Odds & Ends (3/17/22): March Madness Has Arrived, FREE Pick!

The eagle has landed!

Today is the beginning of one of the best sports betting sequences of the year. The opening round of the NCAA D1 Men’s Basketball Tournament begins!

Are you streaming the game while hiding from your boss at work? How about in class, on the bus or in an Uber? Are you on a Tinder date, running to the bathroom to throw in a live bet?

It’s OK, this is a safe space, I promise.

Wherever you are, check out a FREE NCAAB expert pick in honor of the opening round! Our guys posted over 20 ScoresAndOdds Premium Picks for today and there are plenty more on tap for Friday!

Simply just log into a registered (no cost) ScoresAndOdds account for access to any of our free picks!

If you’re still catching up, check out our FREE jam-packed tournament preview, full of helpful tips and information.

Tournament Traditions?

Have any traditions for the opening round of the tournament? If you were anything like me (let’s hope not), growing up in high school, I’d make up that I’ve had multiple appointments at the guidance office on opening day, because they were the only room with a TV in it. A little white lie..*shrugs*

“Before DFS, and when college DFS was on hiatus a few years back, I used to take off work and go out to bars,” said NCAAB expert Alex Hardin (feartheturtle).

Same here, Alex. Later on in life, I’d burn a few sick days and venture to Atlantic City once in a while too…

“These days, since my work is DFS, I am holed up in my command center all day. Have my 3 monitors and then three TVs along the wall with all the games on. Order some food and enjoy a glorious 12 hours of basketball, while updating projections, checking lineups, and waiting for that one shining moment to appear on my TV.”

Priorities certainly change over the years.

After the playing “hooky” from school days and avoiding our teachers locally on opening Thursday were over, I stuck around town for a few years following graduation.

I’d head to a local watering hole or two with some friends for the tourney (probably a fire company or gun club) and we’d run into some of our former teachers – who were also skipping school.

Oddly enough, we were finally all absent from work together, sharing some draft beers and betting on brackets and block pools.

Relatable? No shame in my temporary Thursday work station. Living with a 7-year old, a dog (Ruby), and a significant other (who also works remote), toys and blankets are everywhere – but we made it work!

“I always do 4 or 5 brackets, but this is my first year actually watching all of the games and placing bets,” said our ScoresAndOdds expert Andre Alford.

“I have my set-up in my basement enjoying it all. I always wanted to go to one of these games, but never have been able to.”

We’ll be giving away FREE NCAAB picks throughout the tournament. The best way to keep track is to follow the @ScoresOdds Twitter account!

Enjoy opening night! Best of luck and may the ScoresAndOdds be on your side!