March Madness: Let loose this pack of 'dogs

If you're like us, you love betting on underdogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The only thing better than watching David slay Goliath is being able to tell your friends that you predicted it and cashed a juicy ticket in the process. With March Madness set to begin on Thursday afternoon, we've targeted five hungry 'dogs to back on the moneyline in the Round of 64.

Underdog moneyline parlay

Akron Zips +680

Creighton is a dangerous team in the NCAA Tournament, but this is a sneaky tough matchup for the No. 3 seed in the Midwest. The Bluejays chuck a ton of threes and make them at a top-five clip in the country, while the Zips rank 14th in the nation in three-point defense. Enrique Freeman is a matchup nightmare at the forward position, and he's capable of leading Akron to a shocking win. 

Oregon Ducks +100

Oregon battled through injuries for much of the year, but the Ducks are peaking at the perfect time. They won four games in a row to close the season and win the Pac-12 Tournament. N'Faly Dante, who averages 16.2 points per game on a ridiculous 70.2 percent shooting, is one of the most unguardable bigs in the country, and head coach Dana Altman is 15-6-1 against the spread in the NCAA Tournament. 

Samford Bulldogs +240

Kansas head coach Bill Self announced this week that Kevin McCullar Jr., the team's leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, won't play in the NCAA Tournament due to a knee injury. Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson is also nursing an injured shoulder, so the Jayhawks could struggle on the offensive end. That's bad news going up against a Samford team that loves to push the pace and shoot a ton of threes. 

Charleston Cougars +375

This matchup between Alabama and Charleston is going to be must-see television because of the sky-high total of 173.5. Both teams rank sixth or better in the country in made threes per game, but they also rank worse than 195th in points allowed per game. In a high-paced game with so much variance, the underdog becomes more valuable. 

James Madison Dukes +176

This is a brutal draw for Wisconsin. The Badgers rank 345th in the country in opponent three-point percentage, so James Madison's 13th-ranked offense will have no problem putting up points. Wisconsin is an overrated No. 5 seed because of how it finished the season, while JMU is the most complete mid-major in the tournament this year. 

If you want to spice things up, you can parlay these five underdogs together at FanDuel for nearly 700/1 odds. 

In the news ...

Wagner, Colorado State advance to the Round of 64 — The NCAA Tournament began Tuesday night with the start of the First Four. In the first matchup, Wagner fought off a late comeback attempt from Howard to hold on, 71-68. Then, Colorado State dominated Virginia from start to finish for a 67-42 win in the nightcap. The Seahawks will face No. 1 seed North Carolina as 24.5-point underdogs, and the Rams will go up against No. 7 seed Texas as 2.5-point 'dogs. 

Jets sign Mike Williams to a one-year deal — Aaron Rodgers has a new weapon in the Meadowlands. On Tuesday, the New York Jets signed former Los Angeles Charger Mike Williams to a one-year contract worth up to $15 million. Williams is a capable deep threat for Rodgers, but he's coming off a torn ACL and will be 30 years old in October. The New York Jets are +260 to win the AFC East and +3000 to win the Super Bowl next season. 

Dodgers open MLB season with win over Padres — The 2024 MLB season got underway Wednesday from Seoul, South Korea, as the Los Angeles Dodgers scored four runs in the eighth inning to knock off the San Diego Padres, 5-2. Shohei Ohtani recorded two hits and a RBI in his Dodgers debut, while Mookie Betts added two hits and a RBI of his own. The Dodgers are -178 favorites in Game 2, which will be Yoshinobu Yamamoto's MLB debut on the mound. 

Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty