NCAA Basketball March Madness Odds: VCU Rams Vs Gaels Betting Analysis

It doesn’t matter what sport you talk about, heading into the playoffs or a tournament on a hot streak can lead to a deep run. We see it all the time, with teams getting hot in the final couple of weeks and suddenly feeling as though they are invincible. You add in the fact that some teams, especially those lower seeded, head into March Madness with the pressure essentially off them and you get the perfect storm that delivers the potential for upsets. Every year, we get a bracket buster or two that defies the NCAAB odds and goes on a run, bur who will it be this season? Might the VCU Rams be one of those teams? They head into the opening round of the tournament as a 4-point underdog against Saint Mary’s, with the point total for this one set at 122 ½. Let’s take a closer look.

#12 VCU Rams Vs #5 Saint Mary’s Gaels Game Info | March Madness Lines

When: Friday, March 17 at 2 PM EST
Where: MVP Arena, Albany
TV: TBS

Why bet on the VCU Rams

The Rams are coming off a fantastic year, winning the Atlantic 10 regular season by 3 games and then going on to win the conference tournament. The Rams ended the season on a 9-game win streak and are now very much in the habit of winning. Whether they can carry that over into a tough opening round game remains to be seen, though, but the spread here suggests that they might just be able to stick around in this game. VCU is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games played in the month of March and are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 overall. Perhaps more convincing is the fact that they are 11-5 ATS in the last 16 games that they started as the underdog, which they are doing in this one. In terms of the point total, the Rams have been all about the UNDER, with 10 of their last 14 games going that route.

Why bet on the Saint Mary’s Gaels

If we are being honest, Saint Mary’s are probably delighted to be moving out of the West Coast Conference and into the tournament. They closed out the season with 2 losses in their final 3 games, both at the hands of Gonzaga, with one of those defeats coming in the conference tournament. On the face of it, this looks like a more favorable matchup than those Gonzaga outings, but you do have to wonder if those losses have planted a little seed of doubt. In fairness, the Gaels have won 17 of their last 20 games, so I don’t imagine their confidence has taken too much of a knock. They are also on a 5-game win streak when playing as a favorite and are 9-3 SU in their last 12 Friday games. They have had success against the Atlantic 10, covering in 5 of the last 7 games versus that conference. The OVER has hit in 6 of their last 7 in the month of March.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I don’t think this one will be as close as the bookies expect, as I like Saint Mary’s to bounce back and come away with the win, covering the spread in the process. I also like the OVER in this one. VCU Rams 66 Saint Mary’s Gaels 75

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?