If you're looking for plays for day two of March Madness, we have you covered.
Our staff is diving into two afternoon games on Friday to help you with your betting card.
So, read below for college basketball best bets, including three picks and predictions on March 21.
(Even though a parlay isn't our official recommendation, there's an option for one below.)
NCAA Tournament Best Bets for Friday Afternoon
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 12:15 p.m. | |
  | 2 p.m. | |
| 2 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. | ||
Baylor vs. Mississippi State
By Sean Paul
This is the proper 8-9 matchup between a pair of teams with pretty clear flaws.
One of the flaws is pretty noticeable, though. Baylor is a much smaller team than Mississippi State, and it shows in the Bears’ rebounding numbers.
Since starting center Josh Ojianwuna suffered a season-ending injury on Feb. 9, Baylor is 256th in defensive rebounding rate.
In contrast, Mississippi State has grabbed offensive rebounds on 31.6% of its misses during that span. That’s not a Houston-level number, but it’s enough to make it a positive.
The Bulldogs have to shoot it better here. Maybe facing Baylor’s brutally bad defense is the proper diet to correct their 30% shooting over the past month and a half.
Josh Hubbard is an elite scorer, but he shoots just 34% from deep. He’ll need help from Claudell Harris Jr. and Riley Kugel shooting-wise.
I don’t trust either team much, but I just think the mixture of Mississippi State’s depth and rebounding should play a pivotal role.
Pick: Mississippi State -1 (Play to -3)
Colorado State vs. Memphis
I’m the first guy to the line up to bet an underdog in the NCAA Tournament. There are plenty on the board this weekend that make for smart bets.
But the love for Colorado State has gotten out of hand, to the point that it’s now favored to beat a very strong Memphis team.
Some of the action has been caused by the injury news around Memphis guard Tyrese Hunter. He confirmed to reporters that he won't play in the opening round against the Rams.
Yet, his absence isn't enough reason to doom Memphis to a one-and-done tournament appearance. The Tigers should be able to overwhelm Colorado State with size and athleticism, with plenty of bodies to slow down Rams’ star Nique Clifford.
Let’s also not be fooled again by the Mountain West Conference. Its teams have gone 7-21 ATS in the Big Dance since 2019. This isn't a small sample size, as the MW is 22-59-1 ATS since 2008.
It’s been even worse when the MWC team is lower seeded, with a 1-9 ATS record since 2019 and 4-19 ATS record since 2008.
I’m happy to take the higher-seeded Tigers getting points.
Pick: Memphis +1.5
Colorado State vs. Memphis
This Colorado State run has been amazing. The Rams are also way overrated in the markets because they’ve shot 47% from 3 — while opponents have shot 27% — during this 10-game winning streak — a mark made more stark when you consider they play a shell-like defense that allows a high volume of 3-point attempts.
Meanwhile, it’s a fact of life that you fade Penny Hardaway as a favorite and back him as an underdog. The Tigers are 71-79 ATS as a favorite and 35-19 ATS as an underdog during Hardaway’s tenure as head coach.
