With March Madness’ Sweet 16 getting underway this weekend following the conclusion of the Second Round today, our March Madness betting experts offer the best Sweet 16 betting predictions and latest odds and picks.
The Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament gets underway this Saturday with Baylor vs Villanova, and with this in mind, we’ll be offering our picks and predictions in regards to which teams will make it out of the Sweet 16 and qualify for the Elite Eight.
Gonzaga are yet to taste defeat in the NCAA this year, winning all 28 of their games so far, thus it’d be a massive shock if they didn’t make the Final Four, let alone getting into the Elite Eight.
The Bulldogs boast two of the leagues best players in the form of Drew Timme and Corey Kispert, with the duo both being two of the favorites to win this year’s ‘Wooden Spoon’ award following their performances so far.
Creighton have done well to get this far, fending off both UC Santa Barbara and Ohio, however given the overall quality of Gonzaga’s side, the Bulldogs should be able to secure a comfortable victory and book their Elite Eight place when the two meet on Saturday.
USC vs Oregon
USC vs Oregon is one of the closest Sweet 16 matches this year in terms of quality and seeding, thus we feel Sunday’s game will end up being a very tight affair, with USC coming out on top by the narrowest of margins.
The Trojans crushed #3 Kansas in the Second Round by a score of 85-51, with this result showing everyone exactly what they’re capable of this year.
Oregon also pulled off an excellent result in their Second Round match, as they beat Iowa by a scoreline of 95-80, however given how convincing USC were against Kansas, we can see the Trojans coming out on top by the narrowest of margins on Sunday.
Michigan vs Florida State
The Wolverines have managed to avoid an upset thus far, beating both Texas Southern and LSU to reach the Sweet 16, with an Elite Eight matchup against either UCLA or Alabama now within their sight.
Michigan have been very convincing this tournament, however they’re now set to come up against a Florida State side who have reached the Sweet 16 stage at a canter.
This should be another close and tight fixture, however given the overall form they’ve been in this season and the quality of their roster, we feel the Wolverines should have enough to come out on top.
Alabama vs UCLA
It’s fair to say that UCLA probably weren’t expecting to make the Sweet 16 stage when the March Madness bracket was finalised, however they have done well to reach this far.
They’ve taken down both BYU and Abilene Christian, a team who knocked out #3 Texas themselves, so far, however given their opponents this weekend, we feel their run may be coming to an end very soon.
Alabama have been on top form this season and cruised through their First and Second Round matches, beating both Iona and Maryland by considerable margins.
If they keep this form up heading into the Sweet 16, we can easily see them ending UCLA’s run and booking their place in the Elite Eight.
Baylor vs Villanova
Baylor Bears have easily been one of the best teams in the NCAA this year, with their overall record of 24-2 speaking for itself.
They’re one of the favorites to go all the way and win the whole thing, thus it’d be a huge shock to see them defeated by Villanova this weekend.
The Wildcats haven’t really been tested in March Madness this year, with Saturday’s game set to be their first true test as they look to make the Elite Eight for the first time since 2018.
However, given Baylor’s stacked roster and their near-perfect form, we can see only see one winner come Saturday, and it isn’t Villanova.
Arkansas vs Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts have arguably been this year’s surprise package, as they’ve pulled off two upsets in a row by beating Ohio State and Florida to reach the Sweet 16.
They’re up against a formidable Arkansas team this weekend, one that have impressed in their two games so far and will be confident following their narrow win over Texas Tech.
Oral Roberts are #15 seeds for a reason, and despite their amazing run of form this year, we feel the Razorbacks will have too much for them this weekend and put an end to the Golden Eagles’ Cinderella run.
Loyola Chicago vs Oregon State
Along with Oral Roberts, Loyola Chicago have been another surprise package this year, as they knocked out both Georgia Tech and #1 Illinois in the First and Second Round respectively.
They’ll be heading into this weekend’s match in high spirits following their win over Illinois on Sunday, with the Ramblers now eyeing up an Elite Eight spot.
Oregon State have also pulled off two surprise results thus far, knocking out #5 Tennessee and #5 Oklahoma State, however given how well they’ve played this year, we feel Loyola Chicago will come out of this weekend’s match as narrow winners.
Houston vs Syracuse
Syracuse are another team who have needed two upsets in order to reach the Sweet 16, as they’ve beaten both #6 San Diego State and #3 West Virginia thus far.
This form has been rewarded in the shape of a Sweet 16 clash against Houston, a team who are now one of the favorites to go all the way following their wins against Cleveland State and Rutgers.
The Orange have looked very impressive during their March Madness run so far, however we can definitely see Houston putting an end to that when they meet on Saturday evening.
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