March Madness: Best Bets for Every Thursday Night Game | 2026 NCAA Tournament

We’ve got a loaded Thursday slate to kick off the NCAA Tournament, with eight intriguing matchups to round out the second half of the opening day of games! Check it out as we prepare you for an unforgettable day of college basketball with expert betting insights, matchup analysis, & top picks.

#11 VCU vs. #6 North Carolina

There was some hope for North Carolina to have a big year, but it’s hard not to think a lot of that went out the window when Caleb Wilson went down with the hand fracture. This is a very live #11 seed, and we will back them on the short moneyline underdog price here to pull off the upset.

The Pick: VCU ML (+125)

#16 Howard vs. #1 Michigan

Howard has sneakily been picking up the pace in their games over the past month or so. Six of their previous eight games – including their First Four win over UMBC – had at least 70 possessions. If that’s a game you are looking to play against the uber-efficient Wolverines, then we will comfortably back the over and expect Michigan to get us most of the way there with their superior frontcourt. Take the over and avoid the hefty point-spread.

The Pick: Over 151.5 (-115)

#11 Texas vs. #6 BYU

It’s another popular #11 seed, this time in the form of Texas, fresh off their First Four victory over North Carolina State. The Longhorns face a short-handed BYU team without stud guard Richie Saunders. It will be the typical healthy dose of AJ Dybantsa, who feels like a shoo-in to go for 30 on any given night at this point. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like enough for the Cougars here. We’ll back Texas to be the annual First Four team to find its way into the second round.

The Pick: Texas ML (+116)

#10 Texas A&M vs. #7 Saint Mary’s

This Saint Mary’s team is not only good enough to win this game, but they are good enough to make a little run in this region. The Gaels are always a threat based on their unique playstyle, switchability, and length at every position. Texas A&M is one of the smallest power conference programs in the country, and we could see them get bullied a bit here by the size of Saint Mary’s at virtually every position. Lay it with the Gaels in this spot.

The Pick: Saint Mary’s -2.5 (-120)

#14 Penn vs. #3 Illinois

Just too many question marks entering this one for Penn. First came with senior leading scorer Ethan Roberts, who has been battling concussion-like symptoms and will miss this matchup. The next came as a surprise this week, when Ivy League Championship hero TJ Power was added to the injury report due to illness and is now questionable for this game. Lean into the uncertainty and lay the points with Illinois on the other side. If the Quakers are missing both for this matchup, things could get ugly in a hurry with Illinois’s high-powered offense.

The Pick: Illinois -25.5 (-110)

#9 Saint Louis vs. #8 Georgia

While this Saint Louis team has been one of the more fun stories of the 2025-26 college basketball season, they have been in a bit of a freefall over the past month. After reaching mid-February with a 24-1 record, the Billikens finished the season 4-4 and now limp into the tournament as a #9 seed. The Bulldogs have caught some fire as of late, winning five of their past seven with three coming against tournament teams. There isn’t a way to back Saint Louis based on recent form, so we’ll lay it with Georgia in this spot.

The Pick: Georgia -2.5 (-105)

#14 Kennesaw State vs. #3 Gonzaga

This is one of the more lopsided 3/14 matchups we have seen in some time. The pace from both offenses, both inside the top 35 nationally, means this one should be a fun watch, but I could see a hefty margin of victory for the Zags when the 40 minutes are up. We don’t want to flirt with any disaster at the end here by backing a spread north of 20 points, so we’ll go with Gonzaga’s team total against a Kennesaw State defense that barely sneaks inside the top 200 nationally.

The Pick: Gonzaga TT o87.5 (-110)

#15 Idaho vs. #2 Houston

These Vandals are a feisty bunch, just ask anyone who ran into them in the Big Sky Tournament. The seventh-seeded Vandals knocked off three of the top four seeds en route to claiming the league’s automatic bid. A lot of the recent surge in success came from moving guard Isaiah Brickner into the starting lineup. He provides a level of size and athleticism in the backcourt that was missing for most of the year, something that complements the scoring of Biko Johnson and the sharpshooting of Kolton Mitchell. Head coach Alex Pribble seems like he has found his best combination at the perfect time, so we’ll scoop up the points with Idaho in this spot.

The Pick: Idaho +23.5 (-106)