Welcome to Day 2 of March Madness.
Our college basketball staff came through with four best bets to close out the first round on Friday night. So, whether you're looking to back a No. 1 seed to dominate or you want to get behind the defending national champions, we have you covered.
Check out our NCAA Tournament best bets and college basketball picks for the evening slate on Friday, March 21 below.
(Below, we've added an option to instantly tail our best bets as a parlay. While a parlay isn't our official recommendation for these plays, it's an option for those interested.)
NCAA Tournament Best Bets for Friday Night
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from Friday night's slate of NCAA Tournament 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:50 p.m. | |
  | 7:35 p.m. | |
  | 9:25 p.m. | |
  | 9:45 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. | ||
Norfolk State vs. Florida Pick
By Sean Paul
I backed a heavy favorite well in yesterday’s best bets column, and I’m doing so again today.
The Gators are a wagon. You can place the spread as high as you want, and they always meet or exceed expectations.
Norfolk State will struggle to get stops, but the bigger worry is on the glass. The Spartans rank 336th nationally in defensive rebounding rate, which will be a monster issue given the Gators snag 38% of their misses.
Norfolk State’s offense is predicated on putting its head down and driving, which won’t be a good game plan against Florida’s elite dribble and interior defense.
Even if Brian Moore and Christian Ings get past Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, they likely won’t score on Alex Condon and Ruben Chinyelu at the rim.
The Gators also run a rampant tempo and shoot a ton of 3s. That should lead to a big-time blowout win.
Pick: Florida -28.5 (Play to -30)
Akron vs. Arizona Pick
By John Feltman
This is the matchup to watch if you love up-tempo, explosive offenses. Sure, the total seems a tad high at 166.5, but there are so many paths to offense for both teams.
The most straightforward path to the over rests on the Zips’ shoulders. They might be small, but Akron is an outstanding team out of the MAC.
The Zips sit in the top 50 in the following offensive metrics, per KenPom:
- Effective Field-Goal Percentage
- 3-Point Percentage
- 2-Point Percentage
Despite not getting to the line much, they also shoot 75% from the charity stripe as a team.
Backcourt tandem Tavari Johnson and Sharron Young are flamethrowers from deep, both shooting 40% from beyond the arc.
Not only do the Zips love to go fast on offense, but so do the Wildcats. Arizona boasts an excellent offensive group that should take advantage of Akron's small size inside.
The Cats shoot just 32% from deep but are like the Zips and thrive in transition. Their size will cause major issues for Akron defensively, and they rank inside the top 75 in free-throw attempts per game.
Arizona is also outstanding on the offensive glass, which should lead to many easy putback opportunities. The Wildcats will cash in from the free-throw line and inside the arc all evening long without taking much time off the clock.
The number has already started to steam up, but I still love it at 167.5.
Pick: Over 166.5 (Play to 168)
Oklahoma vs. UConn Pick
My only hesitation here is that I feel too good about this pick. After regretting not committing more to my belief that Gonzaga would dispatch Georgia as handily as it did yesterday, I’m going to fully pledge myself to Hurley and his boys today.
UConn has played like a top-10 team at times this year. The Huskies battled through some injuries and some sideshow dramatics, but when playing their best, looked capable of a run into April.
Oklahoma can’t say the same.
The Sooners started 13-0, against a dismal nonconference schedule ranked 321st by KenPom. The SEC then slapped the Sooners around, resulting in a 6-12 conference record. Even worse: Against the eight SEC teams that earned a 6-seed or better, the Sooners had a 1-10 record.
Oklahoma’s weakness comes on the defensive interior, ranking in the bottom 100 in the country in 2-point percentage allowed and defensive rebounding rate.
The Huskies are big, and Hurley is smart. UConn is going to hammer the paint over and over again tonight with little expectation Oklahoma can stop it.
I’m taking UConn at this number and even dabbling some low-unit fliers on alternate lines, expecting a Husky blowout.
Pick: UConn -5.5 (Play to -6.5)
Xavier vs. Illinois Pick
The Xavier Musketeers and Illinois Fighting Illini will clash on Friday night from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Xavier enters the contest after a First Four win over the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday night, giving Sean Miller's team an opportunity in the Round of 64.
