NCAA Tournament Predictions – Wager on a Pair of Saturday’s Biggest Games

Looking for some NCAA Tournament Predictions to cash in on this weekend? Well you’ve come to the right place, as we highlight a pair of big games.

Who’ll win when Pitt plays Butler and UConn goes head-to-head with Cincinnati? Let’s take a look.

No. 8 Butler Bulldogs (24-9 SU, 16-13-2 ATS) vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers (28-5 SU, 15-13 ATS)
Saturday, March 19 – 7:10 p.m. TBS, Live from Verizon Center, Washington D.C.

Betting Odds:
Butler: +7 ½
Pittsburgh: -7 ½

Starting in the late evening, we’ve got an interesting matchup that doesn’t “feel,” like a No. 8 vs. No. 1 matchup. That’s when last year’s runner-ups Butler, will take on Pittsburgh.

For the Bulldogs of Butler, Thursday afternoon continued their recent run of NCAA Tournament success, when they beat Old Dominion 60-58, on a buzzer-beating layup by forward Matt Howard at the buzzer. Speaking of Howard, he and senior guard Shelvin Mack led this club with 15 points apiece in Thursday’s win. It was Butler’s 10th straight win overall, and third straight against the spread.

Of course when it comes to the NCAA Tournament Predictions, it’ll be a totally different ball-game when they take Pitt Saturday evening. The Panthers are one of the elite programs in the country, and showed it with Thursday’s opening round win over UNC-Asheville. The Panthers got 26 points from guard Ashton Gibbs, another 12 from forward Nasir Robinson, and most importantly played their best defense of the year in the 74-51 win. Pitt held UNC-Asheville to just 30.9 shooting on the day.

As for Saturday’s showdown, we expect a back-and-forth exciting affair, leading to a Butler cover in the NCAA Tournament Picks.

For the record, we like Pitt to win this one straight up. They’re too big, too experienced and too talented. But with both clubs playing such steady defense, we expect the Bulldogs to cover the points. Remember, as good as Pitt is defensively, Butler is nearly the same, holding opponents to just 64 points per game this year.

Pitt will win this game. But when it comes to our NCAA Tournament Predictions, take Butler to cover!

NCAA Tournament Picks: Butler +7 ½

No. 6 Cincinnati Bearcats (26-8 SU, 16-13 ATS) vs. No. 3 UConn Huskies (27-9 SU, 19-11 ATS)
Saturday, March 19: 9:40 p.m. TBS, Live from Verizon Center, Washington D.C.

Quickly, let’s look at the second half of these NCAA Tournament Predictions, when UConn and Cincinnati get together in the second game in Washington D.C. Interestingly, the Huskies defeated the Bearcats in Cincinnati back on February 27.

And honestly, with the way the Huskies have been playing, we don’t expect much different here. Simply put, UConn is college basketball’s hottest team right now, having won the Big East Conference Tournament, and their first round opener, all since last Tuesday. Amazingly, they are 6-0 straight up, and 6-0 against the spread in the last 12 days. And with Jeremy Lamb and Roscoe Smith (33 combined points) adding offense alongside Kemba Walker (18 points), this has become a scary club. They are no longer just a one man team.
Cincinnati has been playing well themselves, but are ultimately no matchup for the Huskies. When it comes to your NCAA Tournament Predictions, UConn will cruise to victory.

NCAA Tournament Picks: UConn