BEST LINES:  Pinnacle +120 BET365 +120  SportsInteraction +120 5DIMES +119

Posted Wednesday at 6:00 PM EST.

First Round of NCAA Tournament - PPG Paints Arena - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

12:15 PM EST. Rhode Island has a presence in the market after coming just three points away from the Sweet 16 last season. Perception is everything, and the Rams are being given the benefit of the doubt after a less than stellar end to their season. After clinching the A-10 regular season title on February 23rd against Dayton, the Rams have been average at best after losing both their games to end the regulars season including an embarrassing 78-48 defeat at the hands of St. Joseph's on senior night. In the A-10 tournament, the Rams went 2-1, but narrowly covered against eight-seeded VCU, and failed to cash a ticket as a -8½ point fav over St. Joe's, while losing outright to Davidson in the finals as the betting chalk. The Rams needed an 11-point rally over the Hawks just to play the Wildcats in the finals. URI has been coasting for nearly three weeks, and there have to be doubts about its ability to just flip the switch. The Rams have been favored in all but five games they played in this season. Four of those came against non-conference opponents like Alabama, Virginia and Seton Hall. Now, Rhode Island is spotting points against a Power Five school on a neutral court, which is a totally different ball game. However, that number might have more to say about their opponent’s low standing in the market then it does anything else.

The Sooners are back in The Big Dance after last year's absence, but after a huge stumble down the stretch that saw them fail to win a road game in 2018, the pundits and 99% of twitter are now agreeing that OU doesn't deserve to be here. The Okies also dropped 11 of their last 15 games. No team has ever finished the season so poorly and still made the field of 68. We are in the business of over and under-reactions, and there is no doubt the market is down on Oklahoma. However, there is a case to be made for the Sooners, as they played the second toughest schedule in the nation according to KenPom. Quality wins at Wichita State and TCU might seem like that came ages ago, but they still happened. The Big 12 is a meat grinder where there are no bad losses, just good win opportunities. The Sooners added quality home conference Ws against Kansas, TCU and Texas Tech who are all ranked and tournament bound. The Sooners were ranked ninth in the nation on January 13th, and freshman sensation Trae Young was a featured on Sports Center regularly. Comparisons to Steph Curry ran rampant before the holidays, but now Young and the Sooners are the bad guys that don't belong. Players love the "us versus them" mentality, but more than that we love to back a good team when its stock is at its lowest. The Sooners fit the bill, and we'll gladly take them outright.

Open an account today at Pinnacle Sports and take advantage of their -104 style pricing on sides and totals, which is 60% better than other sportsbooks.