The first round of March Madness was filled with several thrilling upsets and a couple of underdogs still dancing with 11-seed Pittsburgh and 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson playing Sunday.
Below, we break down Tipico Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament odds and lines and list Sunday’s best second-round upset bets to cash in on among SportbookWire’s expert college basketball picks and predictions.
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Sunday’s NCAA Tournament upset picks
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:45 a.m. ET. All game times ET; ML = moneyline.
PITTSBURGH ML (+180) vs. Xavier – 12:10 p.m.
The 11th-seeded Panthers, after a First Four victory over Mississippi State, steamrolled 6-seed Iowa State on Friday. Pitt faces a Xavier defense that ranks just 285th in the nation in opponent points per game (74.1) which presents a massive opportunity for the Panthers to steal a trip to the Sweet 16.
The 3rd-seeded Muskateers were on upset alert for much of its 1st-round victory over Kennesaw State on Friday. Its stand-out offense seemingly stalled for a majority of the game and was 2 of 12 from behind the line. Taking away F Jerome Hunter‘s 8-for-11 shooting performance, the Muskies shot just 39% from the field.
If the Panthers are able to create difficulties for Xavier on defense and force sloppy offensive play, they have a very real shot at taking down the 3-seed.
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TCU +4.5 (-110) vs. Gonzaga – 9:40 p.m.
Gonzaga is just 3-11-1 in its last 15 neutral site games and 0-6 ATS in its last 6 NCAA Tournament games, most recently failing to cover on Friday against Grand Canyon. While they has a phenomenal offense, the Bulldogs rank 261st in the NCAA in opponent points per game.
TCU is used to playing tough defenses, ranking 6th in opponent defensive efficiency, per Kenpom’s rankings. Against a Zags defense that has been its weak point, if the Horned Frogs are able to exploit that and slow the Zags offense, they could put them on upset alert.
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