March Madness Betting: Dayton Among Top Sleepers

Dayton Looks Like Mid-Major Most Likely to Make March Madness Run

No. 16 Dayton has rebounded nicely after its 2-point loss to VCU on Feb. 9. The Flyers have won their last two games and five of six matchups.

Will the A-10 get multiple bids in the NCAA Tournament? Here’s what @GaryParrish thinks ⬇️

“Can somebody other than Dayton win the A-10 Tournament? If so, that’s how you become a two-bid league. If not, you’re probably one.” pic.twitter.com/NezpTSpxj6

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 20, 2024

Dayton finds itself as the highest ranked team outside of a power conference. Will the Flyers make a deep NCAA tournament run?

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket projection has Dayton as a No. 5 seed in the South Region, putting itin that dangerous matchup against a No. 12 seed. The Flyers are likely to be favored in most if not all of their remaining Atlantic 10 games. Yet, Dayton is feeling like the team has a target on itsr back given the AP Poll status.

“We’ve just have to have that next-game mentality,” forward DaRon Holmes II noted, per the Dayton Daily News. “We’re going to enjoy tonight, flush it and then move on and get ready for our next opponent. No road game is going to be easy, especially in this conference. A lot of teams are coming after us. We have to make sure we’re locked in and do what we need to do to get the win.”

The one thing that has been a certainty is the Flyers have rewarded bettors. Dayton is 14-11against the spread. The Flyers have hit the over in 13 games and the under in 11 contests.

Mountain West Is Once Again Surging

The Mountain West has been one of the strongest mid-major conferences despite a brief absence in the Top 25. The latest rankings feature Mountain West teams with No. 19 San Diego State and No. 22 Colorado State making the cut.

San Diego State is no stranger to NCAA Tournament success, but the Aztecs will need to bounce back after a 5-point loss to Utah State. The Aztecs are a little more than a week removed from a blowout win over Colorado State.

San Diego State has struggled in the college basketball odds. The Aztecs are 11-13-1 ATS this season.

On the flip side, Utah State is gaining confidence after defeating San Diego State. The Aggies will look to prevent a letdown effect with upcoming matchups against Fresno State and Air Force.

Utah State beats San Diego State to improve to 22-5 and is alone atop the Mountain West for now.

Danny Sprinkle is in his first season there and has to be in the top-five discussion for National Coach of the Year. This has been a crazy debut campaign in Logan.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 21, 2024

Will St. Mary’s Follow Gonzaga’s Blueprint

A somewhat down season for Gonzaga has opened up an opportunity for Saint Mary’s to take hold of the West Coast Conference.

The Gaels are one of the hottest teams in the country. St. Mary’s has won 14 straight games heading into their final three regular-season games. This includes a win over Gonzaga, which has been the class of the West Coast Conference.

Will the Gaels make some noise in March? ESPN projects St. Mary’s to be a No. 6 seed in the bracket. The Gaels have been 14-12 against the spread in the NCAAB lines.

Extra: Gonzaga Gets Boost with Win over Kentucky

We meant to hit this last week, but Gonzaga got a much-needed upset win over Kentucky on February 10. That’s not a typo as the Zags traveled for a rare non-conference marquee matchup one month ahead of March Madness.

It’s not been a typical season for Mark Few’s crew with the Zags fighting to make the tournament. Gonzaga showed it is a threat to pull off an upset in March. This win looks better after Kentucky’s upset over Auburn.

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