After an exciting first weekend of action, the men’s basketball tournament field has been narrowed to just 16 teams. Three of four No. 1 seeds (ruler, Arizona And michigan) are still in the competition, while the top seeds Florida The No. 9-seed was eliminated after a one-point win iowa.
Ahead of the next set of games, our college basketball betting analysts, researchers and editors have revealed their favorite early bets as the Round of 16 is set, including both picks in this upcoming round as well as some futures for further into the tournament. And, as you’ll see, our experts may sometimes disagree – with good reason. Hey, that’s why they play games.
there is a possibility DraftKings Sportsbook. Odds are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
(5) st johns (+6.5) over (1) ruler
Mark Zino (analyst): In only their third season under Rick Pitino, the Red Storm advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since 1999. Surprisingly, they are here because of their defense, which ranked in the top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency for the first time since their last Round of 16 appearance. The Johnnies can match Duke defensively and their athletic style can contain Duke cameron boozer. he held kansas star darrin peterson Shooting up to 5 out of 15. I see a similar result for boozer here.
The total for this game is 142.5. Duke has only seen 10 total all season. They’ve only gone above this number twice – and one of those was because they scored 100 points against Notre Dame. The correlation here is that if Duke is limited in scoring, it favors the Johnnies as a three-possession underdog. I think this is a game that St. John’s can win outright, so splashing out a little on the money line is worth it, too.
(1) Duke (-6.5) over (5) St. John’s
Kevin Pulsipher (researcher): Were we supposed to be impressed by St. John’s after the Red Storm finally earned their first top-30 KenPom win? Yukon (Whom they only beat at home and lost on the road)? The Jayhawks left the Johnnies open behind and beyond the arc all night Bryce HopkinsIt was one mistake after another.
Duke’s top-ranked defense forces offenses to use up more time and shoot over 90% of opponents’ shots, which doesn’t bode well for a St. John’s offense that scores 0.7 points/possession on late shot-clock possessions (including an extremely low 20% on 3-pt FGs). As the defensive leaders of the second-highest team in D1, Dame Sarr And Patrick Ngongba II Both are elite on-ball defenders who can finish off Hopkins zubi ejiofor With a gameplan without fouling. If the game closes late, players like Boozer and Isaiah Evans There are enough solids on the line to extend the lead and cover.
(3) Illinois (+2.5) over (2) houston
Tyler Fulgham (analyst): In a matchup of a dynamic offense (Illinois) versus a tenacious defense (Houston), I would favor the offense. Brad Underwood’s team has more versatile ways to score. They have defeated their first two opponents in the tournament by an average of 28.0 ppg.
futures
(1) michigan wolverines To make the Final Four (-145)
Zinno: Not that the Wolverines needed much help to reach the Final Four before the first ball dropped, but they still got it. Michigan’s elite defensive game will be enough to care alabamaAnd then they get a winner tennessee/iowa state. Both of those teams are bad matchups for a Wolverines offense that is far more efficient than both of them.
(3) Illinois to make the final four (+210)
Pulsipher: Despite being favored by only 2.5 against the Illini in the Round of 16, Houston is listed close to the money to win this region. The Cougars went 1-6 in their seven toughest games this season, according to ESPN Analytics (29-0 in the 29 easiest games), which is sometimes a trend worth following when a team puts forth consistent effort from game-to-game but is unable to access the extra gear.
Meanwhile, Illinois went 3-3 in its six toughest games and has the potential to compete with Houston, as well as similar star power at guard. Round 8 matchups with smaller Big Ten teams also shouldn’t be too much of a problem as the Illini won both nebraska and at iowa In this weather. Additionally, they have only had one regulation loss in the last 100 days (to Michigan).
