Final calls to the Dance
We have five conference championships remaining before the 68-team NCAA Tournament field is announced today at 6 p.m. ET. (More on VSiN’s coverage below.)
📅 Five titles to be decided Sunday
Ivy League
Penn (+9.5) vs. Yale — Noon ET, ESPN2
SEC
Vanderbilt (-2.5) vs. Arkansas — 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
Atlantic 10
Dayton (+2.5) vs. VCU — 1 p.m. ET, CBS
American
Wichita State (+3.5) vs. South Florida — 3:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Big Ten
Purdue (+6.5) vs. Michigan — 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
The Atlantic 10 championship may be the most meaningful if Dayton wins and VCU remains at at-large selection. (Scroll down for odds on the Bubble teams.)
Greg Peterson has Best Bets for all five games.
Josh Appelbaum will break down the market moves for the final matchups.
👉 Check for Josh’s Sharp Report later this morning
🏆 Eleven NCAA Tournament bids awarded Saturday
America East: UMBC (1 seed / -270 pre-tourney odds)
ACC: Duke (1 seed / -350)
Big 12: Arizona (1 seed / -105)
Big East: St. John’s (1 seed / +185)
Big West: Hawaii (2 seed / +200)
Conference USA: Kennesaw State (6 seed / +850)
MAC: Akron (2 seed / -115)
MEAC: Howard (1 seed / -300)
Mountain West: Utah St. (1 seed / +230)
SWAC: Prairie View A&M (8 seed / +1700)
WAC: CA Baptist (2 seed / +155)
🫧 Bubble Watch
DraftKings posted Yes/No odds to make the NCAA Tournament, and you can see why the VCU-Dayton game is important to the Bubble teams.
Miami (OH): Y -4000 / N +1500
Missouri: Y -700 / N +450
VCU: Y -240 / N +180
SMU: Y -115 / No -115
Texas: Y +135 / N -175
Auburn: Y +400 / N -650
Oklahoma: Y +600 / No -1100
San Diego State: Y +600 / N -1100
🚨 VSiN Special Programming
VSiN’s Sharp Week tips off with two special shows to cover the NCAA Tournament:
Tim Murray and Jonathan Von Tobel will react to the matchups as odds are posted on Bracket Breakdown (4-8 p.m. ET). The brackets are released at 6 p.m. ET.
Then Matt Youmans and Greg Peterson will help you fill out your brackets on Betting The Bracket (8-10 p.m. ET).
Reminder for VSiN Pro subscribers: The VSiN March Mania Betting Guide will be ready for download by Monday afternoon.
Get team profiles, power ratings, matchup analysis and Cinderella candidates along with Final Four picks from VSiN hosts.
👉 See everything planned for Sharp Week
💰 Two VSiN contests in play this week
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, presented by Splash Sports
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
Lakers stun Nuggets
Denver had a 118-115 lead over Los Angeles with 6.4 seconds remaining in regulation. The Nuggets then made the call to foul Austin Reaves so he couldn’t attempt a three. Reaves went to the line and knocked down the first free throw. He then missed the second intentionally, got his own rebound, and made a floater that sent the game to overtime.
The Lakers ended up winning 127-125 on a 17-foot step-back jumper from Luka Doncic. Los Angeles has now won five in a row, and is currently third in the Western Conference — and owns an important tiebreaker over Denver now that the series is 2-1 in favor of the Lakers.
Sunday NBA
Yes, it’s Selection Sunday, but don’t sleep on Timberwolves-Thunder and Pistons-Raptors. Both are meetings of playoff-bound teams. We also have Warriors-Knicks on NBC/Peacock at 8 p.m. ET, though New York is a double-digit favorite. Perhaps bettors can use the Knicks in a parlay with the Cavaliers (vs. Mavericks) and Bucks (vs. Pacers).
NASCAR Best Bets
Steve Makinen‘s race simulation remains on a hot streak heading into today’s NASCAR race right here in Las Vegas:
Looking for a 4th simulation win in a row, we turn to Christopher Bell, as he rides strong practice and qualifying sessions to the top spot in the final simulation for the Pennzoil 400. He will start on the pole, with Denny Hamlin alongside him. Kyle Larson falls from the top spot in the initial simulation as he failed to find any long run speed in practice.
This is the first mile-and-a-half cookie cutter track of the season and typically it’s speed, handling and wise pit decisions that gets it done at such tracks. LVMS gets a handicap-ability grade of B on my scale. That said, we did have a major upset winner here a year ago with Josh Berry getting a first career win at 45-1 odds.
Steve’s personal picks:
Top 5: Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace
Top underdogs to consider (+1100 or bigger): Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek
Usual favorites to struggle: Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski
