March Madness Bracket Odds & Predictions: 2 Potential Cinderellas, Including VCU Rams?

CBB Game Previews, College Basketball, March Madness, News

Written By Eli Hershkovich | Last Updated March 20, 2025

From first-round odds to Final Four and title futures, various March Madness odds are available at the best sports betting sites. Longshots are always intriguing for an upset pick or to deliver an unexpected tournament run. With further adieu, let’s assess some potential Cinderella options for your March Madness bracket predictions, including the 11-seed VCU Rams.

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March Madness bracket predictions: sweet 16 odds

saint mary’s Gaels:

Regular readers of TheLines’ college basketball coverage know I’m bullish on the Gaels’ potential to make a March Madness run. In my NCAA tournament bracket picks column, I sent the seventh-seeded Gaels to the Elite Eight in the East Region.

While Saint Mary’s fell to arch-rival Gonzaga in the WCC tournament title game, Randy Bennett’s squad swept the Bulldogs in the regular season and went 17-1 in conference play. It operates at one of the slowest paces across college basketball, neck-and-neck with Houston and Drake, dictating its methodical tempo via a top-15 rebounding rate at both ends.

Veteran point guard Augustas Marčiulionis tallies 14.3 points and 6.1 assists per game, both career-highs. To boot, big men Mitchell Saxen and Paulius Murauskas hold their own down low and propel the Gaels’ eighth-ranked adjusted defensive efficiency (AdjD).

Their first-round opponent, 10th-seeded Vanderbilt, has lost eight of their last 12 games. If they knock off the ‘Dores, they will likely battle the banged-up Crimson Tide, which may not have veteran forward Grant Nelson in uniform.

Find more info on Nelson in our March Madness injuries update. Needless to say, the Gaels are well-positioned to bust some brackets and advance to the Sweet 16. From there, all bets are off.

Saint Mary’s vs. Vanderbilt: Spread, Moneyline, Total

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vcu rams:

VCU has experience dressing up in Cinderella’s slipper, advancing from the First Four to the Final Four in 2011. Analytically, this year’s group is even more dangerous than the Shaka Smart-led Rams, ranking 30th in KenPom’s net rating.

Max Shulga and Co. are stout defensively, topping college basketball in effective field goal percentage (eFG%) allowed and ranking 30th in opponents’ turnover rate. They present a formidable combination of athleticism, full-court ball pressure, and a stout rim protector in freshman Luke Bamgboye to clean up the paint.

In the first round, No. 11 seed VCU plays No. 6 seed BYU, which lacks elite-level shot-creators to disrupt the Rams’ aggressive defense. Instead, Kevin Young’s offense is built to dissect opponents with its pristine ball movement. Unfortunately for 6-foot-9 facilitator Egor Demin, VCU surrenders the 66th-lowest assist rate nationally.

I’ve already wagered on the A-10 tournament champs to cover the spread against the Cougars. You can find all my Thursday and Friday picks in my March Madness best bets article.

With VCU in the same region as Saint Mary’s, these dark horses could square off in the Sweet 16.

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VCU vs. BYU: Spread, Moneyline, Total

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