2025 NCAA Tournament Best Bets: Round 1 (Thursday)

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Another March Madness is upon us and it is time to watch one team have their shining moment. The best part is figuring out which juggernauts will be tough to stop and which Cinderella teams will implode your bracket. Let’s dissect some games on Day 1 and look at the best bets.

2025 NCAA Tournament March Madness Bracket Strategy & Betting Picks>>

March Madness Pick'Em Contest

2025 Men’s NCAA Tournament Day 1 Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

No. 11 Drake (+220) at No. 6 Missouri (-270) | O/U 132.5 (-108/-112)

Their athletic lineup will make Missouri a tough team to compete against. They will play an up-tempo offense and are one of the best at facilitating and moving the ball around.

They have a smaller lineup so that they won't power teams inside the paint, but opponents must watch out for the perimeter shooting. When they get hot from long range, they are tough to stop. They finished 36th in three-point percentage (37%) and 57th in three-pointers made (8.8). 

Drake could be one of the Cinderella teams in this tournament. Drake head coach Ben McCollum was a very successful Division II (DII) coach, bringing several of those players together and being able to accomplish 30 wins, the second-most in the country.

Drake will try to slow down Missouri, something they've been successful doing as the slowest-paced team in the nation (61.9). Limiting the Tigers’ possessions could be an excellent way to keep this game close. They will also need a big game from Bennett Stirtz, who has back-to-back 24-point games.

Drake’s slow pace has proven to help keep the score low in their matchups, which could be the case in this game.

Pick: Under 132.5 Points (-112)

No. 13 Yale (+260) at No. 4 Texas A&M (-325) | O/U 139.5 (-115/-115)

Yale was one of the trendy upset picks last year and they delivered when they took down Auburn as the No. 13 seed. They will have the chance to do it again as they get the same seed and will once again play an SEC team.

The Bulldogs will need precision from behind the arc to secure this win. They finished ninth in three points percentage (38.5%) and were 56.5% from beyond the arc in the Ivy League Championship. That's all led by John Poulakidas, who was one of the best three-point shooters in the country. Last year in the first round he went 6-for-9 from long range in the upset win against Auburn.

Texas A&M could struggle to stop Yale from long distance, as they were 154th in three-point defense this year (33.4%). What they will need to do to neutralize Yale’s three-point shooting is to dominate the post. The Aggies’ size inside will allow them to out-muscle the Bulldogs in the frontcourt with guys like Pharrel Payne and Andersson Garcia, who can score in the paint and rebound.

Yale has seen this scenario and they know they have the talent to pull off the upset. They could keep this close as long as they stick with their game and hit shots from the perimeter.

Pick: Yale +7.5 (-115)