The final day of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is stacked, as we have No. 1 Florida taking on the two-time defending champs, among other marquee matchups.
With that in mind, our staff has four best bets for the March Madness games on Sunday.
So, read below for four top NCAA Tournament best bets, picks and predictions for Sunday's March Madness games.
(We don't officially recommend a parlay, but there's an option below.)
NCAA Tournament Best Bets for Sunday
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12:10 p.m. | |
  | 5:15 p.m. | |
| 5:15 p.m. | |
  | 7:45 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
UConn vs. Florida
No team can currently take down the Florida Gators, who have won seven games in a row while going 6-1 against the spread.
Todd Golden's bunch is 31-4 straight up and 26-9 ATS. Florida is 13-1 SU and 12-2 ATS in its last 14 games dating back to Feb. 4.
Florida had covered the number in six straight games before failing to cover in Friday's 95-69 win over Norfolk State as a 28.5-point chalk.
I could bore you with a bunch of numbers (like the Gators being No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency at KenPom and owning a 10-1 ATS record as single-digit favorites this season), but there's no need for all that.
This is going to be a beating, as Dan Hurley's program will see its 13-game winning streak in the NCAA Tournament snapped with a double-digit loss.
Pick: Florida -9.5
Illinois vs. Kentucky
By Sean Paul
I was pretty out on Illinois entering the NCAA Tournament. I didn’t trust Illinois’ shooting and I didn’t trust freshman guards Will Riley or Kasparas Jakucionis, who are very talented but were up-and-down in Big Ten play.
I’m willing to chalk my skepticism up to Big Ten teams knowing what Illinois wants to do — since many see them twice and the Illini endured injuries and illness issues.
Quite frankly, I have no clue how Kentucky contains the Illinois pick-and-pop. Xavier got slaughtered trying to stop it, and Amari Williams isn’t a great defender in space.
At least Lamont Butler is a superb defender, but the Illinois handler in the pick-and-roll — either Riley or Jakucionis — is 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-6. Both will tower over the smaller Butler.
The Fighting Illini also got some strong shooting from Tre White and Kylan Boswell in the Round of 64. Boswell is shooting around 23% from deep this year, but he was close to 40% last year. If Boswell shoots better, Illinois can make a real March run.
I still don’t fully trust Illinois, but I have even less trust in Kentucky. There’s still no Jaxson Robinson — who’s done for the year — and Butler is far less than 100%.
The Wildcats are much better defensively lately, ranking 42nd in defensive efficiency since February 1. However, they're one of the worst in America at defending inside the arc in that span. That should lead to plenty of success for the Illinois guards, who like to drive.
Give me the fiery-hot Illini.
Pick: Illinois -1.5 (Play to -3)
Illinois vs. Kentucky
The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Kentucky Wildcats will meet on Sunday afternoon.
The Illini are coming off a blowout win over the Xavier Musketeers on Friday in the opening round.
Brad Underwood’s team shot the ball well from 3 (40%), which was the difference in the game.
Freshman Will Riley led the Illini with 22 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor.
Kentucky will attempt to run back a similar performance to its opening-round win over Troy.
The Wildcats defeated Troy 76-57 in a dominant performance.
Head coach Mark Pope did an outstanding job in his first year in the program. Pope enjoyed success at BYU, but he wasn't a popular choice among Big Blue Nation in the offseason.
Otega Oweh led the Cats with 20 points on Friday in the win over the Trojans.
We'll see a fast-paced, back-and-forth contest on Sunday between these two. Kentucky and Illinois are elite offensive teams that will place with tons of pace.
The difference in this contest will be the Illini's ability to clean up on the offensive glass and create fast-break and second-chance opportunities.
Illinois ranks second in rebounds per game (42.6)
Pick: Illinois ML -130 (Play to -140)
Ole Miss vs. Iowa State
There’s a few coaches I seldom bet against in March, and Chris Beard is one of them.
Ole Miss is one of the oldest and most together teams still remaining in this tournament, and that experience was on display in its first-round win over North Carolina.
