Gear up for Saturday’s second-round March Madness action with a trio of prop bets.
The pregame narrative: I’m targeting three players to cash in on scoring milestones. Steven Ashworth (Creighton) should stay hot from 3-point land, while Nolan Hickman (Gonzaga) and Bennett Stirtz (Drake) can fill the net from all over.
Check out the best March Madness prop bets for March 22.
March Madness prop bets
Best bet: Ashworth 3+ threes (-139)
Ashworth has the kind of 3-point shot volume that makes this playable.
- 8.4 attempts/game
- 3+ threes in 24 of 34 games
- 7+ attempts in 27 of 34 games
Experience oozes from Ashworth, a fifth-year senior with 166 NCAA Division I games (including six March Madness games) under his belt.
So while the top-seeded Auburn Tigers pose a daunting matchup (fifth-lowest opponent 3PT%, per KenPom.com), I don’t expect anything about Ashworth’s game to change.
This will be a test of strengths, as Auburn tends not to give up much at all beyond the arc. The Tigers have held opponents to 5.9 made 3s per game this season, which is the 14th-fewest in D-I.
But if Creighton sticks to its typical game plan, volume shouldn’t be an issue for Ashworth. He and the Bluejays average 9.5 threes (43rd-most) on 27.7 attempts (31st-most).
Ashworth is coming off a 22-point performance (4-for-8 from deep) in Creighton’s underdog first-round win. He should be encouraged to keep on chucking.
Key stat: Ashworth has cashed this bet in 12 of his past 16 games, shooting 39.7% from deep in that span. He had two-plus 3s in 15 of those 16 games.
Best March Madness picks
Hickman 10+ points (-114): Like Ashworth, I expect Hickman to get some looks from beyond the arc in a very difficult defensive matchup.
The No. 1 Houston Cougars allow the second-lowest effective field goal percentage in D-I (44.6%). But they do allow their opponents to heave plenty of 3s.
Houston’s opponents attempt 43.2% of their shots from beyond the arc, which is the 54th-most out of 364 D-I squads.
Enter Hickman, who went 5-for-6 from deep in the first round and is a 45.0 3PT% shooter on the season.
The senior guard has had a scoring dip this year, but he’s still averaging 11.2 PPG.
Hickman has cleared this point total in six of his past eight games, landing on exactly nine points in one of the outliers.
Stirtz 20+ points (+128): This plus-money milestone cashed for me on Thursday, and I’m happy to go back to the well.
Stirtz, who logs more minutes than anyone in the country (39.4/game), led the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring this year (19.2 PPG).
Despite Drake’s exceptionally slow pace, Stirtz tends to get enough looks — both in quality and quantity — to be dangerous against this line.
In his past 14 games, Stirtz has 20-plus points 11 times. He’s averaging 21.3 points on 52.8/49.3/78.9 shooting splits.
Stirtz’s No. 11 Drake Bulldogs are underdogs again after knocking off the No. 6 Missouri Tigers in the first round. They should lean on their best player with a Sweet 16 berth at stake.
March Madness prop bets made at 9:10 a.m. ET on 03/22/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.