NCAAB March Madness Bet of the Day: No. 6 USC vs. No.3 Kansas

Through just the first day of the second round, there are already major storylines, including Loyola Chicago back on the national stage after knocking out a No. 1 seed and a No. 15 seed also still alive in Oral Roberts. Yesterday in this article we talked about how Oral Roberts was getting way too many points in the betting market and there was value to be had. Let’s dive right back into this Monday slate of games to see which games stand out from a betting picks perspective.

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NCAAB March Madness: Picks, Odds & Trends

No. 6 USC vs. No. 3 Kansas

The game that has me most interested is the final one: No. 6 USC against No. 3 Kansas. Surprisingly, USC is a 1-point favorite here despite being the lower seed, and that speaks to how competitive this matchup is going to be. I also lean to USC here and am willing to lay the point.

USC took care of business in the first round, beating Drake 72-56 thanks to a second-half surge. It was no surprise that they leaned inside with their future NBA lottery pick Evan Mobley, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way. They rely on their inside presence to make up for an average-at-best 3-point game and sub-par free-throw shooting. Still, they should have an advantage inside here and showed their defensive abilities on Saturday, holding Drake to just 29% shooting. Kansas isn’t a great shooting team, ranking 172nd in the country in effective field-goal percentage.

Speaking of Kansas, they did get the job done in Round 1 despite dealing with some COVID issues heading into the game. Forward Jalen Wilson didn’t play, and David McCormack was supposed to be limited to just a handful of minutes. When it became clear Kansas was in for a real test, the minutes limit was scrapped and McCormack led the charge back with 22 points and 9 boards in 25 minutes. He will be relied on heavily again today against the USC frontcourt. Wilson is expected back but will not be 100%, and how many minutes he can pay remains a mystery.

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I give Kansas credit for being able to deal with a tough situation in Round 1 against Eastern Washington, but this is a totally different test of team. USC has a big advantage in the frontcourt, and I expect them to win the rebounding battle soundly in this spot. Even with Wilson returning, Kansas’ depth is thin up front, and foul trouble could easily be an issue. Furthermore, the Pac-12 has shown itself to be vastly underrated, with an impressive 6-0 start to the tournament. Vegas clearly has factored that in, with USC a 1-point favorite against the 3 seed, but it is still not enough. USC has the advantage in key areas that will make the difference, so this would not even an upset. I will lay the point with the lower-seeded Trojans and believe they will do enough with Mobley on the inside to move on to the Sweet 16.

My NCAAB March Madness Pick: USC -1

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Ben Rasa

*Ben Rasa (aka Jazzraz)* has been involved with sports and numbers for quite some time dabbling in the poker world , sports wagering and of course finding a home in the DFS world. While he enjoys playing NFL, NCAAF and NBA he has found his best advantage on the links with PGA and the Euro Tour. Jazzraz focuses on GPPs and uses a analytical approach to try and find pricing inefficiencies as well as trying to go against the grain to find those under owned lesser know players that can make the difference in giant field tournaments. You can contact Ben by emailing [email protected].