NCAA Women’s Tournament First Round Best Bet: Marshall vs. Virginia Tech
The NCAA Tournament is here, an opening round rife with enticing matchups. This season has been defined by parity, particularly at the top of the game, as multiple teams have shifted throughout the top 10 more often than we're accustomed to seeing.
This year's March Madness has the vibe of a month we truly won't forget. There are countless amazing teams with legitimate Final 4 hopes, but just as many that can play spoiler early in the journey and cement their own claims.
Virginia Tech and Marshall, the 4 vs 13 seed matchup, provides one such matchup.
The Hokies were phenomenal in the ACC season, winning the league title outright, but struggled in the last week of the season and the ACC Tournament, as star center Liz Kitley went down with a knee injury. Unfortunately, that injury was revealed by head coach Kenny Brooks as season-ending prior to the start of the tournament.
Tech is still spurred on by star guard and top flight WNBA prospect Georgia Amoore, and rightfully earned a host seed, the Thundering Herd taking on the Hokies at Cassell.
When: 3:30 pm EST
Where: Cassell Arena, Blacksburg, VA
How to watch: ESPN 2
| Spread | Virginia Tech -10.5 |
| Points Total | O/U 150.5 |
| Moneyline | -600 Virginia Tech: +440 Marshall |
***All Odds At DraftKings Sportsbook***
Kitley's injury unfortunately hurts the Hokies, although they're still considered a significant favorite. However, even if Kitley were healthy, I feel Marshall has been underrated headed into the Tournament.
The Thundering Herd play about as hellaciously as a team can, bringing an extremely unique system to the table that they'll execute and work through for the full course of a game regardless of score. They fullcourt press even off missed shots, which can be extremely jarring for teams unaccustomed to it. While Amoore is a heady guard, handling a high pressure defense without your best interior threat is a significant challenge, one that will be key to watch play out.
They sit 7th in the country in steal percentage, forcing a steal on 15.9% of defensive possessions per CBB Analytics.
On the offensive end, the herd draw fouls at a ridiculous rate, as they attack the basket with ferocity: 30.7% of shot attempts draw fouls for Marshall, in the 88th percentile in D1 per CBB Analytics.
They take the most threes per game in the country, 31.3 per game to be exact. They play deep. They play fast. They move the ball at a high level. This is an extremely difficult first round matchup for anyone, let alone a team down their best player.
The people behind this page
DISCLAIMER: Online Wagering is illegal in some jurisdictions. It is your responsibility to check your local regulations before playing online.
BettingOdds.com takes no responsibility for your actions.
