Second Round Preview 3-21-21

(8) Loyola Chicago v. (1) Illinois

An interstate battle kicks off the second round on Sunday as the Ramblers faceoff against the Illini. Loyola Chicago scored a first round win over ACC Tournament Champs Georgia Tech, 71-60. Loyola is a well balanced team that is built to go toe-to-toe with any opponent. The true strength of the Ramblers is in their defense where their efficiency rating is 2nd in the country. Illinois was consensus 1 seed after winning the Big Ten Tournament and they have aspirations of cutting the nets down in April. The boys from Champagne are led by Ayo Donsumu and Kofi Cockburn who had that patented guard-forward, inside outside duality that helps college basketball teams win in March. There is no clear bet here on either the spread of the total, but Illinois should advance in the end.

The Bet: See My Parlay

(9) Wisconsin v. (1) Baylor

Wisconsin handled North Carolina in the first round, winning by 23 points. A large part of that blowout victory was the Badgers shooting 48% from 3-Point range, the Badgers averaged 36% during the regular season. Baylor is an elite team who only lost twice all season. They cruised past Hartford in the first round, winning by 24. Wisconsin will not be ready for just how balanced this Baylor team is, and their eventual regression to the mean on their 3-Point % will make them struggle for points in the end.

The Bet: Baylor Spread

(11) Syracuse v. (3) West Virginia

As I said in my First Round Preview, watch out, here comes a double digit Syracuse team in March ready to score some upsets. The Orange dismantled SDSU, a 23-5 team, in the first round by the score of 78-62. I mentioned that the player to watch for Syracuse was their coach's son, literally, Buddy Boeheim, and he went off for 30 points. Syracuse will live and die by how hot he is from 3-Point range. West Virginia, like many Big 12 teams, is balanced from top to bottom. They play solid defense and like to move the ball around to improve their shot selection. The Mountaineers are firmly on upset watch, and this one will be close, the key is going to be how West Virginia can handle Syracuse’s zone defense.

The Bet: Under 147 Total Points

(6) Texas Tech v. (3) Arkansas

This Southwest battle is a little strange considering that the so called underdog Texas Tech team is actually favored by Vegas. I, personally, like Texas Tech a lot and think their team and coach were deserving of a better seed. This Red Raiders team could easily make a deep run in the tournament. With the #2 seed, Ohio State, being knocked out of this part of the bracket, this game becomes massive as to who can advance to the Elite 8. Arkansas survived a scare against Colgate in round 1. They were down as many as 14 in the first half before rallying in the second half to nearly win by 20. I love this Texas Tech team and have a lot of faith in head coach Chris Beard, but you can’t avoid a higher seed being disrespected by Vegas like Arkansas is. 

The Bet: Arkansas Spread

(10) Rutgers v. (2) Houston

First off, congrats to Rutgers, who not only made the tournament for the first time in 30 years, but also won a tournament game for the first time in 38 years! Now, to be fair, their win against Clemson was an absolute rockfight. Both teams turned the ball over more than 10 times and in the end it was Rutgers who did a worse job of trying to lose. Houston is a team not many know about, but there is one thing you must know about them, they kill bad teams. Houston beat Cleveland State by 31 in the first round and today, they get a Rutgers team that just isn't all that good. I do not believe in Houston as a Final Four team, but I do believe this one will be ugly for the Scarlet Knights.

The Bet: Houston Spread

(15) Oral Roberts v. (7) Florida

The premier upset so far was Oral Roberts knocking off the #2 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in the First Round. Oral Roberts sealed the deal in Overtime and are now firmly dancing. Florida was another team that needed Overtime to seal the deal in round 1 as they rallied back against Virginia Tech to win by 5 in the extra frame. Florida is rightfully favored, since they are a Power 5 school and Oral Roberts is, well, Oral Roberts. But once you see those really high seeds advance, you can’t bet against them on the spread, they will always keep it close.

The Bet: Oral Roberts Spread

(13) North Texas v. (5) Villanova

Speaking of high seeds that advanced, here is a North Texas team that knocked off a hometown Purdue squad in round 1. The Mean Green also needed Overtime to score their upset but overall they look to be a solid squad. Villanova played a back-and-forth game with Winthrop before ultimately pulling away in the end to avoid a rather popular upset pick. Villanove is still missing its best player, and is still on upset alert in my eyes.

The Bet: North Texas Spread

(12) Oregon State v. (4) Oklahoma State

Oftentimes in March Madness you have to ask yourself whether a team's miraculous conference tournament run was something real, or a flash in the pan. Oregon State's run to win the Pac 12 Title looks real, Georgetown’s run to win the Big East, well that was a flash in the pan. The Beavers scored a huge upset over a talented Tennessee team in round 1 and will look to win their 5th straight game today. Oklahoma State won over Liberty in round 1 by a score of 69-60, but they did that with their best player, Cade Cunningham, only scoring 15 points. The projected top-pick in the upcoming NBA Draft will not be held in check two games in a row, and I am afraid that Oregon State just hasn't seen a player of his caliber yet this season.

The Bet: Oklahoma State Spread. 

Fancy a Parlay?

Illinois, Baylor & Houston to Win