The first round of the NCAA Tournament concludes on Friday, March 22 with 16 games on the schedule. It’s called March Madness for a reason and we always have upsets and buzzer-beaters, which is why the Tournament is aptly named. Three No. 1 seeds take the court on Friday with Tournament favorite Connecticut a big 26-point favorite over the Stetson Hatters at Caesars sportsbook. The Huskies regained their No. 1 national ranking ahead of the Tournament and breezed through the Big East tournament to finish 31-3. Don’t be fooled, though. Purdue was a 23.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite in its first round game last year and became the second No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed. Oh, the madness.

And speaking of Purdue, the Boilermakers get a chance at redemption as a top-seed once again. They’ll square off against the winner of the First Four contest between Grambling and Montana State and will be a huge NCAAB betting odds favorite against either squad. The Houston Cougars earned a No. 1 seed for the second straight Tournament after winning the Big 12 regular season title. The Cougs suffered a humiliating 69-41 loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 title game and need to recover to make another run at a title. There are other intriguing matchups on the docket with plenty to use for a winning college basketball parlay at Caesars sportsbook.

Bet on the NCAA Tournament at Caesars Sportsbook

NCAA Tournament Parlay Picks for Friday, March 22

Houston / Longwood UNDER 128

Vermont +12 vs. Duke

Marquette -14 vs. Western Kentucky

Bet $100 to Win $600 On This college basketball Parlay at Caesars sportsbook

I like Houston but I’m not a fan of giving 24 points on the college basketball betting line. And the Cougs have to regroup after getting scalded in the Big 12 Tournament. One thing among the many they do well is play defense and that’s a good way to start. They held 11 opponents to less than 50 points this season, including a lockdown of Kansas in the final regular season game. I won’t back Houston as a NCAAB pick against the spread, but I will back their relentless defense.

Longwood won its last four games surviving a stretch where the Lancers won just two of 10 games in the middle of the year. They haven’t played any noteworthy opponents and still had a tough time scoring the basketball, especially from distance. The Lancers were atrocious shooting just 33.8 on three-pointers and without those extra markers it will be hard for them to contribute on the scoreboard which is why I’m backing the UNDER.

It’s always easy to go with the higher seeds especially when those teams are college basketball bluebloods. The Duke Blue Devils had another strong season going 24-8 and on paper they should easily vanquish the Vermont Catamounts. After all Duke is a top ACC club while Vermont represents the America East Conference, not exactly a hotbed for college hoops. The bias is evident which often times fuels an underdog.

Vermont closed on a 10-game winning streak with 19 victories in its last 20 games. During the streak the Catamounts played stingy defense and their pace was one of the slowest in the country. That style of play can frustrate a team like Duke, which likes to run and score. And Vermont was successful against the UNDER on the college basketball odds cashing out 23 times.

Playing fast is not always a good strategy. However, it worked for Western Kentucky this season as the Hilltoppers overwhelmed CUSA opponents on their way to a conference tournament title. The game plan does have flaws, though, as WKU turned the ball over at an alarming rate and they endured a mediocre mid-major league going just 8-8 in conference. But they came to life when it mattered most posting two wins of 20 points or more in the CUSA tournament.

I don’t think the Hilltoppers will have anything Marquette hasn’t seen during its successful Big East tour. The Golden Eagles went 14-6 and won 25 games overall with five of their nine losses to ranked foes, including three to top-ranked UConn. Marquette will welcome back Tyler Kolek, who averaged nearly eight assists and 15.0 points during the year. He missed the Big East Tournament with an injury but is expected to return for the first round matchup making the Golden Eagles a strong pick on the college basketball odds line.