The best weekend of the year is over, and now we enter the upcoming weekend with the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. Below, we break down Tipico Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament odds and lines and list the best Sweet 16 upset bets to cash in on among SportbookWire’s expert college basketball picks and predictions.
There are 4 teams that sit outside of the top-6 seeds, No. 9 FAU, No. 15 Princeton, No. 7 Michigan State, and No. 8 Arkansas.
With No. 1 seeds like Kansas and Purdue having already fallen, fans will have all eyes on Houston and Alabama to make sure they don’t go down as well. As with every week of March Madness, expect chaos to ensue.
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NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 upset picks
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 11:08 a.m. ET. All game times ET.
FAU (+200) vs. Tennessee – Friday, 9 p.m.
Florida Atlanta ranks No. 22 in Kenpom because of its elite offense which sits 30th in adjusted rating. Its defense is also top 35. Tennessee doesn’t have a top-tier offense, but does have the No. 1-rated defense. The Owls have won 9 straight games and have scored 75 or more in 3 of their last 5.
Florida Atlanta has the offense to make noise. It ranks 50th in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage (36.7%). It should be able to space the court and knock down shots.
With the Vols still without G Zakai Zeigler, they should start to regress defensively. At this value, back FAU (+200).
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ARKANSAS (+150) vs. UConn – Thursday, 7:15 p.m.
It seems like everyone is already counting Arkansas out. The Razorbacks have a gritty team though, having taken down No. 9 Illinois 73-63 and No. 1 Kansas 72-71. They also have wins over Kentucky and San Diego State this season. The guard play with G Ricky Council IV stepping up, especially against Kansas with 21 points, will matter against G Ryan Nembhard.
UConn is an impressive side, but the Razorbacks play at a pace, ranking 50th in adjusted tempo, that could throw the Huskies off as well. Arkansas has the 51st-best offense and 15th-best defense. It is good enough on both sides of the court to upset the No. 4 seed.
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XAVIER (+160) vs. Texas – Friday, 9:45 p.m.
The Musketeers have what it takes to pull off the upset. Xavier’s 6-foot-11 C Jack Nunge is shooting over 40% from deep for the 1st time in his career this season and can space the floor, forcing C Timmy Allen outside of the paint. Xavier has the 7th-best offense while Texas ranks 15th in offense.
Xavier ranks 5th in 3-point FG percentage (38.9%). It has the ability to run and gun. Scoring against Texas isn’t easy, but the Musketeers offense is a proven side. With wins over UConn, Creighton, Marquette, Providence and many other top-tier programs, it should be able to pull off the upset. Back XAVIER (+160).
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