Big Ten big men enough for Indiana vs. Kent State? Best Picks for Friday (March 17)

A reminder for those who haven’t signed up yet: New users can get a risk-free bet at Caesars Sportsbook, meaning that if your first bet loses, you get a bonus bet for the same amount up to $1,250. New users also get 1,000 Caesars Rewards points to redeem for hotel or casino credit.

Here are our best bets for Friday, March 17:

TOP PLAY

The play: NCAA Tournament money line, Indiana over Kent State

The odds/bet: -190 ($57 to win $30)

The book: Caesars Sportsbook

Time/TV: 8:55 p.m. (TBS)

Our take: I have gone back and forth with this one, but then I realized how much talk there has been on Kent State. Meanwhile, we forget the Hoosiers have potentially two first-round NBA draft picks in their frontcourt.

Oh, and the big 13 over a 4 upset came Thursday with Furman defeating Virginia.

As well as the Golden Flashes have played, to think they can matchup with a Big Ten team that has been successful in both high-scoring matchups and low-scoring ones, this could be the beginning of a mini-run for Indiana after a quick out in the conference tournament.

We’re a little leery of that 4½-point spread, as this could be a bit of a sweat toward the end, so we’ll take the money line here, especially as a ton of amateurs are jumping on the Flashes.

ZIGGING AND ZAGGING

The play: NCAA Men’s Tournament, Gonzaga -15.5 over Grand Canyon

The odds/bet: -106 ($21.20 to win $20)

The book: FanDuel

Time/TV: 6:35 p.m. (truTV)

Our take: In a season where less is expected of them, maybe this is the season the Bulldogs make a bit of a run. We’ll learn a lot about whether that could be the case tonight, as they should run past the Antelopes in this first-round game.

Grand Canyon hasn’t seen anything like Gonzaga this season, as the closest they have come was Nevada in the early party of the season, and that was a 13-point loss as a 1.5-point favorite.

One has to think the Zags are going to be on a mission – especially early – with something to prove, and there’s no better way to do that than with a huge, impressive victory.

HOW WE’VE FARED

Thursday’s best bets

NCAA Tournament: Tennessee -11 over UL (LOST $33)

NCAA Tournament: UCLA -17.5 over UNC Asheville (WON $10)

Thursday’s profit/loss: -$23 (1-1)

Total for the week: +$27 (4-3, 1 pending)

Total for March: +$137.50 (18-14, 1 pending)

Total for 2023: +$5.50 (50-54, 1 pending)

NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)

Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).