NCAA Basketball Predictions, Odds & Best Bets (3/18)

Published: Tue Mar 18, 2025, 2:28 pm ET

Read Time: 4 minutes

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The madness officially begins! We have two First Four matchups today as well as some NIT action, so let's dive in to our best bets on the College Hoops slate for Tuesday!

For all of our Expert NCAA Basketball Picks, check out our page here.

Be sure to get all of my picks on my Twitter (@Shaggy_Bets)

NCAA Basketball Best Bets – March 18th, 2025

St Francis (PA) vs Alabama State Predictions

St. Francis (PA) and Alabama State go head to head in the First Four

Can Riley Parker lead the Red Flash over the Hornets?

Best Bets: St. Francis (PA) +4 (-114) BetOnline

Back the Red Flash with me tonight.

San Diego State vs North Carolina Predictions

RJ Davis leads the Tar Heels in the First Four

Can Davis and North Carolina take down San Diego State?

Best Bets: UNC -4.5 (-113)BetOnline

Read why Colby Marchio is backing the Tar Heels in the First Four tonight.

CS Northridge vs Stanford: NIT First Round

Marcus Adams and Northridge take on Stanford

Back the Matadors on the road tonight

Best Bets: CSUN +7 (-105) BetOnline

The Matadors are on the road tonight in Stanford and I think they are getting too many points. Even though they are a bit undersized when it comes to guarding Maxime Raynaud, the Matadors will push the pace and make Stanford's life hell on offense.

CS Northridge is Top 40 in turnovers forced, Top 30 in offensive rebounding while ranking 6th in offensive rebounds allowed. Despite being undersized, they know rebounding is all heart and they do plenty of it. As I said, they'll push the pace, ranking Top 10 in possessions per game, which will not be to Stanford's liking. I see the Cardinal overlooking their Big West opponent and underestimating them.

Stanford can't get to the free throw line which will be a key in this ball game. They also rank 296th in FT Rate defense at home. The Matadors travel well and are Top 35 at getting to the stripe on the road where they shoot over 70% as a team. CSUN is a funky bunch who won't go down easy, and I think they can cover for us tonight.

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Nate Hornung

Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.

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