Go Big Or Go Home: Sweet 16 March Madness Edition 🏀
March Madness Sweet Sixteen, Here We Come 🏀
It’s a new week of madness, meaning a new chance to redeem ourselves as I know many of us got violently stabbed in back from betting on clear favorites, spreads that got unforgivably back-door covered, and do we even need to say it? The four-letter word that we all love in the world of sports betting: the OVER. If you bet on Fairleigh Dickinson to upset number 1 Purdue, no you didn’t. And, if you bet the Zags to cover -4.5, then I pour one out to you, my good friend.
However, you know the drill. It’s not how you start but how you finish, and next play mentality starts right now as we dive head-first into this weekend’s slate of games, put a choke-hold on the bad beats, plus take a look at which teams will sweat their way out of their respective regions and go onto the Final Four.
IT’S A DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD 🐶
Instagram post by @playmakerbetting
Before we get cooking, love it or hate it, any smart person attempting to throw the mortgage on the favorite again should think twice now. We’ve got to give credit where credit is due and throw the dogs a bone. Let’s quickly highlight the 5 underdogs from the round of 32 that made some of us money and could possibly put more money in our pockets in the Sweet Sixteen.
No. 8 Arkansas UPSET No. 1 Kansas 72-71
For the second straight year, Eric Muscle-man and the Razorbacks (+170 ML) took down a number 1 seed and reigning champs in the tournament. Devo Davis was, without a doubt, the MVP of the game with 25, 8, and 1. If only Joe Rogan were commentating the game. Arkansas is hot at the right time. However, be careful here as they face a Huskies team who is debatably the best team in the tournament right now.
No. 15 Princeton Student-Athletes Outsmart No. 7 Missouri 78-63
The smart kids advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 56 years and won those who bet on them some greenery as they went into the game with a +220 odds to win outright. And, although seeing a #15 seed in the Sweet Sixteen is impressive, this is the third straight year that one has reached the second weekend. Beating Arizona in the first round was exciting, but seeing them take control of the entire game against Missouri was eye-opening. Can they cover the +9.5 spread against Creighton, who just upset Baylor? 9.5 is the widest line the Sweet Sixteen will see. That’s all I’m saying. Also…Princeton’s campus was pretty LIT after the game too.
No. 7 Michigan State Pulled Away against No. 2 Marquette 69-60
Despite going 2-16 from behind the arc, Tom Izzo in the month of March is dangerous, heading into his 15th Sweet Sixteen appearance. At one point before the game, Michigan State had +143 odds to win outright, and if you sprinkled something on that, good call. Heading into Madison Square Garden, Vegas has the Spartans lined up at -135 against Kansas State and a -2 point spread. Tom Izzo in the month of March…
No. 5 Miami DOMINATED No. 4 Indiana 85-69
Miami is now 5-1 ATS and faced a Hoosiers team that was 11-3 ATS in their last 11 neutral site games. The Hurricanes dominated the boards with 20 offensive rebounds and 29 second-chance points. Miami is a top-30 offensive team in the country, averaging 79.1 points per game, with Isaiah Wong leading the way for the Hurricanes averaging 16 points. Can they cover the +7.5-point spread against an injured Houston?
No. 6 Creighton Ended No. 3 Baylor’s Season 85-76
Although Creighton held the higher seed, Vegas had the Bluejays favorited in this game at a -115 moneyline, and a -1 point spread favorite. The Bluejays are now 5-1 against the spread in their last five games overall. Again, Creighton goes up against an impressive Princeton team but may have the advantage when it comes to experience.
MARCH MADNESS POLL 🧐
BEST BETS GOING INTO THE WEEKEND 🤑
Tom Izzo in the month of March https://t.co/xplyNgpP1T
— Playmaker Betting (@playmakerbet)
Mar 20, 2023
Now onto the fun stuff. Money-making time. Here are my best bets going into the Sweet Sixteen, and if you decide to fade me on every pick, I understand. Let’s kick it off with the East and West region Thursday night, then take a look at the South and Midwest region on Friday night.
THURSDAY NIGHT BETS AND PICKS:
No. 3 Kansas State vs No. 7 Michigan State (-2) @ 6:30 p.m. on TBS
Two great teams to start the weekend, and it will be a guard v guard matchup. Tom Izzo has a lot of history in the Sweet Sixteen, and the last two trips to the Sweet Sixteen resulted in two Final Four appearances. Markquis Nowell, aka Mr. New York City, we all know, is a dog and hit a couple of big-time shots against Kentucky when it mattered the most. However, they had a horrible start to that game, missing their first 13 3-pointers. We just talked about Michigan State being one of those teams to look out for, and is trending at the right time. Senior guard Tyson Walker for the Spartans was dominant in Sunday’s upset against Marquette, reaching his 11th-straight game, scoring in double digits and finishing with 23 points. He and Junior forward Joey Hauser is a dangerous 1-2 punch to go up against…and Tom Izzo has had 4 days to strategize? Say less. Lay the points on Michigan State -2.
No. 8 Arkansas vs No. 4 Uconn (-3.5) @ 7:15 p.m. on CBS
Coming off that fresh upset against Kansas, can Arkansas continue its momentum against the Huskies is the question. The last two Sweet Sixteen appearances that Uconn has been in resulted in National Championships, no big deal. The resounding answer to that is no, Arkansas cannot. Uconn has been the best team collectively in the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, as much as I would love to see Eric rip that shirt off again, the Razorbacks’ streak ends here. Lay the points in Uconn’s favor.
No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs No. 4 Tennessee (-5.5) @ 9:00 p.m. on TBS
I may be biased here, considering I graduated from Tennessee. However, let’s get our facts straight before we go on. The Volunteers have held their last two opponents to season-lows in scoring. Also, the Sweet Sixteen is where dreams go to die for teams like FAU. Like Coach Izzo, if you give a coach like Rick Barnes 4 days to prepare how he will beat you, you don’t want to be on the other end of that spectrum. This is why there are also not a lot of cinderellas in the Elite 8 or even in the Final Four. It rarely ever happens. Give me Tennessee, who has a really good pedigree and plays in a great conference in the SEC. Tennessee wins by double digits. Go Vols.
No. 3 Gonzaga vs No. 2 UCLA (-2) @ 9:45 p.m. on CBS
Bruins make their 3rd consecutive Sweet Sixteen; meanwhile, Gonzaga will be making its 8th straight Sweet Sixteen appearance. However, it seems like Gonzaga chokes every year. I know what UCLA has done. They’ve gone to the national title game under this coaching staff. They can score when they need to, and they can lock down on defense. I’ll take UCLA’s defense over a Gonzaga team that loves to score and loves to get up and down. Give me UCLA to move on.
Friday NIGHT BETS AND PICKS:
No. 5 San Diego State vs No. 1 Alabama (-7.5) @ 6:30 p.m. on TBS
It’s not hard to tell that Alabama is playing its best basketball of the season. They’re freakishly good and blew out their first two opponents in the tourney. Even when their top scorers aren’t putting up big numbers, they are still getting plenty of looks. Alabama is on a roll, and SDSU won’t be able to outmatch them offensively, even if they can go toe-to-toe on defense. I like Bama to win big here.
No. 5 Miami vs No. 1 Houston (-7) @ 7:15 p.m. on CBS
Houston is coming off an impressive comeback win against Auburn, in Birmingham not to mention. Again, Miami just dominated Indiana and is 5-1 ATS in the last six games. Both schools are also looking to return to the Elite Eight for the second straight year. As good as Houston looks, they haven’t played against the best competition, at least not better than the ACC. Keep in mind that Miami also just won a regular season title and has an offense that ranks 11th in the nation in adjusted efficiency. The Canes dropped 85 on Indiana, and although Houston has a solid defense, Miami has too many weapons to find open shots, and if they control the board as they did against the Hoosiers, give me Miami plus the points.
No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 15 Princeton (-9.5) @ 9:00 p.m. on TBS
Princeton is hot right now, but once again, this is where teams like them die in the tournament. However, if they can score 78 points again, I like them to cover the +9.5. They were up by 14 points in the first half against Missouri, and I firmly believe it will be a good game if they can keep up.
No. 3 Xavier vs No. 2 Texas (-3.5) @ 9:45 p.m. on CBS
Texas may be right behind the Huskies for being the best team in the tourney. They have weapons on both sides of the ball. In the 6 games, the Longhorns have covered the spread with an average of 9 points 5 times, with the last one being a push against Penn State. This is a spot where Xavier is going to want to push the tempo. They’re one of the quickest teams remaining in the tournament here. The issue with that is Texas is a team that also loves pushing the tempo. They’re very good at scoring and defending when playing in transition. Xavier is ranked 7th on offense in the nation but is ranked in the 60s on defense. Texas is ranked in the top 15 both on offense and defense. Not to mention, Dylon Disu is coming off of a career-high 28 points on 14-20 field goals made, breaking the record for most field goals made in Longhorns history, surpassing both Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge. Give me Texas -3.5.
WHO COMES OUT THE EAST, WEST, MIDWEST, AND SOUTH?
EAST: Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State is second behind Tennessee for best odds to come out of the East with odds of +300. Tennessee has +125 odds for comparison. Michigan State is the better team. Plus, we have a saying in Tennessee, “Typical Tennessee,” where we simply just don’t pull through in clutch moments. Give me the Spartans and Tom Izzo to get out of New York and go to Houston.
West: Uconn Huskies
Uconn is tied with UCLA for best odds to come out of the West with a +110, following Gonzaga with +225 odds, and Arkansas behind them with +550 odds. As I said before, Uconn has been the best team in the NCAA tournament. You give me an elite scorer, and if I need a bucket or a 3, I’m going to go with the team that has it.
Midwest: Texas Longhorns
I hate to go against the team that I picked to win it all and that has the best odds of coming out of the Midwest with a -120 (Houston), but the way the longhorns are playing right now, I’ve got to take them at +190. If Houston and Texas meet in the Elite 8, they’ll be playing in Kansas City in the same building where Texas won the Big-12 Tournament. That’s Big-12 country, and Texas will certainly have more fans in attendance than Houston will.
South: Alabama Crimson Tide
It’s clear as day that Alabama is the favorite to come out of the South and most likely will with odds at -115, following a Creighton Bluejays team that has odds at +190. Bama has the best odds to win it all at +350 and has beaten their first two opponents by an average of 21.5 points, but the main reason why they’re heavy favorites is that three of the top four seeds in the South region have already lost (No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 Baylor, No. 4 Virginia). Give me Alabama to go to Houston.
⛹️💨Guess who’s back, back. Back again, again.
😳 Mario Chalmers said, “nobody fears LeBron. Watch the full video HERE
😂 Will Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani react like this when they see each other?
🫣 What happened to 6ix9ine?!
QUOTE OF THE DAY 😏
“Life’s too short for the under” – Every degenerate gambler out there probably
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