2023 NCAA March Madness Picks, Predictions & Best Bets For UConn-San Diego State

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for college basketball betting. 

The NCAA Tournament bracket is set and the March Madness stage is ready for one of the more wide open, seemingly-unpredictable installments in years. 

For the first time, there were no No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 seeds as we entered the Final Four round of the tournament. Now, as we approach the title game, UConn has emerged as the heavy favorite. But it has been a tournament full of surprises. Can San Diego State spring one more on Monday night?

March Madness 2023 Championship Odds

For the first time, March Madness tipped off with legal Massachusetts betting apps up and running for the tournament. Online Massachusetts sports wagering went live on March 10.

There’s always potential for chaos this time of year, but the 2023 NCAA Tournament looks especially ripe for buzzer beaters and Cinderella runs. The timing couldn’t be better, with legal online sports betting launching in the Bay State and more than 30 states now offering regulated college hoops wagering. If you are in New England, make sure to check out our Massachusetts sportsbook promo codes before placing your wagers.

The market is bigger than ever, with a massive array of game lines, player props and futures odds – bettors could even get action on whether or not there will be a buzzer beater on the first day of the tournament (+600), the first round of the tournament (+300) or at any point throughout March Madness (+100). By the way, that last one cashed in the Final Four with San Diego State's walk-off win over FAU.

The college basketball lines are all fluid and will be updated every day throughout the tournament – stick with Bookies.com for up-to-date championship odds and picks for every game against the spread throughout the NCAA Tournament. 

March Madness 2023 Monday National Championship Pick

No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 4 UConn

The most unpredictable NCAA Tournament of all time kept up with the drama Saturday in Houston, where Lamont Butler’s walk-off bucket sent San Diego State to the school’s first ever national championship game. That 72-71 win did break a streak of six straight covers for the Aztecs, who closed as -2.5 favorites. But they’re getting a lot more than that tonight against a Huskies team that’s looked unstoppable all month. UConn has won every NCAA Tournament game by double digits and no opponent has had an answer for junior big man Adama Sanogo, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the tournament in Saturday’s win over Miami. We expect him to do major damage again tonight in the halfcourt. 

This UConn team didn’t come out of nowhere. The Huskies have been playing peak ball for two months now, going 10-1 against the spread over the last 11 games. They’ve handled all different types of matchups successfully, playing however they want to play. The same can’t be said for the Aztecs. They can slow it down and make things ugly as possible in crunch time, as we saw against the Owls. But by that time, it’ll probably be too late. We’re on UConn to cover and cut down the nets in Houston.  

ATS Pick: UConn