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College Basketball Betting Prediction: 2018 March Madness East Regional

East Region 2018 March Madness Betting Prediction

Written by on February 15, 2018

NCAA Basketball Betting News
If you’re fired up about the quickly approaching 2018 March Madness Betting action and you’re looking for a bit of assistance in predicting which teams will be in the field and which ones could get left out in the cold, then you’re in luck. This expert preview at the likely top four and bottom four seeds in the East Region will help you identify some teams that could end up in the East while looking at some possible matchups and eventually NCAAB Oods upsets that could take place in the region. Let’s get started.

East Region 2018 March Madness Betting Prediction

No. 1 Michigan State (25-3) vs No. 16 Canisius (18-9)

The second-ranked Michigan State Spartans have reeled off nine straight wins at the time of this writing and beat former No. 3 Purdue 68-65 last week to move up to No. 2 in the nation. Now, a top seed looks more likely than just possible. The Canisius Golden Griffins are in second place in the Metro Athletic Conference, but they’re on fire right now, having won five straight and nine of 10. Their stellar 16-8-1 ATS marks tell me they could cover the chalk as a big underdog in their tourney opener, no matter who they play!

No. 2 Villanova (23-3) vs. No. 15 Buffalo (19-7)

The Wildcats have had some recent struggles, but I’m expecting the Wildcats to right their ship by the time the NCAA Tournament rolls around – and if they do, they could still be in play for what once looked like a sure-fire No. 1 seed. Buffalo has won three of their last four at the time of this writing and look like a really good pick to earn a No. 15 seed in the East. The Bulls can also put points on the board in a hurry as they average a stellar 83.7 points per game (21st).

No. 3 Duke (21-5) vs. No. 14 Bucknell (19-9)

12th-ranked Duke has the look of a No. 3 seed after dropping consecutive games against St. John’s and North Carolina before winning their last two over Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Duke comes in as one of the College Basketball Betting favorites to win it all in 2018. Patriot League-leading Bucknell has won nine of 10 and looks like a team that won’t get completely embarrassed by the Blue Devils as they average a fantastic 81.1 points per game to rank 39th nationally in scoring.

No. 4 Rhode Island (21-3) vs. No. 13 East Tennessee State (22-5)

Don’t be surprised by Rhode Island! Not only are the rams averaging a solid 77.3 points per game (88th), but they’re also limiting the opposition to just 66.4 points per game defensively (41st) and have the look of a team that could very well surprise a higher seed in the second or third round. Then again, maybe you should keep an eye on Southern Conference-leading East Tennessee State, seeing as how they’re averaging 76.6 points per game (105th) and holding the opposition to just 65.5 points per game defensively (26th). Right now, here’s who I have as my last four in and last eight out of the 2018 NCAA Tournament!
  • Last four in: Nebraska, NC State, Missouri, Texas A&M.
  • Last four out: Virginia Tech, Houston, Mississippi State, St. Bonaventure.
  • Next four out: Syracuse, Western Kentucky, Old Dominion, Penn State.
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