Last night, the Sweet 16 games had some fantastic finishes. Tonight four more games will take place, including two No. 1 seeds looking to remain in the hunt. On the betting card, there are many angles to breakdown and spots to attack. Here is where bettors should put their money on each matchup for tonight’s Sweet 16 bets.
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NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Bets | March 24
San Diego State (+7.5) vs. Alabama (DraftKings)
In the first game, San Diego State faces Alabama as a 7.5-point underdog on DraftKings. Although beating Alabama is a tall task for anyone, San Diego State at least has the right formula. They play at a methodical pace, have elite defense and run an extremely deep rotation, which will be needed against Alabama. San Diego State is top 10 in the country in various defensive metrics, including 3-point defense, which will be key tonight. Although they have not faced this type of competition, they did look good against two high-powered mid-major offenses to start this tourney. The game is expected to be competitive, so grabbing 7.5 is the way to go.
Houston (-7.5) vs. Miami (DraftKings)
Houston finally turned up the heat once they were truly tested in the second half of the Auburn game, finishing with a dominant 50-23 frame. The extra rest can only help their one-two combo of Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead, who were both banged up in the first two rounds. Miami has fantastic guard play, but this is a huge ask for a defensive unit that is outside the top 200 in field goal defense. If they are unable to get stops, Houston will grind them down en route to a double-digit victory.
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Princeton (+10) vs. Creighton (DraftKings)
This is the toughest game on the board, but 10 points are a lot regardless of Sweet 16 matchup. Although Princeton is probably at a talent disadvantage, that didn’t mean much against Arizona and Missouri. They held both to sub-25% 3-point shooting, which would go a long way to taking down Creighton. Princeton is a balanced team without any major weakness and won’t be intimidated by the moment. Creighton looked unreal against Baylor, and if they shoot like that, it’s unclear if anyone can beat them. They have a monster on the inside with Ryan Kalkbrenner, who should be able to neutralize a lot of what Princeton wants to do. Still, Creighton most likely will not shoot to that elite level, and this game will come down to a few possessions down the stretch. Getting a full 10 points is too many, even though it is scary to back Princeton in this spot.
Texas (-4.5) vs. Xavier (DraftKings)
This game should be high flying and could go over the total. Xavier is a top-10 offense in the country and one of the best at sharing the ball. They have a balanced attack and have shown they can beat anyone, even without Zach Freemantle in the last few months. After surviving a huge test against Kennesaw State, they showed flashes of top-end form, hanging 84 on a respectable Pittsburgh team. The problem for them is Texas being a major step up across the board on both sides of the ball. The Longhorns will be ready to go, as they survived a minor scare in the last round against Penn State. They have plenty of depth on the inside, experience in the backcourt and are battle-tested after their Big 12 schedule. Although Texas goes cold at times from 3, which plagues basically all teams at certain times, if they shoot even a remotely reasonable clip tonight, they will cover this number and move on.
Editor Note: Looking for other college basketball best bets for the NCAA Tournament? We have you covered here!
