Shift To Women's Hoops For One Night To Fill Your March Madness Betting Needs

South Dakota State vs. UConn, 8:00 ET

You may not like this, but I won't like to you here: If you can make profit on it, placing a bet makes sense. There are a lot of sports that I don't enjoy - golf, soccer, Korean baseball, darts, snooker, whatever. If you can make money on those things with a bet, why wouldn't you? I've got a game circled for tonight in the NCAA Tournament and I am locked in on this bets for us. I think it cashes, so let's put aside the groans of the need to even check a women's college basketball game, and realize these cash the same way the men's tickets do. 

I'm not sure your level of familiarity with Women's College Basketball, but UConn is pretty much the cream of the crop program when it comes to college hoops. They have set records over and over again, and the majority of great players play on that hardwood. Now, of course, not everyone does as you'll read in a minute, but the team is consistently great and this year is no exception. They have Paige Bueckers who will be the #1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft. She is a bit of a do-it-all player. She scores, can rebound, is a good passer, and a capable defender. For the season, they are 32-3 and 14-1 at home. Their losses came against Notre Dame (on the road) in a game we bet on and got correct, USC (the lone home loss) and then at Tennessee.  Their wins, too many to name, are typically a lot of points to few for their opponent. The first tournament game, against Arkansas State, they won by 70 points (okay, it was 69 actually). 

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 25: Head coach Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies reacts during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 25, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

South Dakota State is actually pretty decent. They are 30-3 for the season and went 16-0 in their conference. What conference, you might ask? Well it is the Summit Conference, and… um… there isn't that much to be impressed by with that conference. Their losses this year were against Duke, Georgia Tech, and Texas. They were demolished by Texas, but they were competitive in the other losses. As far as ranked opponents, they've beaten Creighton and Oregon. They beat Oklahoma State in the first round of the tournament, escaping with a six-point victory. Their team doesn't have the star-power or name recognition of UConn, but they do seem to have a talented forward named Brooklyn Meyer who seemingly leads them in scoring in every game. I'm not going to pretend I follow these teams as closely as I do the men's, but I watched a bit of their first-round game and she could certainly find her way to a bigger school next year. 

This isn't a marquee matchup, but it is a game that has a bit of intrigue despite the high spread. If you want to compare them a bit, South Dakota State beat Creighton earlier in the year, and UConn beat Creighton a couple of weeks ago by 20 points. With that thinking South Dakota State might actually be the correct side here getting 26.5 points. The thing is UConn's defense is really tough. They try to force turnovers and limit the opposing team's best player. I think that means this game goes under the total. I don't see the Jackrabbits scoring 60 and I think UConn probably will only be in the 70's. I'll back under 136.5 here. 

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