The Daily Sweat: Picks for Tuesday's First Four games, as March Madness begins

The First Four games of the NCAA tournament are a bit odd. It's possible you haven't even filled out your entire bracket when the Big Dance is officially tipping off on Tuesday evening. Las Vegas will be a madhouse for March Madness by Thursday morning, but on Tuesday night you can have just about any seat you'd like in any sportsbook.

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Still, it's college basketball and there are point spreads. So here are the picks for the First Four games to be held on Tuesday in Dayton, with spreads from BetMGM:

Texas Southern (-3.5) over Texas A&M Corpus Christi

The No. 16 vs. No. 16 seed games in the First Four are like the Olympics: You'd never watch this game (or rhythmic gymnastics, or short track speed skating), but slap "March Madness" on the court and there will be an audience. Texas Southern is clearly the better team, having won 13 of 15 to finish the season. It also has a win over Florida from early December. Texas A&M Corpus Christi got hot at the right time and it was great for the Islanders to win the Southland tournament, but the right team is favored.

Indiana (-3.5) over Wyoming

A better second game, but there's a reason these teams are in Dayton. Indiana rallied in the Big Ten tournament to make the field, but there's something to be said about creating some momentum late. Trayce Jackson-Davis is a very good forward for Indiana, which is a good defensive team. Wyoming has had a good season, but the Cowboys will want to bang it down low, which might not work as well against IU as it does in the Mountain West. There are many underdog picks to come, but we'll start the tournament by picking two favorites to cover.

Here's a first look at the rest of the sports betting slate for Tuesday:

Four NBA games on the schedule

For those who aren't looking to watch teams who barely made the NCAA tournament, there are four NBA games. The Detroit Pistons have been covering a lot of spreads lately, and they're a big underdog against the Miami Heat. Detroit had covered 10 spreads in a row before a half-point spread loss to the Clippers on Sunday. They're 12.5-point underdogs on Tuesday night and worth a bet.

Another intriguing game is the Phoenix Suns against the New Orleans Pelicans, who have shown some signs of life against the spread since the end of January. The Suns are 6.5-point favorites. It could end up being a surprisingly challenging game for Phoenix.

Are there any NHL games?

The NHL has 11 games on the schedule on an otherwise light Tuesday. The best game of the night might be the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Nashville Predators. The Penguins are 36-15-9 but will be tested on the road at Nashville, which is 34-21-4. The Predators are slight underdogs at -105, with the Penguins at -115.

What's the best bet?

Let's go with college basketball, since it's March Madness fever this week, and take Indiana. The Hoosiers looked good in the Big Ten tournament and while Wyoming has had a good season, if IU plays like it did last week it should win and cover.