We’ve given you our 2026 NCAA Tournament winner picks.
Now, ahead of Thursday’s opening-round games, here are our top March Madness predictions for the first day of action.
Let’s get into it.
March Madness Best Bets for Thursday
All college basketball odds used for these Thursday March Madness Round 1 predictions are current as of Wednesday, March 18, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Duke -27.5 (-118) vs Siena
Siena was a favorite of bettors, going 20-14 against the spread, but let’s be frank, the Saints are out of their league here.
Some may fade Duke due to injuries to center Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster, but the reality is they’re not needed here. This, like most 1 vs. 16 matchups, is a mismatch of mismatches.
Siena played the 347th-toughest schedule in the country and owns the 294th-ranked offense. That won’t play against presumptive National Player of the Year Cam Boozer and Duke, whose No. 2-ranked defense is likely to cause havoc and turn this into a rout.
Back the Blue Devils as one of your best college basketball bets today.
VCU +2.5 (-108) vs North Carolina
North Carolina has managed to stay afloat without star forward Caleb Wilson, winning five of its final eight games. But three of those wins came against ACC lightweights Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech.
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Now comes VCU, which has won six straight and 16 of its last 17. The Rams have been incredibly tough defensively during that stretch, holding opponents to an average of 68.4 points per game.
Even in a virtual road game in Greenville, S.C., VCU is one of my March Madness best bets.
Troy +12.5 (-102) vs Nebraska
Fear not, Cornhuskers fans. Nebraska — the only power school to have never won a March Madness game — will finally get off the schneid.
The thing is, I don’t think it’ll come by double-digits.
Nebraska went 6-6 down the stretch, including a 74-58 loss to Purdue in the Big Ten quarterfinals. The Cornhuskers also were beaten 72-52 by UCLA in their penultimate regular-season game. Their ATS record over that stretch was an uninspiring 5-6-1.
No stranger to the Big Dance, back-to-back Sun Belt champion Troy went 6-1 ATS as an underdog this season, including five outright upsets.
Gonzaga -20.5 (-108) vs Kennesaw State
Gonzaga has won 16 straight first-round games dating back to 2002, the longest active streak in the country.
There’s no chance that ends here.
Graham Ike and the WCC champions will overwhelm Kennesaw State, which was just 10-10 against league opponents before winning the Conference USA Tournament.
Consider this wager with our best sportsbook promos.
