Sweet 16 and MLB: Lots of bets, lots of fun

Yes, MLB Opening Day is today, and we have you covered with some betting content on the diamond should you so desire it (see "In the news ..."). March Madness only comes around once a year, and we'll have plenty of baseball in the months ahead. We're sticking with the hardwood this evening.

The chalk seems likely to hold tonight

The first weekend of the NCAA tournament was mostly dominated by favorites, as only one double-digit seed has advanced to the Sweet 16. As we prep for the action to begin again, we can't help but feel like more of the same is likely coming, for three games at least. In light of the favorites being the favorites, we'll focus there today and drop the one game we can't quite get a read on: Illinois-Iowa State.

UConn -10.5 (-120 BetMGM)

The Huskies are doing the same thing they did on their run through the tournament last year: blowing out teams and covering the spread. Last year, UConn won every game by 13+ points, and through two in this tourney the Huskies have won by 39 and 17.

This has the narrative intrigue with last year's title rematch with San Diego State, but this Aztecs squad is not on the same level of last season's team.

Factor in that this game is being played at TD Garden in Boston, and UConn should have quite the contingency of fans rooting them on as they go for two straight championships. Back the points.

North Carolina -3.5 (-130 DraftKings)

North Carolina is sitting in a relatively strong spot as they look to make another run at a title game with this draw against Alabama.

The Crimson Tide should not be discounted for being here, but look at how they did it. They allowed 96 points to College of Charleston, and despite Grand Canyon shooting 2-20 from three, they were in that game late before Alabama pulled away.

UNC is the far better team and should be able to pour on plenty of points and advance to the Elite Eight in the West Region.

Arizona -6.5 (-125 ESPN)

Clemson was a team we did not believe in prior to the Round of 64, and they've certainly proved us wrong with two wins as the underdog.

Alas, we see that run ending tonight against Arizona, a team that holds a significant rebounding edge that plays at a pace that figures to make Clemson uncomfortable. We've been high on the Wildcats since the beginning, and we're not going to do an about face now. Give us the points in a double-digit win to get the night started right.

And how about this parlay:

If you'd rather avoid rooting on spreads but agree with our winner picks, consider parlaying these three on the moneyline, with the best odds there +135 on BetMGM.

In the news ...

MLB Opening Day today — The MLB season officially gets going in full force today, with 26 teams in action. Interested in some season-long futures before first pitches begin? For a complete guide to the season and various MLB bets, our friends at Action Network put together a massive resource for you to peruse, which you can launch into from here. Inside you can find one bet for all 30 teams, awards futures breakdowns, 10 pitchers to bet on this season, and resources on what exactly NRFI bets are.

The Astros, Yankees and Orioles are the current three favorites to win the AL Pennant, while the Dodgers, Braves and Phillies hold that distinction in the NL. Aaron Judge and Ronald Acuna are the two MVP favorites in their respective leagues, and Kevin Gausman and Spencer Strider are the Cy Young favorites. This should be a terrific year, get going on some betting looks and enjoy the action on the diamond!

DraftKings offering free bonus bet for MLB Opening Day — DK has been kind enough to offer us a free bet to use today. This is different than a no-sweat bet in the sense that we don't need to stake any of our own money. How nice of them, and we should probably cook up something real quick. We're thinking something safe, like Manny Machado and Josh Bell to each record a hit at +100. Machado has hit .333 against starter Logan Webb in 21 plate appearances and recorded a hit in 80% of games against the Giants last year. Bell is a career 4-5 against Mitch Keller and notched a hit in 83% of games vs. the Pirates in the past two seasons. Good luck, let's start the year right! 

Carolina Panthers sign Jadeveon Clowney — One of the top players left on the free agency market has been picked up, with former South Carolina standout Jadeveon Clowney returning home to play for the Carolina Panthers. Clowney netted a two-year, $20 million deal with the Panthers, who are looking to improve on their league-worst record from 2023. Carolina is currently +1500 to win the NFC South, it seems incredibly unlikely they pull off a worst-to-first turnaround in the year to come.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll. Follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.