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Sweet 16 Preview

Expectations for tournament mayhem were sky-high this year after a chaotic regular season of college basketball, and the first weekend of games absolutely delivered. Regardless of the state of your bracket (in my case, 👎) you gotta admit it was one heck of a ride 🎢

• No seed number made it through the first two rounds unscathed, and three teams with top-five title odds — Kentucky (+650), Baylor (+1200), and Auburn (+1200)— have already been eliminated

• A quarter of the Sweet 16 is made up of double-digit seeds, highlighted by Saint Peter’s in the East, just the third 15-seed and the first MAAC team to ever reach the second week

The madness is set to continue today, with half the remaining field hoping to get one step closer to reaching the Final Four in New Orleans. Take a look at the upcoming slate 👇

• (7:09 PM ET) #1 Gonzaga vs #4 Arkansas

• (7:29 PM ET) #2 Villanova vs. #11 Michigan

• (9:39 PM ET) #2 Duke vs. #3 Texas Tech

• (9:59 PM ET) #1 Arizona vs. #5 Houston

It will be tough to top last weekend’s action, but we should have some good ones on our hands tonight; three of the four games have a spread within five points 🍿

Spotlight: Duke vs. Texas Tech

There's no shortage of intrigue across today's matchups, but one you should pay especially close attention to is the clash of styles going down at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Check out the lines ahead of the meeting between the Duke Blue Devils and the Texas Tech Red Raiders 👇

#2 Duke vs. #3 Texas Tech (subject to change)

• Spread: Texas Tech -1

• Moneyline: Texas Tech -115 (bet $115, win $100), Duke -105

• Over/Under: 137.5

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s an extra-bright spotlight on Duke any time the Blue Devils take the floor this tournament. After all, each game could be the last for the winningest coach in college basketball history 

• The Coach K farewell tour has gotten off to a promising start, with Duke cruising to a first-round victory over CSU Fullerton, before pulling away late against MSU on Sunday. It's the team's 26th Sweet 16 appearance under the legendary coach 🤯

• With NBA scouts surely watching closely, Paolo Banchero has efficiently stuffed the stat sheet in his first taste of the tourney, putting up 18 points, 8.5 boards and 4 assists per game

Banchero is just one of Duke’s many talented underclassmen, whereas Texas Tech’s identity is built around savvy veteran leadership

• The average age of the Blue Devils’ starting five is 19, while the average age of the Red Raiders' first unit is 22

• Experience plays, especially on D. By a variety of metrics, Texas Tech was one of the best defensive teams in the country this season, and they’ve held their two tournament opponents to 57.5 PPG on 35% shooting from the field

Finding the bottom of the basket will undoubtedly be more difficult than usual for Banchero and company in this one, but this is the stage where transcendent talents take it to the next level. We’ll see if Duke’s young star has it in him, or if someone else rises to the occasion 😤

South Region Showdowns

Despite a 9.5-point spread and the tournament struggles of the SEC, Gonzaga, the title favorite, still shouldn’t feel safe against a dangerous Arkansas team tonight. But we’ll turn our attention instead to the two South Region matchups, which oddsmakers expect to be tightly-contested 👇

📍 #11 Michigan vs. #2 Villanova

• Spread: Villanova -5

• Moneyline: Villanova -220, Michigan +180 (bet $100, win $180)

• Over/Under: 135.5

The Wolverines and the Wildcats will face off at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, the same city where the two teams met in the national title game almost four years ago

• It’s a battle between two of the most successful programs in recent memory. Nova has a pair of titles since 2016, while Michigan has reached the Sweet 16 in five straight tournaments

• The Wildcats already got a taste of Big Ten action in the second round, and they took care of business against Ohio State with relative ease, never trailing in the contest  

But will Villanova’s undersized frontcourt have an answer for Hunter Dickinson? The big man has been the catalyst for Michigan’s improbable run, averaging 24 PPG and 8.5 RPG so far 💪

📍 #5 Houston vs. #1 Arizona

• Spread: Arizona -1.5

• Moneyline: Arizona -125, Houston +105

• Over/Under: 145.5

Speaking of teams with consistent tournament success, the Houston Cougars are emerging as a March Madness staple, having reached their third straight Sweet 16 😤

• You know head coach Kelvin Sampson is going to get the most out of his guys on the defensive end, and this year’s squad is no different. Houston forced 17 Illinois turnovers in their second round victory, while holding the Illini to 53 points on 34% shooting

• Arizona’s own second round victory wasn’t nearly as convincing, although it was certainly more exciting. The Wildcats needed a 30-spot from PAC-12 Player of the Year Benedict Mathurin to survive TCU in OT

Regardless of the close call, there’s a reason why Arizona remains near the top of the short list of title contenders. But Houston will be quite the test 🧐

For My Parlay Gurus

Duke has never won an NCAA Tournament game in the Pacific Time Zone, but hey, there’s a first time for everything, right? I think Coach K’s career is extended just a bit longer after a Blue Devils’ win, and I’m going with the Arizona Wildcats as well. Take a look 👇

• Duke ML vs. Texas Tech: -105

• Arizona -1.5 vs. Houston: -110

$100 on this parlay would net $272 — if we hit, make sure to email [email protected] for $100*. First come, first serve 😉

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