March Madness Picks: Best Bets and Player Props for Sunday Round 2 Action

Prop bet #1: King Edwards

It’s a time-honored tradition at the NCAA Tournament (for me, at least): cheering for Duke to lose.
 
Sure, that luster has worn off over the years and now post-Coach K, but having 12th-seeded James Madison seeking another upset is worth adding some betting juice to.
 
The books may not be keen to Terrence Edwards’ scoring prowess, setting a line of 15.5 points for the Sun Belt’s second-leading scorer, but they may be sleeping on his assist total. It sits at a very makeable 3.5 at plus odds.
 
Edwards did just have two dimes in the Dukes’ opening round upset of Wisconsin, but that’s the outlier of late. Prior to March Madness, he had recorded at least five assists in six straight games, including all three games in the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
 
The pass is a big component to James Madison’s attack, as it ranks 22nd in the nation in assists, averaging 16.1 per contest.
 
Edwards’ total may also be influenced by the Blue Devils’ defensive effort in their opening round win, a 64-47 thrashing of 13th-seeded Vermont, with no player on the Catamounts crossing four assists for the game.
 
I think because Duke will be concerned with his scoring, there will be plenty of chances for Edwards to carve up the Blue Devils’ defense with his passing.

Terrence Edwards prop: Over 3.5 assists (+110 at DraftKings)

Prop bet #2: Cryer makes it rain

The Big 12’s No. 7 scorer in the regular season, Houston Cougars guard LJ Cryer did plenty of damage in limited work against the 16th-seeded Longwood Lancers.

Cryer was tied for the team high in points with 17 in a tidy 22 minutes of work. He connected on three of seven from downtown, and his 3-point make mark is set at 2.5 Sunday against the Texas A&M Aggies. He’s been in and around that number recently, having hit at least three triples in seven of his last nine contests.
 
Texas A&M is coming off a high-scoring 98-83 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Round 1, and while it did hold the opposition to just a 7-for-22 mark from distance, Keisei Tominaga did drill five triples on them on 11 attempts.
 
Cryer has averaged 10.7 attempts from beyond the arc in his last seven. Assuming he gets anywhere near that amount of takes Sunday, his 39.1% hit rate on the year should have him within range of a betting win.

LJ Cryer prop: Over 2.5 made 3s (-140 at DraftKings)

Prop bet #3: Out on Poulakidas

John Poulakidas was the Yale Bulldogs' top dog in its stirring 78-76 upset win over Auburn in Round 1. He picked the perfect time to bring out his highest-scoring game of the season, pouring in 28 points on a crisp 10-for-15 shooting to down the fourth-seeded Tigers.
 
Unfortunately, his tournament is going to get a lot tougher, a big reason why his scoring line is just 14.5 points. That’s because the Bulldogs will face the fifth-seeded San Diego State Aztecs, who leaned on their trademark defense to down the UAB Blazers 69-65. SDSU limited the Blazers to a rough 37.7% shooting night from the field.
 
The Aztecs allowed teams to score just 66.5 points per game on the year (36th in the NCAA), limiting opponents to 40.4% shooting from the field and 30.7% from 3-point range, both Top-25 marks in the NCAA.
 
Poulakidas has topped his scoring line six times in the last 10 games, but Auburn is the only level-up competition he’s done it against. Look for the Aztecs to get their hooks into Poulakidas, making it a long night for the junior guard.

John Poulakidas prop: Under 14.5 points (-130 at DraftKings)