The smaller conferences have had their tournaments wrap up already, which means that we’re seeing some of the automatic qualifiers occupy spots in the 68-team field for the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
The Southern Conference winner, the Furman Paladins, are back in the Big Dance for the first time since 1980. They knocked off Chattanooga, 88-79, on Monday night in a game that was far from easy. The Paladins ran out to a 30-11 lead before Chattanooga went on a run to draw within 30-26. The lead shrank to three, but Furman went into the locker room at halftime up five. Chattanooga got to 69-65 with 5:02 remaining in the second half, but they could not get closer than that. Jalen Swanson led Furman with 20 points, going 8 of 12 from the floor, making a pair of three-pointers. This will be Furman’s seventh NCAA tournament appearance overall; the last six all came between 1971 and 1980, and they have one win, a 75-67 upset of South Carolina in 1974. They lost to Pitt in the Sweet Sixteen (the tournament only had 48 teams at that time).
Let’s take a look at some of the other conference tournament action as you plan your NCAA Basketball betting for the day.
NCAA Basketball Betting: Top Bets for March 7 that You Must Take
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+6.5) vs Virginia Tech Hokies (O/U 144.5)
Tuesday March 7 | 7:00 pm ET
Notre Dame (11-20) enters the ACC Tournament as the 14th seed, and they will face 11-seed Virginia Tech in the first round. Notre Dame was a road underdog in their last game at Clemson on Saturday, and they got routed, 87-64. That gave them a 3-17 record in ACC play. Clemson roared out to an early 20-3 lead, and the Irish would never get closer than 14. Tey shot just 34.4$ from the floor while permitting Clemson to shoot 50.8%. Cormac Ryan was the top Notre Dame scorer with 19 points. The team only averages 69.8 points per contest, 226th in the nation.
Virginia Tech (18-13) beat Florida State on Saturday, 82-60, easily covering as 10-point favorites. They have an 8-12 record in ACC play; but against Florida State, they put the gas pedal down early, rolling out to an early 14-0 lead and never relinquishing their lead. The Seminoles closed to within four shortly after halftime, but then the Hokies went on a 16-2 run, shooting 51.8% from the floor on the night, including 16 of 34 from behind the arc. They only average 36.1% for their three-point shooting on the season, so they were hotter than usual in the win over the Seminoles. Virginia Tech to win and cover.
Gonzaga Bulldogs (-2.5) vs St. Mary’s (CA) Gaels (O/U 138.5)
Tuesday March 7 | 9:00 pm ET
Gonzaga (26-5) meets St. Mary’s in a predictable West Coast Conference Final from the Orleans Arena. Gonzaga runs a more up-tempo offense than the Gaels, averaging 88 points per game and shooting 52.9% from the floor for the field. They permit 73.6 points per game. Drew Timme is the top scorer, averaging 21.1 points per game, and Julian Strawther puts up 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Three-point shooting (38.2%) and free-throw shooting (69.8%) are both areas of improvement. They split their season series with the Gaels this season, with each team winning at home.
St. Mary’s (25-6) plays at a more deliberate pace, relying on their defense to win games. They score 71.9 points per game, shooting 46.1% from the floor, led by Logan Johnson (14.7 points per game) and Aidan Mahaney (14.6). Alex Ducas also averages double figures. The defense only permits 59.3 points per game and allows just 32% shooting from behind the three-point arc. This game is just the fourth time St. Mary’s has been an underdog this season. Gonzaga had the later game in the semifinals yesterday and had a difficult time fighting off San Francisco. St. Mary’s to cover.
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