Run It Back: Sweet 16 Edition

The first half of the Sweet 16 is officially in the books, and after yet another electric night of March Madness action - shoutout KState and Gonzaga for pulling through in crazy games - there's just 12 teams left standing with a shot at the title 🏆

• We've got another loaded four-game slate tonight with the South and Midwest regions taking the court, and although betting lines aren't as tight as they were yesterday, there's still plenty of intrigue surrounding this evening's schedule 

Both of the remaining 1-seeds — Alabama and Houston — are set to hit the floor first. Brandon Miller and the red-hot Crimson Tide were the consensus title favorites entering the round (+320), and tonight they're 7.5-point favorites over the 5-seed San Diego State Aztecs, who have yet to face a single-digit seed 😬

• Oddsmakers are bullish on Houston's title chances as well, and like Bama, they're also 7.5-point favorites tonight over the 5-seed Miami Hurricanes. The ACC's lone remaining team looked very impressive in a win over Indiana, but unfortunately for them, the Cougars are looking a bit less vulnerable ⬇️

Also suiting up this evening is this year's Cinderella story, 15-seed Princeton. The only double-digit seed to reach the Sweet 16, the Tigers are just a win away from matching Saint Peter's historic run from a year ago...shoutout New Jersey 💪

Princeton will have to take down an impressive Creighton team to keep the miracle run alive, and as 10.5-point underdogs, the odds aren't in their favor. But that certainly hasn't stopped them so far 😎

Matchup Spotlight

I can't wait to watch another Princeton upset bid, and Alabama and Houston are both appointment television anytime they take the floor. But the game I'm looking forward to the most is the final tip of the Sweet 16; check out how the lines are shaping up for a battle between Texas and Xavier 👇

No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Xavier Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Texas -4.5

• Moneyline: Texas -184 (bet $184, win $100), Xavier +152 (bet $100, win $152)

• O/U: 149.5

• When: 9:45PM on CBS

Based on the odds, this is the most evenly-matched showdown of the night, and despite some ups and downs so far this tournament, we've seen plenty of glimpses that match the impressive regular season resumes each team had 💪

• After a dominant 20-point win over Kansas in the Big 12 title game, Texas kept the momentum going in a first-round blowout victory over Colgate

• There were some nervous moments against 10-seed Penn State, one of the hottest teams in the country, but some clutch plays down the stretch, the stifling Longhorn D, and a historically good performance from senior forward Dylan Disu kept the title hopes alive 😤

Xavier entered the tournament on a more sour note than Texas, and their lousy showing against Marquette in the Big East championship had more than a few people fading the Musketeers in their bracket 😬

• A sluggish start against 14-sed Kennesaw State in the first round didn't help assuage those concerns, but since halftime of that game, Xavier has been locked in. They followed up their first round win with an easy double-digit victory over 11-seed Pitt, continuing what's already been a wildly successful season for Sean Miller's squad ⬇️

Xavier has the talent to keep this run going, but if they're going to take down a disciplined, well-balanced Longhorns' team tonight, they'll likely need more out of star senior guard Souley Boum 

• Boum has yet to heat up like the rest of his Musketeer teammates. A first team All Big-East selection and the team's leading scorer, he's shooting just 30% from the field and 17% from deep this tournament 🥶

Other players have stepped up in his place, and Boum is still finding ways to contribute.  But simply put, it's tough to beat Texas if your best player is struggling 🤷🏻‍♂️

For My Parlay Gurus

Xavier has had a heck of a season, but I like the Longhorns quite a bit tonight. And while Miami's knack for sticking around has me nervous about Houston's spread, I do trust the Tide to win convincingly against SDSU. Here's the parlay I'm locking in 👇

• Texas -4.5 vs. Xavier: -105

• Alabama -7.5 vs. San Diego State: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $273 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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