March Madness: Two good bets, and one stupid (but fun) one

Yes, the First Four gets going tonight, but we're still looking out ahead on our brackets and want to share a few more bets of intrigue we've come across. We have been inundating ourselves with NCAA tournament content and we imagine most of you have been doing the same. We've settled on three more bets we want a piece off as we gear up for four straight days of non-stop college hoops action.

Two more tourney teams we like, plus a fun bet we found

Arizona to win West Region (+200)

The Wildcats are no strangers to March heartbreak. They fell to No. 15 Princeton last season, but we like their chances to make a run through the West Region, and so too do oddsmakers, as Arizona is the current favorite as the region's No. 2 seed.

Arizona has of course been one of the nation's best all season, with KenPom ranking their offense eighth and their defense 12th, an elite combination that historically suggests they have the makeup of a championship team. 

What we really love here is some of the transfers Arizona brought on this season. Caleb Love and Keshad Johnson are a pair of senior transfers from UNC and San Diego State respectively. Love was on the North Carolina team that made the 2022 championship as an eighth seed, and Johnson was a key cog on the San Diego State club that made the finals last year. 

These two complement what is a very talented and deep roster, and with both players knowing what it takes to win in March, we're loving the Wildcats to emerge out of the West Region.

FAU to reach Sweet 16 (+1100)

Ok listen, yeah, FAU plays UConn in the second round should they get past Northwestern. The Huskies are the deserved favorites. Call us small minded, but everyone is on UConn so much that our hand is forced: we have to zag.

This is a long shot, but this Florida Atlantic team has the entirety of its core that made a Final Four run last year. Are we a sucker for experience? Yes. At +1100, though, we'll take a shot on this FAU stretch being similar to that of Butler back in the day that leaned on prior year's success to build multiple deep tournament runs.

Buzzer beater to be made Round 1 (+300)

This is a stupid bet, but we found it to be so fun that we're simply sharing it as a PSA. Who doesn't want to root on a buzzer beater to happen on Thursday/Friday when we're sitting in front of our TVs for 12 hours each day? We have no numbers to support this bet in any way, but come on, throw a cup of coffee on it and root on some exciting finishes.

In the news ...

Get your NCAA tournament prep in — The NCAA tournament technically begins today with a pair of play-in games, and in the spirit of the 68 teams still currently alive, our friends at Action Network have put together 68 facts you need to know before filling out your bracket. Consider, a First Four winner has won at least one additional game in four straight years, or that only one of the last nine overall No. 1 seeds has made the Final Four (trouble for UConn?). There are plenty of gems you can find here, like the fact that NC State is 3-1 in the first round as a double-digit seed (Wolfpack moneyline at +190 anyone?). You may also want to get acquainted with five star players who can carry their team on a deep run, like Reed Sheppard of Kentucky who is expected to be a high NBA lottery pick.

Blake Snell signs with San Francisco Giants — San Fran has added another arm to its rotation with the signing of Blake Snell. Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, inked a two-year deal with the Giants and won last year's NL Cy Young with the Padres. The Giants also added 2021 AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray this offseason and added other key pieces, notably KBO outfield Jung Hoo Lee, who sported a .340 average in seven seasons with the Korean Baseball Organization. The Giants are +160 to make the playoffs this year.

Netflix announces new NFL series: 'Receiver' — Last year it was "Quarterback" and now it's "Receiver." Netflix's newest foray into NFL content will revolve around five pass-catchers from this past season: Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Amon-Ra St. Brown. This should be an interesting watch, especially when you consider Kittle, Samuel and St. Brown will be culminating in an NFC Championship Game meeting. The show will premier this summer.

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