Let the Madness Begin. Below are two bets I’m making for tomorrow’s action.

745 Buffalo +8.5 vs Arizona 9:40 PM Start Time

Arizona is getting plenty of hype coming into this tournament with their lottery pick center in Deandre Ayton and the way they dismantled teams en route to the PAC12 championship. It’s almost as if all the school’s recent allegations fueled this team onward. Here’s the problem I have with this number, quite frankly it’s 2-3 points off. This was a line adjusted by sports books expecting plenty of Arizona money, but Buffalo has had quite a season and can absolutely shoot the lights out of the ball. Yes, Buffalo will struggle inside with Arizona’s bigs, but on the other end Arizona will struggle to keep pace with Buffalo’s snipers. Arizona is one of the few teams in the country that ranks in the top 45 on both the offensive and defensive glass, so expect the rebounding disparity here in favor of Arizona, but Arizona doesn’t defend the 3 well and Buffalo should get plenty of good looks. Overall, I think Arizona may pull away at times, but Buffalo will keep fighting back and stay in this with their perimeter attack and fast breaks. Arizona’s bigs may prove to be too much for Buffalo forcing a double digit defeat, but I’ve capped this game at 6.5, so I’m getting value at 8.5.

740 Florida -5.5 vs St. Bonaventure 9:57 PM Start Time

It is crazy to me that this Florida team is getting no hype coming into this tournament. A team with wins on its resume like Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Kentucky twice, Baylor and lost a tight game to Duke. They flopped against Arkansas as they went a bit cold from downtown, but this is a scary team for most in this tournament and a bad spot for the Bonnies. The Bonnies can shoot the three ball well, and while Florida did struggle against defending the three this year, they struggled while playing a far tougher schedule. I expect the extra travel for the Bonnies to take a toll as well. When the Bonnies are hitting their threes, they can hang in tough with many teams and could certainly beat Florida here if they are, but Florida has the edge in so many other areas. Florida has the edge on offense, the edge on defense, they are 6th best in the nation in turnover % and are well rested from their early exit from the SEC tournament.