March Madness Sweet 16 starts is played on Saturday and Sunday and we have predictions for all eight games.
With only 16 teams left, things are getting interesting for college basketball punters. The Sweet 16 is a great time to find value and the team at GoBet have previewed every game!
March Madness Sweet 16 Picks
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Oregon State Beavers vs Loyola Chicago Ramblers @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Loyola Chicago comes off a huge upset win over #1 Illinois and that’s terrific form for this game.
They have taken the top seed and they now face the Oregon State Beavers, who got past the well-favoured Oklahoma State in Round 2.
The Beavers weren’t expected to beat the Cowboys, but the 10-point win makes them a threat against the higher-seeded team.
Loyola Chicago is always a feel-good team and Sister Jean will be in the crowd cheering. Despite being underrated again this season, the Ramblers went 26-4 and they have now beaten Georgia Tech and Illinois in the tournament.
There is a sense of pride with this team and we’re not surprised to see bookmakers have them at $1.30.
We think Loyola Chicago wins this game, and although we respect Oregon State, they would need to play extremely well to win on Sunday morning.
Bet: Loyola Chicago –6.5 @ $1.89
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Villanova Wildcats vs Baylor Bears @ Hinkle Fieldhouse
Villanova has once again made its way to the Sweet 16, despite some average periods of form throughout the season.
The Wildcats entered the tournament with back-to-back losses to Providence and Georgetown, but rebounded with wins over Winthrop and North Texas.
It hasn’t been the hardest start to a tournament and we expect Baylor to come out with a bang on Sunday.
The Bears are one of the best teams in the competition, both offensively and defensively. They average 83.8 points on offense and 59 on defense, which is an incredible statistic.
After beating Wisconsin 76-63, we don’t see how the Wildcats can keep this game close. They haven’t been overly impressive this season and the Baylor Bears have been fantastic.
Bet: Baylor Bears –7.5 @ $1.97
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Oral Roberts Golden Eagles vs Arkansas Razorbacks @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Arkansas has looked professional throughout the tournament, which includes wins over Colgate and Texas Tech.
The win over the Red Raiders was a quality comeback performance and it holds the Razorbacks in good stead against the lower-seeded Golden Eagles.
Oral Roberts has caused a stir throughout the tournament. It defeated #2 seed Ohio State in the opening round before taking care of Florida last week.
The 18-10 regular season team was expected to be handled by Ohio State, but the 75-72 overtime win was the best on its history.
Beating Arkansas isn’t going to be easy and bookmakers agree. The Golden Eagles are +11.5 underdogs, but they could cover the spread. They have already shown that they can beat the best, so why not Arkansas?
Take the points for insurance.
Bet: Oral Roberts +11.5 @ $1.88
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Syracuse Orange vs Houston Cougars @ Hinkle Fieldhouse
Houston is living up to its #2 seed after beating Cleveland State and Rutgers. The win over Rutgers came by three points and it was a solid effort considering it was missing a key player.
Syracuse has been another surprise this season. The Orange went 18-9 during the regular season and came out with wins over San Diego State and West Virginia.
Buddy Boeheim has been shooting lights out and his average of 18 points per game makes a huge difference for the Orange.
We’re expecting a close game to close out the action on Sunday. Houston is the better team, but it doesn’t always live up to expectations.
Syracuse is brimming with confidence and if they can stay locked in on defense, they could keep this one close. The line is +6.5 and they are capable of covering the spread.
Bet: Syracuse Orange +6.5 @ $1.85
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Creighton Bluejays vs Gonzaga Bulldogs @ Hinkle Fieldhouse
Gonzaga is living up to its top seed after beating Oklahoma 87-71 in the second round. It was another top-level performance from the Bulldogs, which are trying to go this season undefeated.
Standing in their way are the Creighton Bluejays, which got through UC Santa Barbara and Ohio to progress to the Sweet 16.
The level of opposition has been easier for the Bluejays, despite coming in as a #5 seed. Creighton scored a 14-point win over Ohio and that holds them in good stead.
However, we expect Gonzaga to be miles too good for the Bluejays on Monday. They are the best team in college basketball and punters should see why.
Bookmakers have 13.5 points between them and Gonzaga should do enough in the second half to cover.
Bet: Gonzaga Bulldogs –13.5 @ $1.97
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Florida State Seminoles vs Michigan Wolverines @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Not much is expected to be between Florida State and Michigan, which makes for an intriguing contest on Monday.
Florida State comes off wins over UNC Greensboro and Colorado, with the win over the Buffaloes being top class. The Seminoles size was too much for Colorado and it could be the same case against Michigan.
Apart from Hunter Dickinson, Michigan doesn’t have much size and it could struggle to grab rebounds. Dickinson is a quality player, so Michigan has every chance to win with him on the court.
When he goes to the bench, that’s where Florida State can strike. If M.J. Walker gets firing on the offensive end, this is a team that could go all the way.
Punters get value with Florida State at $2.20 and those odds are worth taking.
Bet: Florida State to win @ $2.20
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UCLA Bruins vs Alabama Crimson Tide @ Hinkle Fieldhouse
Expectations were high for Alabama coming into this tournament and they haven’t let punters down over the first two rounds.
The Crimson Tide defeated Iona 68-55 before taking care of Maryland 96-77. The latter result was an outstanding performance and they’ll need to be good as UCLA is no walkover.
The Bruins scored a 67-47 win over Abilene Christian and although the opposition didn’t rank highly, it was a dominant performance from start to finish.
UCLA is a team that could pose some problems for Alabama, but the Crimson Tide has won eight consecutive games and we don’t see that changing on Monday.
Take Alabama to win outright.
Bet: Alabama Crimson Tide to win @ $1.30
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Oregon Ducks vs USC Trojans @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
USC made an impression when beating Kansas 85-51 earlier this week and they have matured into a quality college basketball team.
The Trojans have been in good form of late, with their only loss coming by two points to Colorado. They took control of the game against Kansas and Evan Mobley wasn’t being stopped.
That’s the task facing the Ducks, but they are in fine form themselves. Oregon comes off a 15-point win over Iowa and even though Luka Garza had another incredible game, Oregon slowed the rest of the team down.
Oregon had a bye in Round 1, so it’s the only look punters got, and it was impressive. Beating USC is harder because they’re more well-rounded, but the confidence is high.
This game could go either way, but we have bigger expectations from USC. They play a good brand of basketball and the Ducks shooters would have to be hot to have a chance of winning.
Bet: USC Trojans to win @ $1.72
