NCAA Tournament Picks Sweet 16 2017

2017 NCAA Tournament Odds Sweet 16

Brackets have been officially busted as the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament regained its March Madness moniker with a slew of upsets in the second round. Number-one seed and defending champion Villanova was taken out by Wisconsin while the vaunted Duke Blue Devils, a number-two seed and one of a popular tournament winner pick was ousted by the South Carolina Gamecocks. Number-three seed Florida State was also annihilated by eleven-seed Xavier as fellow Cinderella team, the seventh-seeded Michigan Wolverines sent Louisville packing.

Seedings at this point almost don't matter as the 16 remaining teams hope to either regain their form or keep their hot streak going. Adjustments will be made and new schemes will be drawn out. Pay attention to style matchups as we break down four key games.

Thursday Games (March 23, 2017)

No. 2 Arizona vs No. 11 Xavier (West Region)

All aboard the Xavier bandwagon. The Musketeers thoroughly beat on the Seminoles blowing them out to the tune of 91-66 and also becoming the highest scoring team of that weekend. Xavier didn't back down and kept the pressure on both offensively and defensively until FSU cracked. They'll hope to continue this thrill-ride against Sean Miller's Wildcats.

They started slowly against St. Mary's but came back and pulled through. They can ill afford to start slow as Xavier will come out guns blazing. If the Wildcats withstand the onslaught, they can regroup and engineer another comeback but they must also keep their poise as getting back to efficient basketball is tough with the pressure. We have another upset in the making.

XAVIER +310

No. 3 Oregon vs No. 7 Michigan (Midwest Region)

Team of Destiny. That's what the Wolverines are looking like. Following a plane crash, the 7th-seeded team has gone on an incredible run in the tournament beating Oklahoma State by a point then ousting the 2nd-seeded Louisville. The Wolverines are playing some inspired basketball. They shut down the Cardinals' perimeter shooting and won the turnover battle eventually outlasting then. The Ducks have been on a roller coaster ride of their own having to come back against Rhode Island. As the odds indicate, this will be an intense affair with both teams playing scrappy perimeter D with plenty of back-and-forth scoring. But it's tough to bet against a team like Michigan right now. The run continues!

MICHIGAN -125

Friday Games (March 24, 2017)

No. 4 Florida vs No. 8 Wisconsin (East Region)

Both the Gators and Badgers had impressive second round victories. The fourth-seeded Gators knocked out Virginia by 26 points holding them to under 30% shooting.

Despite the loss of key big man John Egbunu, the Gators have been in peak form with a defense that is primed to take them even deeper. Lucky number 8, Badgers took out the defending champs in Villanova living up to their "underseeded" tag. The Badgers have now made four consecutive Sweet 16 trips, the only team in this tournament to have done so. This could be a defensive struggle early on but by the second half the Badgers, who have the best player on the floor, Nigel Hayes, and better scoring will emerge from this dog fight.

WISCONSIN +110

No. 2 Kentucky vs No. 3 UCLA (South Region)

With plenty of NBA prospects on display, it's almost a toss-up to who wins. The line movement has been rampant with Kentucky opening as a slight favourite but now being a slight underdog. The Wildcats haven't been in their best form with their top players, Malik Monk and De'Aron Fox only hitting 34% of their shots against Wichita State.

To get past the equally talented Bruins, they'll have to quickly regain their form. UCLA has superstar, Lonzo Ball. His dad has been stealing some of his spotlight but he put up gaudy numbers against Cincinnati last round including hitting 4 of 11 three-point attempts while only having one turnover. Look for him to again carry the Bruins to another win here.

UCLA -115

We've arrived to the part where the cream of the crop has risen and with fewer games, there is more analysis available. Now comes the part of viewing matchups at a more meticulous level so expect betting lines to even be tighter. It goes without saying at this point, seeding is irrelevant. It's about the style matchup. Certain teams may have a better record overall with better talent on paper but if the team they are up against plays a game they have shown vulnerability to...

Keep it in mind first as you pick your next March Madness bets!

Category : Online Betting News

Tag : march madness , NCAAB

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