MINIMAL MARCH MADNESS (3.24.25): A betting recap of all 52 NCAA Tournament games in 52 minutes… or close to it.

On this week’s episode of THE WINDOW Podcast, Matt Russell (@mrussauthentic on X) discusses the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in an attempt to touch on all 52 games in 52 minutes.

Matt looks at how a rough 0-3 start to Thursday came to be, in three different ways, but how it was salvaged back to (almost) even by savvy betting, and more than a little luck, in tripling-up with the UCSD-Michigan game (also known as the “Mile-high Michigan Middle”). 

Friday was a snoozer, but lessons were learned (never again on Penny Hardaway) while other past lessons about the “First Four” led to wins (Ole Miss over North Carolina and Illinois over Xavier). Favorites of more than two points went 10-4, so salvaging a 6-7 ATS day was the result of going against some trendy underdogs. 

Saturday (3-2) brought the second example of the market’s irrational hate of Purdue, the strangest decision that Rick Pitino made in St. John’s loss, how Matt lost the second of the “5 Games you have to get right to win your bracket pool”, biting the bullet on betting on Auburn, and why the BYU game became “personal.”

Sunday’s 4-1-1 results pushed THE WINDOW into profitability (19-18-1 ATS, +1.4 units) for the weekend, but a pair of curious Oregon coaching decisions jammed up the Ducks, and Derik Queen’s (trio of) buzzer-beating strides resulted in a popular result in THE WINDOW’s March Madness Survivor Contest. 

Plus, Matt’s already down on seven of the eight Sweet 16 games. Find out where he’s started a position for Thursday and Friday.

It’s time to head to THE WINDOW, let’s go!

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