Sweet 16, Day 2 Preview

(5) Creighton v. (1) Gonzaga

Creighton handled their Second Round matchup against Ohio, winning by 14 points after barely sneaking past UCSB in round 1. The Bluejays will face their toughest opponent of the season today as they matchup with top overall seed Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have steamrolled their way into the second weekend with convincing victories over Norfolk State and Oklahoma. Gonzaga is a massive favorite, and rightfully so, and I do believe that Creighton has no chance of winning this game. However, last time out Gonzaga was favored by 15.5 against Oklahoma and barely covered in the end, I am a little worried about them leaving it until too late to cover 12.5 today.

The Bet: Under 160 Total Points

(4) Florida State v. (1) Michigan

In my opinion this game will be the best one of the day. Florida State was a lock for a #1 seed in the tournament last year before Covid-19 hit, and despite losing two starters to the NBA Draft, the Seminoles have turned their roster over and are contenders for the Final Four again. Leonard Hamilton’s squad has great size and length and uses it to defend every inch of the floor and attack opponents on the inside. Michigan has been a top-5 team for most of the season and Juwan Howard’s squad has championship aspirations. Michigan is still hurting from the loss of guard Isaiah Livers to injury, but their depth has really stepped up so far in this tournament. This game will be close until the final possession, and I think Michigan is firmly on upset watch this afternoon.

The Bet: Florida State Spread

(11) UCLA v. (2) Alabama

The other Sweet 16 matchup in the East Region today features two Power-5 conference teams that are here mostly due to their strong coaching. Mick Cronin has guided UCLA to a surprise tournament run after most people picked them to lose to Michigan State in the play-in game! The Bruins have been carried by strong guard play from Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez in all 3 of their games. Alabama has reinvented their basketball program the last two years under head coach Nate Oats and their philosophy revolves around the 3-Point shot. In their Second Round matchup against Maryland the Crimson Tide set the NCAA record for most made 3-Pointers in a tournament game. Alabama is a strong team and has the quality to win this game, but their spread number is artificial as many bettors are experiencing recency bias from their demolition of Maryland and their unsustainable 3-Point percentage will naturally regress today. 

The Bet: UCLA Spread

(7) Oregon v. (6) USC

The final Sweet 16 matchup of the tournament is an aptly scheduled Pac-12 After Dark game, somewhere Bill Walton is smiling. Oregon was severely underrated when they were handed a #7 seed and they have used that as motivation to get to this point. USC was the highest ranked Pac-12 team throughout the regular season and their destruction of Kansas in the Second Round showed their prowess on both offense and defense. This game will likely come down to who can get the important stops on the last few possessions, and I believe USC’s Mobley brothers will be too much for Oregon to handle when it matters most.

The Bet: USC Moneyline

Fancy a Parlay?

FSU v. Michigan Under 145 & UCLA v. Alabama Over 144 & Oregon v. USC Over 136