The VSiN March Mania Betting Guide has been posted here for VSiN Pro subscribers.
The seventh edition of our annual tournament preview is a 143-page PDF and includes:
- Profiles of all 68 teams
- Round, conference, and seed betting trends
- Host best bets, brackets, and Final Four picks
- Shared traits of Cinderella and Championship teams
Not a VSiN Pro yet? You can get the guide and all the other exclusive subscriber-only content for all sports over the next 30 days for just $9.99. Heck, we used to sell the guide for $20 just by itself.
Playing the Heels
The First Two of the First Four will be played tonight:
>Alabama State vs. Saint Francis (6:40 ET, truTV). Preview.
>San Diego State vs. North Carolina (9:10 ET, truTV). Preview.
Brent Musburger was giving me his bracket picks for the March Mania Guide and we were discussing North Carolina’s selection. He thought the NCAA committee should answer this question when comparing bubble teams: What would the betting line be?
Well, Brent, VSiN’s own Steve Makinen says he would make the Tar Heels -1.5 or -2 vs. Indiana and -2.5 or -3 vs. West Virginia. (He made it -2.5/-3 for their actual game vs. San Diego State.)
The NIT also begins tonight. We have a tournament preview here.
Best Bets columns for tonight’s action:
>Greg Peterson (including a play on UNC-San Diego State)
>Adam Burke (later this morning)
NCAA Tournament advice
Gill Alexander’s Beating The Book megapod, traditionally the most-downloaded episode of the year, is ready for your listening pleasure.
Regulars Todd Wishnev and Will Hill are back – and why wouldn’t they be? Two years ago, Todd predicted the UConn-San Diego State title game and Will had FAU in the Final Four.
In his latest piece for VSiN.com, Mike Somich offers a bit of a different approach to betting the tournament, parlaying teams to make a specific round.
For example, one of his bets is: Bet: Duke/Houston/St John’s/Michigan St make Elite 8 +1521.
Go beyond traditional bracket contest
I could swing a dead cat and hit an NCAA bracket contest.
That’s why the VSiN March Bracket Challenge is different: 40 picks against the spread or on totals over the course of six NCAA Tournament rounds for a chance at $5,000 in prize money. It is free to enter. >Read the rules and sign up.
If you are interested in other flavors of contests, Matt Brown and Ben Wilson did a segment running through what you should know about Survivor, Calcutta and Pick X Pools.
FYI: There’s also a piece on alternate contests in the March Mania Guide from our friends at TeamRanking.
Quick links
>Our Sharp Week coverage is on this special page, including opening-round matchups.
>VSiN Pro picks for the tournament (nearing 100 already).
>Our best bracket strategy and advice videos posted on YouTube.
>DraftKings/Circa Betting Splits for the NCAA and NIT.
>The most visual NCAA TV schedule I’ve ever seen.
Quick Hits
NBA: Zach Cohen will have his plays later this morning.
NHL: Jonathan Davis will have his Best Bets later, too.
This is The VSiN Daily newsletter for Tuesday, March 18. Sign up for this free email and get picks and insights delivered to your in-box every morning.
