last 15 Big East championship games have gone Under the total (80%).
- The last three Big 12 title games have gone Under the total, with the losing teams scoring a paltry 53.7PPG.
👉 Steve’s mid-major conference tournament trends
👉 Steve’s power conference tournament trends
🏆 Eleven NCAA Tournament Bids decided Saturday
Conference Tournament championship games:
America East
Vermont (+2.5) vs. UMBC — 11 a.m. ET, ESPN2
ACC
Virginia (+8.5) vs. Duke — 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Big 12
Houston (+2.5) vs. Arizona — 6 p.m. ET, ESPN
Big East
UConn (-2.5) vs. St. John’s — 6:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Big West
Hawaii (+2.5) vs. UC-Irvine — 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Conference USA
Kennesaw State (-1.5) vs. La Tech — 8:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
MAC
Toledo (+6.5) vs. Akron — 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
MEAC
NC Central (+11.5) vs. Howard — 1 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Mountain West
San Diego St. (+1.5) vs. Utah St. — 6 p.m. ET, CBS
SWAC
Southern (-2.5) vs. Prarie State A&M — 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
WAC
CA Baptist (+1.5) vs. Utah Valley — Midnight ET, ESPN2
📅 Five More Titles Sunday
Five conferences will play semifinals on Saturday and finals on Sunday:
- American
- Atlantic 10
- Big Ten
- Ivy League
- SEC
💰 Betting Insight for Saturday
Later this morning:
• Adam will post his top plays
• Josh Appelbaum will break down the market moves
👉More picks on our college basketball page
FYI: “The Angle,” discovered by Follow The Money producer Luke DiVasta, went 1-1 last night and is 46-21 since Luke started tracking it.
👉 Check here today to see if Luke has any system matches.
The most important betting week of the year
Selection Sunday is almost here, which means VSiN’s Sharp Week is about to begin — our annual deep dive into the NCAA Tournament betting board.
What we’ll have for you:
- Special programming on Selection Sunday:
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- Sharp Week: Bracket Breakdown (4-8 p.m. ET) — Tim Murray and Jonathan Von Tobel will react to the matchups as odds are posted.
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- Sharp Week: Betting The Bracket (8-10 p.m. ET) — Matt Youmans and Greg Peterson will help you fill out your brackets.
- The March Mania Betting Guide will be published on Monday with team profiles, power ratings, matchup analysis and Cinderella candidates.
👉 See everything planned for Sharp Week
🎲 Contest Corner
Two VSiN contests are coming for next week’s Big Dance.
VSiN March Betting Contest, presented by ProphetX and EdgeBoost
Make 44 ATS or Total picks from Round 1 through the national championship with $6,000 in prizes and a trip at Vegas at stake.
👉Read the rules — and register for free
Make sure you sign up for an EdgeBoost account using the code VSiN so you are eligible for double the prize money.
$1 Million High Stakes Survivor Madness
Pick 10 teams to win outright from Round 1 through the title game.
The twist: You can’t pick the same team twice.
If your team wins, you survive and advance.
$1 million to the ultimate survivor(s).
$1000 fee per entry.
👉 Contest details and registration
Zach Cohen’s NBA Report
Saturday Slate
It hasn’t been easy to get excited about some of these NBA cards recently, but Saturday offers up some good matchups.
I know a lot of people will be soaking in the college basketball conference tournaments, but Hornets-Spurs tips at 3:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video. That’s a meeting between two of the hottest teams in the NBA since the start of 2026.
Also, at 8:30 pm ET, the Nuggets and Lakers will clash in the featured ABC game. Both teams are playing some good basketball lately, and it’s always fun when Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic share the floor — especially in a game that could have some postseason implications down the road.
Quick Hits
Horse Racing: For the first time ever on VSiN At The Track, Mike Somich and Aaron Halterman are picking the same horse who isn’t the favorite. Find out why they agree in our betting preview of the Virginia Derby.
👉 Get their Virginia Derby pick
👉 Picks for today’s card on our horse racing page.
UFC: VSiN contributor Lou Finocchiaro has Best Bets for tonight’s card in Las Vegas.
👉 More UFC coverage: Dave Ross and Rob Moreno offer their top plays in the First Strike podcast.
