The start of this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament has been predictably rich in excitement and upsets. Four of the 16 teams set to play on Sunday are double-digit seeds, which can make it difficult to weigh up the best bets to lock in before March Madness quiets down for a few days.
Fortunately, we’ve done the research, and have put together a few tips for Sunday’s games. Check out our top betting nuggets for each of the March 24th matchups below.
Early games
| Team |  | | Team | Date/Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Marquette | -4.5 | o/u 149.0 | (10) Colorado | March 24, 12:10 PM |
| (1) Purdue | -11.5 | o/u 149.0 | (8) Utah State | March 24, 2:40 PM |
| (4) Duke | -7.5 | o/u 148.0 | (12) James Madison | March 24, 5:15 PM |
| (3) Baylor | -4.5 | o/u 145.0 | (6) Clemson | March 24, 6:10 PM |
All odds courtesy of 
(10) Colorado vs. (2) Marquette – 12:10 p.m. ET
- Marquette and Colorado have both covered the spread at an impressive clip in recent weeks, as the Golden Eagles and Buffaloes have each gone 7-3 against the spread during their last ten games.
- Marquette went 15-5 against the spread and 21-3 overall this season when scoring over 71 points, which is the average number of points per game that Colorado allowed this year.
- Marquette averaged 8.6 steals per game this season (tied for 28th-best in the nation) and forced opposing teams to turn the ball over 14.8 times per game (tied for 32nd-best in the country), while Colorado committed 12.7 turnovers per game (270th in the nation).
(8) Utah State vs. (1) Purdue – 2:40 p.m. ET
- Purdue has covered the spread in just three of its last ten games, while Utah State has also struggled in this department by racking up a 3-5-2 record against the spread during this same stretch (both teams did, however, cover the spread during their respective first-round NCAA tournament games).
- Purdue has shot over 40% from behind the three-point line (2nd-highest three-point percentage in the nation) and made 8.4 three-pointers per game this season, while Utah State has held opponents to 29.1% from three (3rd-lowest in the country) and 6.3 made three-pointers per game this season.
- Purdue has been one of the best-rebounding teams in the country this season with 40.6 rebounds per game (6th-most in the nation), while Utah State has averaged just 35.8 rebounds per game (121st in the country) and got outrebounded by TCU in the first round by 11.
Bet on Purdue vs. Utah State
PER -11.5
UTS +11.5
(12) James Madison vs. (4) Duke – 5:15 p.m. ET
- Duke has gone 7-3 against the spread in its last ten games, while James Madison has gone just 5-5 against the spread during its last ten contests.
- Duke averaged 79.4 points per game this season and was ranked 11th overall in offensive efficiency, while James Madison scored 82.6 points per game this season (13th-best in the nation) and was ranked 23rd overall in offensive efficiency.
- James Madison averaged 8.9 steals per game (13th-best in the country) and forced opponents to commit 14.4 turnovers per game this season, while Duke only committed 9.7 turnovers per game (22nd-lowest in the nation).
(6) Clemson vs. (3) Baylor – 6:10 p.m. ET
- Baylor shot just under 40% from behind the three-point line (4th-best in the country) and averaged 8.8 made three-pointers per game this season, while Clemson allowed opposing teams to shoot a middle-of-the-pack 33.4% from three and make 8.0 three-pointers per game (272nd in the nation).
- Clemson has the ninth-best team free-throw percentage in the country at 78.8%, while Baylor just barely cracks the top 100 with the 97th-best team free-throw percentage in the nation at 74%.
- Baylor has gone over the game total during six of its last ten games, while Clemson has only gone over the game total in three of its last ten contests.
Late games
| Team | | | Team | Date/Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (4) Alabama | -6.0 | o/u 169.0 | (12) Grand Canyon | March 24, 7:10 PM |
| (1) Connecticut | -14.0 | o/u 135.5 | (9) Northwestern | March 24, 7:45 PM |
| (1) Houston | -10.0 | o/u 134.5 | (9) Texas A&M | March 24, 8:40 PM |
| (5) San Diego State | -5.5 | o/u 129.0 | (13) Yale | March 24, 9:40 PM |
All odds courtesy of
(12) Grand Canyon vs. (4) Alabama – 7:10 p.m. ET
- Alabama has averaged a nation-best 91.3 points per game this season and averaged more than 96 points per game over its last three contests, while Grand Canyon has allowed opposing teams to score just 66.7 points per game this season (30th-lowest in the country).
- Alabama has gone over the game total in nine of its last ten games and 15 of its last 20 games, while Grand Canyon has gone over the game total in all three of its postseason games this year.
- Alabama went 15-6 against the spread this season when favoured by at least 6 points, while Grand Canyon was only the betting underdog in three games this year and won all of them outright, including a win against Saint Mary’s in the Antelopes’ first-round NCAA Tournament game.
(9) Northwestern vs. (1) Connecticut – 7:45 p.m. ET
- Connecticut has gone 9-6 against the spread in games with betting spreads of -13 or higher this season, while Northwestern has only been a double-digit underdog once this season, covering a +14 spread against Purdue, a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
- Connecticut and Northwestern have both gone under the game total in seven of their last ten contests, with UConn holding opponents to just 64.1 points per game (8th-lowest in the nation) and Northwestern holding opponents to just 68.9 points per game this season.
- Northwestern has been the seventh-best three-point shooting team in the country this season shooting 39.3% from behind the three-point line, while Connecticut has held opponents to shooting at just a 31.4% clip from three this season.
Bet on Houston vs. Texas A&M
HOU -10.0
A&M +10.0
(9) Texas A&M vs. (1) Houston – 8:40 p.m. ET
- Houston and Texas A&M matched up earlier this season with the Cougars earning a 70-66 win over the Aggies but failing to cover a 7-point spread.
- Houston has only allowed opposing teams to score 56.7 points per game this season, giving them the top-rated scoring defence in the country, while Texas A&M has scored 75.5 points per game this season and averaged 95 points per game over its last three contests.
- Houston has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over 16 times per game on average this season (12th-best in the country), while Texas A&M has managed to commit just 9.6 turnovers per game, good for 16th-lowest in the nation.
(13) Yale vs. (5) San Diego State – 9:40 p.m. ET
- Yale has covered the spread in 15 of its last 20 games, including going 2-1 ATS so far in the postseason, while San Diego State has gone 3-7 against the spread in its last 10 games, including going 1-3 ATS during the postseason.
- San Diego State won 18 of the 19 games it played this season in which the Aztecs were favoured by at least -250 on the money line, while Yale won just one of the three games in which the Bulldogs were +200 or worse on the money line.
- San Diego State has won the last ten games the Aztecs have played on Sundays straight up.
