Best College Basketball Bets | March Madness First Four, March 18

The NCAA Tournament has arrived! Finally, March Madness is here as the opening night of the First Four tips off in Dayton tonight with a pair of games. Brackets are still being filled out nationwide, but you can take your shot at securing a shining moment with these best bets from SportsGrid.

We’ve covered you with our favorite plays from Tuesday’s showdowns!

Where to Watch Alabama State vs St. Francis (PA)

• Arena: UD Arena
• Location: Dayton, OH 
• Date: Tuesday, March 18
• Time: 6:40 p.m.
• Where to Watch: TruTV
• Spread: ALST -3.5 | Total: 139.5
• Moneyline: ALST -178 | SFPA +146

Best Bet: Alabama State (-3.5) and UNDER 139.5

Alabama State went 12-6 in the SWAC but emerged as the champions in the conference tournament. The Hornets are a defensive-minded team that relies on athleticism and hustle to harass opponents and muck up the game. The St. Francis (PA) Red Storm was a shocking winner of the Northeast Conference and entered the tournament as the lowest-rated squad in the field. They were just 8-8 in the league and 16-17 overall, with an offensive efficiency outside of the top 300 in offensive efficiency. That spells trouble for the Red Storm against an Alabama State defense that turns teams over and excels in transition from those turnovers. St. Francis’ shocking run to the Big Dance ends tonight, and Alabama State will win and cover in a defensive slugfest that likely will not be pretty.

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Where to Watch North Carolina vs San Diego State

• Arena: UD Arena
• Location: Dayton, OH 
• Date: Tuesday, March 18
• Time: 6:40 p.m.
• Where to Watch: TruTV
• Spread: UNC -4.5 | Total: 142.5
• Moneyline: UNC -225 | SDSU +184

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Best Bets: North Carolina (-4.5)

The biggest surprise of Selection Sunday was the North Carolina Tar Heels being included in the field over teams like West Virginia or Indiana. The Tar Heels were 1-12 in Quad 1 games and had no statistical argument to be chosen, and there is swirling controversy around the selection. Still, the games go on, and North Carolina got a favorable draw with a matchup against the San Diego State Aztecs. SDSU has lost three of the last six games and was beaten convincingly by Boise State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament. That followed an ugly loss to UNLV to close the regular season. It is fair to say UNC has played much better in March than the Aztecs and has much more offensive firepower if they can continue to find the range from distance. North Carolina’s players have undoubtedly heard the noise surrounding their inclusion, and we have previously seen surprise selections rise to the occasion and put on impressive displays. Selecting North Carolina to win and cover is a pick against San Diego State and the overrated Mountain West.

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