top of page
Search

East Region Best Bets (2025-2026 NCAA Tournament)

Bank Shot Brothers logo

NOTE FROM MIKEY: Basement Brewed Sports is happy and proud to offer a space for friends of BBS to share their own articles, thoughts and analysis, like what you're about to read below. That said, please note that what you're about to read does not necessarily represent the views, opinions or beliefs of Mikey or anyone at Basement Brewed Sports.



The East Region features the betting favorite to win it all in Duke, plus many trendy picks to cause chaos down the bracket and arguably the best game in the first round.


We're breaking down each game for you and providing our best bets throughout the NCAA tournament. Follow us on X or subscribe to Basement Brewed Sports' free or VIP bet groups to see bets for the rest of the NCAA tournament.




First Round Game Previews


  • Duke vs Siena: A blowout looms large, but there's one betting angle we like in this game.

  • Ohio State vs TCU: This might be the best game of the entire first round in a battle of a tough TCU defense versus star guard Bruce Thornton.

  • St. John's vs Northern Iowa: Northern Iowa has the perfect antidote for St. John's offensive tendencies; will it be enough to make them the next trendy 12-over-5 upset pick?

  • Kansas vs Cal Baptist: Dominique Daniels Jr. is the exact type of Cinderella guard that causes teams fits in March, but Kansas switching on defense should create a tough environment for him to lead Cal Baptist to an upset.

  • Louisville vs South Florida: The fireworks game where both teams love to play in transition and shoot threes at a high clip; there's one points prop we love here.

  • Michigan State vs North Dakota State: With both teams playing similar styles, this will be a battle of talent and shot-making. Will Sparty hit their shots?

  • UCLA vs UCF: UCLA is a trendy pick to make waves in the East, but UCF has the exact player archetypes that could destroy those brackets if everything falls right.

  • UConn vs Furman: Another Cinderella guard in Alex Wilkins that should give the Huskies trouble; will it be enough to pull off an upset?




East Region Best Bets

  • Alex Wilkins over 13.5 points (-105 on most books as of writing)

  • Bryce Hopkins over 0.5 threes (if -150 or better only)

  • Cayden Boozer over 9.5 points (-125 on most books)

  • Dominique Daniels Jr. under 22.5 points (-115 on most books)

  • Izaiyah Nelson over 13.5 points (-120 on most books)

  • Jeremy Fears Jr. over 8.5 assists (-135 on select books)

  • Northern Iowa +10.5 (-105 on most books)

  • Riley Kugel over 13.5 points (-125 on most books)

  • Xavier Edmonds over 12.5 points (-115 on most books)




Projected Region Winner


UConn (+625). UCLA is going to be their big test, but it should be their only real test before the Elite 8. UConn vs Duke will be a matchup for the ages to get to the Final Four.




Sweet 16 Bet Options

  • UCLA (+270): If you think that UCLA beats UConn in their second round matchup, this is the best way to bet it now.

  • South Florida +1200, especially if Mikel Brown Jr. is out for the first round matchup against Louisville

  • Northern Iowa +2200 for a cinderella run




Breakdowns of every game in the NCAA Tournament exclusively available to Basement Brewed Sports subscribers


You're reading an exclusive preview thanks to our friends at Bank Shot Brothers. Their full game-by-game breakdown of the NCAA Tournament will be available through a subscription to Basement Brewed Sports.


Give them a follow on X to show support for their work - they may even drop some free picks on their feed during the games!




Join our FREE Basement Brewed Sports pick group!


Whether it's college basketball, NFL, MLB or NBA, we're diving into the data and selecting some of the best bets on the board. Sign up today for our free group to get started, and if you like what you see, you can upgrade to our VIP group to get access to exclusive picks and prized subscriber contests - such as this year's NCAA Tournament bracket challenge.


As an added bonus, your sign-up at any group level gets you access to our subscriber Discord channel, where sharp-minded individuals - including Bank Shot Brothers - hang out and talk through their slips and share their big wins.


Subscribe to Basement Brewed Sports today to dominate your sports betting and fantasy sports play.






bottom of page