The Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament provides us with 8 games to bet, with 4 games scheduled for Thursday, and 4 more games Friday as we pare the field down to the Elite 8. There is still plenty of money to be made before a champion is crowned.
After looking at the Tipico Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament odds and lines, here is a can’t-miss, Sweet 16 parlay among our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
Some of the traditional teams are no longer in the field, although there are still plenty of big names. We have a handful of upstart teams who might not be used to the bright lights of this all-important round. Of course, the national championship is wide-open this season, especially with some of the favorites having already fallen by the wayside.
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NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 parlay
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 10:01 a.m. ET. All game times ET.
Leg 1: Gonzaga vs. UCLA OVER 145.5 (-110) – Thursday, 9:45 p.m. (CBS)
The Bulldogs and Bruins renew acquaintances in the NCAA Tournament. This is their 4th meeting in the Big Dance between these West Coast behemoths.
Playing the Over comes with some risk as Gonzaga has cashed the Under in 3 of its 4 postseason games. However, it’s not due to a lack of scoring as the Zags have posted 77 or more points in each of the games.
Defensively, Gonzaga had allowed 73 or fewer points in the first 3 postseason games, but TCU dropped 81 on the Bulldogs in Sunday’s second-round contest. As the competition has become greater, Gonzaga’s defense isn’t nearly as strong.
This is a Zags team which cashed the Over in each of the final 8 regular-season games.
UCLA has cashed the Over in both of its tournament games, averaging 77.0 PPG, while allowing 58.0 PPG. The total is obviously much higher against a Gonzaga team which ranked No. 1 in the nation in the regular season with 88.0 PPG, and 52.9% field-goal percentage, according to covers.com.
The Over is 5-2 in the last 7 games overall for the Bruins, and 14-5 in the last 19 games following a non-cover.
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Leg 2: Miami vs. Houston UNDER 138.5 (-115) – Friday, 7:15 p.m. (CBS)
Leg 3: MIAMI +7.5 (-115) vs. Houston
The Hurricanes have been impressive so far, topping Drake 63-56 in the opening round, before routing Indiana 85-69 as 1.5-point underdogs. The ACC regular-season champs have played great basketball in the last 2 months, going 11-2 straight-up (SU) and 8-5 against the spread (ATS) in the past 13 games dating back to Jan. 31.
It’s become a common theme for the ‘Canes in recent seasons as they are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 NCAA Tournament games. Their also 8-3 ATS in the last 11 games against teams with a winning overall record, too.
Houston saw star G Marcus Sasser (groin) aggravate his injury in the 1st-round win against Northern Kentucky. He made a decision to play against Auburn in the 2nd round, as it was a pain tolerance thing. Sasser was apparently fine, as he scored 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-9 from behind the arc.
Despite that solid performance by Sasser, the Cougars still shot 42% (25-for-60) overall against the Tigers. It was good enough to win by 17, though, as UH plays great defense.
The Under is 6-1 in the previous 7 NCAA Tournament games for the ‘Canes, while going 7-3 in the last 10 neutral-site games. For Houston, the Under is 4-1 in the last 5 NCAA Tournament games, while going 7-3 in the last 10 neutral-site contests, too.
As such, I like Miami plus the points AND the Under, as 2 of the 3 legs in this parlay.
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Parlay payout: Bet $10 to profit $56.73 (ticket pays $66.73).
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