Data Driven NCAAB play for Saturday: Providence Friars

At Professionalsportspicks we see a future where those handicapping sports without advanced analytics and data-driven strategies will be left behind.

Our data-driven picks use data integration, search and discovery, and knowledge management along with collaboration with our in-house handicappers. By isolating relevant trends, removing human biases, and targeting only lines with a positive expected value above a certain threshold, our data-driven picks promise to outperform any and all human competitors.

Our models suggest that Providence is worth a look as a favorite over Richmond Saturday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA tourney. The Spiders have won five straight, the last four as underdogs, and upset Iowa with a 67-63 win as a near double-digit underdog in the first round of the NCAA tournament. We are still not high on Richmond and doubt they can replicate that kind of outing here just a couple of days later. Providence has a tendency to play down to its competition, but it is coming off a solid double-digit win against South Dakota State and the Friars are 21-6 ATS in their last 27 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. The Friars should be able to cover as a short favorite.