The Rhode Island Rams are taking on the Creighton Bluejays in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening. The game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on TBS. The college basketball odds for the game have the Bluejays favored by a slim margin to pick up the win.

College Basketball Odds
Creighton -1
Total: 141 points

Rhode Island looks like a trendy pick here to knock off the sixth-seeded Creighton Bluejays. That might be because Creighton is playing without arguably its best player in Maurice Watson Jr. They also have gone just 5-6 the last 11 games to end the season, though they did win two contests in the Big East Tournament before eventually falling to Villanova in the finals.

Rhode Island won the A-10 Tournament this year, beating VCU in the finals. The Rams won 24 games this season and are a pretty solid group for being a mid-major. Rhode Island has won eight consecutive games and they are a strong defensive club that really gets after it and could cause Creighton some issues.

Both E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin average better than 14 points per game and shoot the ball well. Martin takes advantage of being around the rim a lot, connecting for nearly 60 percent of his shots. If Rhode Island can get him a bulk of touches, the Rams are going to have a solid shot to pull off the upset.

Creighton just isn’t playing well enough right now; Rhode Island is playing well.

Free Pick: Rhode Island

 Wichita St. Vs. Dayton (Betting NCAA Basketball)

A battle tested team that is underrated typically does well in the Big Dance. handicapped by Pro Bettor Brad Powers - with Steve Fezzik from the Pregame.com Studios in Las Vegas. Get his NCAA College Basketball Free Pick: Wichita St Vs. Dayton

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