March Madness: Stop messing with your brackets, it's time to watch hoops

We've made it! 16 games tip off today as March Madness finally begins. We've done all we can as it relates to our bracket, there's no point tinkering at this stage. Before we get to our favorite bets today, something to consider.

One potential hack to ease the pain when your bracket is inevitably destroyed over the next few days: if you have an unusual team going far, fade them in the first round. Have BYU in your Elite Eight? Maybe grab Duquesne +9.5 to lessen the emotional toll should you prove to know absolutely nothing. Just some food for thought.

Anyway, buckle up and let's have a day.

Let the Madness begin

Redemption tour: Arizona -19.5 (-120 FanDuel)

We're high on big-time schools bouncing back if faced with a disappointing finish to their 2023 season, and Arizona most definitely fits the bill here, having fallen to No. 15 Princeton in 2023.

Back against another No. 15, don't expect Arizona to take this game for granted. This draw is set up for the Wildcats to make a Final Four in their home state, and they just match up extremely well with Long Beach State. Arizona has been dominant off a loss this year, winning the following game each time, more often than not by double-digits. This could get ugly, but laying 19.5 points should keep us invested throughout.

First-round assassin: Oregon moneyline (+100 BetMGM)

Oregon head coach Dana Altman just doesn't lose in the first round, nope, not for him. Altman is a perfect 7-for-7 at the start of the tournament in his 14 years at the helm of the Ducks, and we'd like to build on that streak here against a South Carolina team that really doesn't seem to be anything special.

These two teams are separated by just six on KenPom's rankings, much tighter than you'd expect in a 6-11 matchup. We'll back the Ducks, who just rattled off wins over UCLA, Arizona and Colorado en route to a Pac-12 title.

Star-powered pick: Drake moneyline (-118 FD)

Drake opened as a dog, but have now been bet to about a two-point favorite in some places. We'll remove points from the equation and simply back the Bulldogs to win this one over No. 7 Washington State.

Drake is led by star Tucker DeVries. DeVries, a 6-foot-7 guard who averages nearly 22 points per game has shown himself capable of taking over games, and that's what we expect here against a Cougars team that outperformed expectations on the season.

Drake shoots the three extremely well and is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation. Sounds like a good recipe for an opening round  win to us.

In the news ...

NCAA tournament Round of 64 starts today with 16 games — The next few days are going to be fun, and we have you covered any which way you need it. Want a few of Action Network's best bets for today? What about a game-by-game breakdown of everything hitting the hardwood to start the tourney? Or if you need something with some longer odds, how about an outrageous parlay on four teams to make the Sweet Sixteen at +46000? Take it all in, put your feet back, and enjoy the day!

Strange story coming out of Shohei Ohtani's camp — Shohei Ohtani's longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired on Wednesday after being accused of stealing "at least $4.5 million" from the Los Angeles Dodgers star. However, a now-scrapped ESPN story paints a different picture. According to ESPN's Tisha Thompson, Mizuhara explained in a lengthy interview that after he'd accumulated a hefty gambling debt, Ohtani made wire transfers to pay off a bookmaker, who is now under federal investigation. So either, Ohtani helped pay off a bookie and could face suspension, or his friend did steal from him and is likely to face jail time. Strange stuff as the Dodgers season gets underway. Expect more news to come out on this in the coming days/weeks.

Valspar Championship tees off today in Florida — If you're looking for your golf fix, we've got the Valspar Championship getting going today from Copperhead. YB's own Jack Dougherty has a few betting looks for the tournament, with Cameron Young top-20 finish at +150 catching our eye. Young's iron play has been strong, a strength that can carry him far at a course like this. Xander Schauffele (+650), Sam Burns (+1400) and Justin Thomas (+1400) are the three favorites to win.

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