NCAAB best bets: Ready or not, here comes March

With March nearly upon us, it seems only fitting if we start putting more time into our college basketball reads. It's soon time for conference tourneys, and after that, one of the most wonderful times of year with March Madness. We're a day early, but now is the time to get some men's plays in our rotation.

Prepping our March to Men's Hoops

San Francisco +4.5 (-120 FanDuel)

There's a lot to like here as it relates to backing the home dogs in San Francisco. The 22-7 Dons seem likely to be tournament bound, and their efficiency ratings suggest this is a team not to be trifled with.

Yes, they're hosting No. 23 Gonzaga (KenPom's 20th-ranked team), but we like grabbing the points here. Gonzaga may have the edge offensively, but San Francisco's 22nd-ranked offensive rating is hardly anything to brush aside. Factor in that their defense sits as the 15th-best unit in men's hoops, and we see a path to a close game tonight.

A few other notes caught our eye. The first comes on the free-throw line, an element that only grows more paramount this time of year in college basketball. The Dons are a top-30 FT shooting team, while Gonzaga is all the way down at 191st. If the Bulldogs struggle at the line, that's all the better on the road to a cover here.

These two teams met a month ago, and Gonzaga won by five at home. With the locations swapped, and San Francisco sitting on a 14-1 home record, give us the Dons at +4.5.

Washington State -6.5 (-110 BetMGM)

This Pac-12 battle feels relatively straightforward with our spread bet, we have to back No. 19 Washington State. USC sits at 11-16, owners of the 225th-ranked offense and 234th-ranked defense. Washington State is a top-77 team on both ends of the floor, a significant difference, and they've covered this spread in four straight at home.

The Cougars went to Southern California at the beginning of January, handling business against the Trojans and winning by eight. At home, that difference figures to only be greater. We like Washington State to cover the 7.5-point spread.

In the news ...

Justin Fields betting favorite to be a Falcon — It sure seems like Justin Fields is about to be an Atlanta Falcon. His agent posted a video that included a comment about "going home," which likely refers to Fields being from Atlanta. Those clues caused DraftKings to temporarily shut down the betting odds on Fields's next team, but it has since reopened, with the Falcons the -300 favorite to be the young QB's next home. With free agency fast approaching, Chicago would be wise to make a move now before a QB-needy team decides to go in a different direction.

Dallas Stars acquire defensemen Chris Tanev from Calgary as they prep for a Cup run — Dallas made the Western Conference Final last season and seem to be one of the front-runners to return as the NHL season continues on. Mired in a recent slide, the Stars have made a move: trading for defenseman Chris Tanev. Tanev is a 34-year old veteran who offers a stabilizing force on Dallas' back end, a necessary addition given the offensive firepower littered throughout the West's best. The Stars are currently +500 to make the Stanley Cup Final out of the West, behind Edmonton (+350) and Colorado (+450).

Austin Hill has a chance for NASCAR Xfinity Series history this weekend — Austin Hill is looking to make history this weekend as the only NASCAR Xfinity Series driver to ever win the first three races of a season, and it appears he may have a great chance to do just that. We should probably bet on this, no? With a win in Las Vegas on Saturday Hill makes history, and it's at a track he's familiar with, winning here last season. He's +900 to win and +240 to finish in the Top Three. Come on, this seems worth a sprinkle.

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