The NCAA Tournament field of 68 is down to its Sweet 16, and it’s chalk central with the top-three seeds in every region still standing. In a way, that’s a good thing because it means all of the best schools will be playing one another for a trip to the Final Four this weekend.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
It’s certainly rare for no team to be a double-digit favorite in the Sweet 16. The biggest is South Region No. 1 Virginia at -8.5 over No. 12 Oregon in Thursday’s late start from Louisville. Should the Ducks be such big underdogs? They were Pac-12 Tournament champions and are on a 10-game winning streak. Expect a very low-scoring matchup as Virginia is No. 1 nationally in points allowed per game, while Oregon – the only double-digit seed left – has been spectacular on defense during this run.
The Virginia-Oregon winner faces either No. 3 Purdue or No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday, with the Volunteers as 2-point favorites. It’s the second straight Big Ten opponent for the Vols as they blew a 25-point lead in the second round against No. 10 Iowa but won 83-77 in overtime. Expect the UT defense to focus on Purdue All-American Carsen Edwards. In the Round of 32 blowout of defending national champion Villanova, Edwards exploded for 42 points after 26 in the first round. The junior certainly has boosted his NBA draft stock should he declare.
NCAA Tournament No. 1 overall seed Duke is lucky to be in the Sweet 16 after avoiding a huge upset bid by No. 9 Central Florida in the last round. The Blue Devils are 7-point favorites in East Region action from Washington, D.C. on Friday night against No. 4 Virginia Tech, a fellow ACC school. On February 26, Duke was ranked third in the country when it visited Blacksburg as a 3.5-point favorite but was upset by the Hokies 77-72. Two very important players missed the game injured: Duke superstar Zion Williamson and Virginia Tech starting point guard Justin Robinson.
The Duke-Virginia Tech winner faces either No. 3 LSU or No. 2 Michigan State in the Elite Eight, with the Spartans as 6-point favorites against the Tigers. Both schools were conference champions, with MSU winning the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles and LSU the SEC regular-season crown. LSU continues to play without coach Will Wade, who has been suspended indefinitely due to alleged recruiting violations.
