Betting: Should you avoid Baylor (-25.5) vs Hartford?
Preston Johnson previews his top bets in the South Region in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Video Transcript
- Preston, help us make a little coin in this region. What bets do you like here?
PRESTON JOHNSON: All right, we're going to go with another side and another total. The first one, I know you generally hear you're supposed to bet underdogs. It's the sharp side. That's not always the case.
I like Baylor minus 25 and 1/2 points. I know that they started falling off down the stretch, but I think that's what we're kind of getting a buy low opportunity, and really, they shouldn't get hung up against the Hartford squad that's just inferior. And what's interesting about Hartford defensively this year. The reason they were able to even win games is their opponents only shot 28.7% from 3. It's absurdly low. It's not sustainable.
Now they turn and face a Baylor team that was number one in the country in 3-point shooting. They shot nearly 42%. Hartford, can they hang offensively? No. They ranked outside the top 250 in adjusted efficiency.
They don't get to the free throw line. They don't create offensive rebounds for extra possessions. I think this is a runaway. I think it's Baylor side. I have it projected 27 and 1/2. So 25 and 1/2, I think it's a worthwhile bet.
And then real quick for the total. Oral Roberts, Ohio State. Oral Roberts is going to run up and down. They also have one of the worst defenses in the country. I think they rank 278th.
We know about Ohio State's offense. We just saw them make a run at the Big Ten Tournament. Everyone discusses Gonzaga, Iowa, Baylor, those three offenses. Guess who's number four. It's the Buckeyes.
They're going be able to score at will. And Oral Roberts, they shoot 39% from 3, 10th best in the country. I think they'll make a few and they can hang. So I see over the 154 1/2 points.