NCAA March Madness Betting Picks - Friday March 18, 2022

It was a perfect start for our contingent of brilliant minds yesterday, going 3-0 to open up the First Round. Now our guys return to see if they can keep it rolling.

It's Friday March 18, 2022, and, as always, we've simulated all of the day's CBB games 10,000 times each to determine where the value lies for basketball bettors across the United States as we prepare to crown a new College Basketball Champion on April 4.

With March Madness betting picks, probabilities, odds and predicted scores featured each and every day, check out our top plays for Friday's NCAAM games.

Given it's March, there's no doubt you're looking to bet on some College Hoops over the coming weeks? Well, our new Dimers Pro service is here to help!

Tap below to read all about it.

March Madness Picks Friday March 18, 2022

Loyola Chicago vs. Ohio State, 12:15PM ET

Pick by Greg Waddell (Sleepers)

Loyola Chicago finished 4th place in the Missouri Valley Conference, but some hiccups in conference play undersell how good the Ramblers really are (24th on KenPom, 7 spots higher than they finished in their Final Four run in 2018). The Ramblers have four super seniors who chose to come back and play an extra year for new Head Coach Drew Valentine, and they have the makeup of a postseason contender once again. Loyola was very good on a neutral floor this season (5-2), and the only two losses came by single digits to Michigan St. and Auburn.

On the other side, Ohio St. has been limping to the finish line, which is a consistent theme of the Chris Holtmann era.  The Buckeyes lost 4 of their last 5 games to end the season, getting bounced by Penn St. in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.  Both teams play slow, Ohio St.’s defense is mediocre (131st in the country).  The Ramblers should be able to control the game from start to finish.

DimersBOT probability: 48%

🏀 Loyola Chicago vs. Ohio State Simulator
🔥 Betting Preview: Loyola Chicago vs. Ohio State

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Jacksonville State vs. Auburn, 12:40PM ET

Pick by Prospector Sam

I've written on Dimers already about how Auburn is a difficult team to trust because of their over-reliance on Jabari Smith, but this team is going to crush Jacksonville State's soul. Not only are the Gamecocks outmatched in almost every facet (talent, coaching, etc.) but Auburn has proven that they will not let up and can beat down on lesser competition. The Tigers lost just one out of conference game (to 5 seed UConn) and hammered some of the smaller programs they faced. Auburn is going to be in for a rude awakening if they don't sort out their bigger issues by Sunday, but this game sets up to be a massacre. 15.5 should be an easy watermark to cover, especially with how well they score.

DimersBOT probability: 47%

🏀 Jacksonville State vs. Auburn Simulator
🔥 Betting Preview: Jacksonville State vs. Auburn

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Notre Dame vs. Alabama, 4:15PM ET

Pick by The Degenerates

We’re sticking with another 6v11 matchup today and backing the Alabama Crimson Tide -4. Alabama will face a Notre Dame team coming off a hard fought, double overtime win Wednesday night. On top of having to turn around and play another game within 48 hours, the Irish had to take a late-night flight to San Diego following the game.

The SEC has been the best conference in college basketball this year and SEC teams have been battle-tested all year long. This is evident as Notre Dame is just 4-9 against Quad 1 and 2 opponents while Alabama is 13-11 against them. Alabama has proven that they can play with the best teams in the country when they’re firing on all cylinders.

Alabama is on a 3-game losing skid and are hungry to turn it around. Head coach Nate Oats took essentially this same team to the Sweet 16 last year, and he has them ready for another run this time around. Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackleford lead the 15th most efficient offense into a game where they should get a ton of open looks, especially threes. The Tide love to shoot the long ball and are 12th in the nation in pace. This will cause issues for a mediocre Notre Dame defense and they will struggle to keep up on offense.

This one comes down to the difference in skill level between the ACC and SEC conferences. The Irish won’t be able to keep up with Alabama and the Crimson Tide are going to show it today in route to a victory and cover.

DimersBOT probability: 44%

🏀 Notre Dame vs. Alabama Simulator
🔥 Betting Preview: Notre Dame vs. Alabama

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Your game not here? Find out who we're betting on for every college basketball game on Friday via our CBB Bet Hub, where we deliver you CBB predictions and suggested bets, or check out the CBB Betting News section.