LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– As the most hectic round of the NCAA Tournament begins, there will be plenty of bets being placed across Louisiana over the next few weeks. News 10 Sports will be looking for some of the best bets on the market throughout March Madness as the Round of 64 starts today.
As always throughout the tournament, remember to gamble responsibly.
Marquette Spread -10.5 (-110 Odds)
Marquette is coming off an incredible run in the big east tournament where the Golden Eagles captured their first conference championship in the process.
Last year Marquette fell flat in the first round against eventual championship contender North Carolina. This year I see different results for Head Coach Shaka Smart and his team.
Guards Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones will have a major contribution to this. Both of these sophomore guards have size and shooting that I think will be too much for Vermont to handle.
Johnathan Bulot predicts the Golden Eagles making a push for the sweet 16 or further.
Arkansas Moneyline (-130 Odds)
Both Arkansas and Illinois have had inconsistent seasons.
The Razorbacks finished with a losing SEC record after beginning the year as a preseason Top 10 Team. Meanwhile, Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini have lost a step from 2022.
Just last year this team was the 4 seed in the South. Arkansas seems a more likely win as this roster is young and is getting healthy at the right time.
The Razorbacks have already had matchups with the best teams in the SEC.
Watch out for Razorbacks guard Nick Smith Jr., a crafty 6’5 guard who can put the ball on the floor and create his own shot.
The Fighting Illini have not found much success in the tournament losing to both Loyola Chicago and Houston in the 2nd round of 2021 and 2022.
Bulot predicts Arkansas will take down Illinois. However, either of these teams will likely fall to the Kansas Jayhawks in the round of 32.
Louisiana Spread +10.5 (-110 Odds)
This line began the week at +10.5 and went up another point on Tuesday. There is already a level of uncertainty with Tennessee as Head Coach Rick Barnes has a 25-26 record in the NCAA Tournament
Cajuns Forward Jordan Brown can match the physicality that Tennessee plays with. Also, this Cajuns team is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, going 37% on the year and ranking 23rd in the nation.
The Vols can defend the 3-point line well but lost some firepower from the guard position with Sophomore Zakai Zeigler going down with an ACL injury against Arkansas on March 1.
Many people can feel comfortable taking Louisiana at +11.5 given the matchups and the loss of Zeigler. Knowing that this is Louisiana’s first appearance in the tournament since 2014, Louisiana will treat this game as if it is the NCAA Championship.
There will be more coverage of Louisiana’s preparation going into the tournament tonight, March 15, at 6:30. A second special presentation by will air on Thursday on Cajun Nation at 5:30 p.m. Tip off is thursday at 8:40 p.m. You can watch Louisiana (13) take on Tennessee (4) on KLFY.
