Hot Events: March Madness Elite 8 & MLB Opening Day Picks

What a time of year it is to be a sports fan! Between the NBA and NHL ramping up for the playoffs, March Madness in full swing and the MLB regular season kicking off, there’s so much action to go around across all leagues.

And there’s no better way to open up the baseball season than with UBET.io! Pairing that with the ‘Sweet 16’ + ‘Elite 8’ in March Madness, be sure to check out the latest odds by logging into UBET’s Sportsbook.

With that being said, let’s dive into all 4 Friday night matchups in college basketball and some marquee matchups in the MLB.

March Madness

7:09pm EST - (6) Ole Miss Rebels vs (2) Michigan State Spartans

Pick: Michigan State Spartans -3.5 (-107)

Starting off Friday night with a bit of an awkward matchup. Ole Miss is likely going to roll with a small ball lineup, which teams have been reluctant to do against MSU. The Spartans are going to look to pressure the ball, create turnovers and burn the Rebels in transition. If they can swarm the ball on defence and get to the charity stripe as much as they have, they should be able to cover this spread. Don’t expect a blow out here.

7:39pm EST - (3) Kentucky Wildcats vs (2) Tennessee Volunteers

Pick: Tennessee Volunteers -4.5 (-109)

Look, we get it. Kentucky beat Tennessee twice already this year. But that was because they managed to shoot over 50% from beyond the arc, both times. Repeating that is going to be very difficult on this stage against an elite Vols defence. Tennessee also dominates on the glass, especially against Kentucky, which is why we’ll take the points. 

9:39pm EST - (5) Michigan Wolverines vs (1) Auburn Tigers

Pick: Auburn Tigers -8.5 (-114)

As much as we want to set up a Michigan vs Michigan State matchup in the ‘Elite 8’ this is where the Wolverines run ends. Auburn’s bigs in Cardwell and Broome are going to be too much for Michigan. Auburn also has the stronger backcourt as Michigan’s guards have struggled shooting all year. 

10:09pm EST - (4) Purdue Boilermakers vs (1) Houston Cougars

Pick: Houston Cougars -8.5 (-105)

This should cap off all four no. 1 seeds advancing to the ‘Elite 8’ which has only happened one other time in March Madness history. And yes, we’re going all chalk Friday night. Picking up on the theme of outstanding defences, Houston is going to hound Purdue’s top 10 ranked offence. Not to mention, Houston hasn’t lost a game since November, so don’t expect them to slow down now. 

MLB

Season Opener: Colorado Rockies vs Tampa Bay Rays

Pick: Over 7.5 Runs (-121)

With the Tampa Bay Rays playing in the New York Yankees’ spring training facilities, it is speculated that teams are going to score a lot of runs in this minor league park. Time to hop on this trend from the hop, especially against Colorado’s poor pitching. Wouldn't be a bad idea to take a look at this for Athletics home games as well, as they are playing in Sacramento this year. 

Baltimore Orioles (1-0) vs Toronto Blue Jays (0-1)

Pick: Baltimore Orioles Moneyline (+107)

After a brutal home opener for the Jays, why wouldn’t you lean on the Orioles who put up 12 runs on Toronto’s turf? Charlie Morton takes the mound for the first time in a Baltimore uniform, and while he gives up a few runs, he also strikes out a lot. The Jays will start Kevin Gausman, who for some reason, doesn’t seem to get the run support he needs when he pitches well. The over may also be worth a look in this game as well. 

Odds updated as of 8:15 AM PDT