2025 NCAAB Men’s Tournament First Round - Best Bets & Betting Odds - March 20
All odds provided by Betway.
No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Drake - West Region - Wichita, KS @ 7:35PM
You never like to see a favorite stumbling their way into the tournament, but that’s what the Missouri Tigers are doing, losing five of their last seven. Drake operates the slowest pace in the nation, and we think they should be able to slow down the Tigers. Missouri’s fast pace and success is predicated on turning a lot of turnovers into points, but they won’t be able to do that against a very responsible Bulldogs offense.
Missouri has also been sloppy as anything recently, allowing 18.4 points off turnovers in their last five. It’s also worth noting that three No. 11 seeds upset No. 6s last year, and No. 11s have the best upset potential of any of the lower seeds, with a .391 winning percentage since 1985. We could play it safe with the spread, but this is March, and we like the Bulldogs straight up.
Best Bet: Drake Moneyline (+220)
No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas - West Region - Providence, RI @ 7:10PM
Staying in the West region, we also like another upset in the No. 7 and No. 10 matchup. The No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks are a blue blood program, but apart from their run to the National Title in 2022, they have not made it out of the first weekend since 2018.
March Madness is also about coaches, and No. 10 Arkansas’ new head coach, John Calipari, is one of the most experienced coaches in this year’s competition. His Razorbacks played in the brutal SEC, and after a tough start, they rattled off eight wins in their last 13 conference games, including seven against tournament teams. Kansas has also been unreliable recently, losing three of their last five and going 9-9 since mid-March. We’ll settle for the points on the Razorbacks we’re getting from betting sites here.
Best Bet: Arkansas Razorbacks +5.0 Point Spread (-110)
No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Georgia - Midwest Region - Wichita, KS @ 4:35PM
Gonzaga is a high-flying delight, so why not cheer for them to make another deep run? They have not lost in the First Round since 2008 and have made the Sweet 16 in nine straight tournaments. They are also top 12 in turnovers, top two in scoring, and top five in free throw percentage in the nation. Georgia, meanwhile, did beat Florida, but they were 3-10 against AP ranked teams the rest of the year.
Georgia has had two different four-game losing streaks recently, and they lost in the first round of the SEC tournament. Meanwhile, Gonzaga has dominated the March Madness First Round. They’ve won by 21, 12, 21, 43, 38, 4, 20, 16, and 10 in the last nine seasons. We’re taking them to win and cover, and a double-digit triumph wouldn’t be a surprise.
Best Bet: Gonzaga -6.5 Point Spread (-110)
