March Madness Odds: 2 Best Bets for Wednesday's First Four Games

The madness continues Wednesday with a pair of play-in games in the First Four as Lehigh battles Prairie View A&M at 6:40 p.m. ET and Miami (OH) takes on SMU at 9:15 p.m. ET.

What are the best bets across today's First Four games?

Using FanDuel Sportsbook's March Madness odds, let's take a look.

All March Madness odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and may change after this article is published. Stats come from Bart Torvik and KenPom.

First Four Best Bets for Wednesday

Lehigh (16) vs. Prairie View A&M (16)

Under 143.5 Points (-110)

There are some reasons to back the under in today's First Four opener.

We'll be leaning on Lehigh to carry the mail because they play at a much slower pace than Prairie View A&M does. Lehigh ranks 205th in adjusted tempo while Prairie View A&M sits 23rd.

While neither of these teams rate out well defensively -- both outside the top 230, per KenPom -- the Mountain Hawks and Panthers are both pretty blah on offense, too. KenPom ranks Prairie View A&M 310th in offense while Lehigh checks in 290th.

Lastly, something both of these defenses are good at is limiting three-point tries. Lehigh gives up the nation's 13th-lowest three-point attempt rate (32.2%), and Prairie View A&M allows the 38th-lowest three-point attempt rate (34.6%). Fewer three-point looks is good news for the under.

Miami Ohio (11) vs. SMU (11)

SMU -6.5 (-115)

Miami has generated a lot of headlines this season, and despite suffering just one loss, the RedHawks barely got in the Big Dance. On top of that, they're a sizable underdog tonight versus SMU.

I think they should be a bigger 'dog.

SMU is far from a perfect team, but on paper, they look a lot better than Miami. KenPom has the Mustangs 42nd overall and Miami is 93rd. Torvik has the gap a little tighter -- 42nd to 86th -- but it's still a large gap. KenPom rates SMU 26th in offense and 91st in defense -- both of which are better than Miami's marks (70th offense, 156th defense).

Despite the sterling record, Miami enters the First Four in questionable form. Prior to their MAC Tournament loss to UMass, Miami has been barely skating by, winning each of their past three games by exactly two points.

The RedHawks have a lot of close wins on their resume this campaign, and while they certainly deserve credit for finding a way to win, the close games likely mean their record is misleading -- which is exactly what the KenPom and Torvik numbers tell us.

Admittedly, SMU hasn't been so hot lately, either, losing five of its previous six games. But SMU has played a significantly harder schedule than Miami's this year, with the Mustangs' strength of schedule ranked 51st, compared to Miami's at 269th.

Across the board, SMU looks like a much stronger team, and I'm backing them to cover this spread on Thursday.

Check out our favorite March Madness sleepers and March Madness upset picks as well as our NCAA Tournament printable bracket.

Which March Madness odds stand out to you this year? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.