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In order to win a championship, a team never wants to play more games than is absolutely necessary. That isn’t always possible, though, in March Madness, as some teams will need to play an extra game. In recent years, the introduction of the First Four group of games gave an opportunity for teams to make their way into the first round of the tournament. It’s a great addition that helps build up the excitement for the opening round, but you have to wonder if the teams that come out of it have a little bit of an advantage. Yes, they will have to go up against a higher seed in Round 1, but they will already have had a taste of the do or die nature of the tournament. Pittsburgh won their way in and will open up the tournament against Iowa State as a 4-point underdog. The point total for this one is set at 131. Let’s take a look at the NCAA basketball odds, so you can prepare your betting strategies for this expected game.

#11 Pitt Panthers Vs #5 Iowa State Cyclones Game Info | March Madness Lines

When: Friday, March 17 at 3:10 PM EST
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro
TV: truTV

Why bet on the Pitt Panthers

In the grand scheme of things, the Pitt Panthers did not have the best end to the season, losing 4 of their final 7 games, including going out early to Duke in the ACC Tournament. They probably needed the First Four game to get some of their mojo back, which they did with a 60-59 win over Mississippi State. This figures to be a tougher game for them, though, but as we mentioned earlier, the game against the Bulldogs might actually have helped them get into the sudden death mindset. They have not had a ton of success versus teams from the Big 12, winning just 1 of their last 7 games versus teams from that conference. Where they might be a good bet is against the spread, as they have covered in 9 of their last 13 games. The Panthers are also 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games as an underdog. The OVER has hit in 6 of their last 8 games.

Why bet on the Iowa State Cyclones

If there is a team that looks to be in danger of losing to a lower seed in the opening round, you have to say that the Iowa State Cyclones fit the bill. They had an absolute nightmare second half of the season, going just 6-11 SU in their last 17 games, which is certainly not the type of form displayed by a team about to go on a deep run in March Madness. During that run, they have gone 2-5 SU in their last 7 games, and things are not much better if you are looking at playing the Cyclones against the spread. They are just 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games, but perhaps more importantly, just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games playing as a favorite. One the bright side, the Panthers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 versus teams from the ACC. The UNDER has hit in 7 of their last 9.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I think we could be looking at the minor upset here when you consider just how poor the Cyclones have been over the last couple of months. If you want to play it safe, go with the Panthers to cover. Pittsburgh Panthers 72 Iowa State Cyclones 70

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