The betting community is gearing up for one of the most exciting sports weekends of the year, with the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 set to take place. Thursday breaks the three-day halt in the March Madness action with four matchups bound to provide plenty of excitement. Bettors are already lining up their top plays, and the latest Sweet 16 betting report shows the UConn Huskies as a popular pick to reach the Elite 8.
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Sweet 16 Betting: Bettors Loving UConn’s Chances
Check out Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchups and odds below (BetMGM):
- Michigan State (-1.5) vs. Kansas State
- UConn (-4.5) vs. Arkansas
- Tennessee (-5.5) vs. FAU
- UCLA (-1.5) vs. Gonzaga
Per BetMGM’s John Ewing, the most bet teams (ticket percentage) are Michigan State, Kansas State and UConn. The most bet teams (total money) are UConn, Kansas State and Tennessee.
UConn will have a tall task if they want to make their backers look smart. Although they were able to cruise past Iona at Saint Mary’s in the first two rounds, they will now draw the Arkansas Razorbacks fresh off their upset win over No. 1 seed Kansas in the West Region.
Arkansas struggled with injuries and inconsistent play all season long, but has seemingly put it all together in the NCAA Tournament. They were led by 25 points from guard Davonte Davis in the thrilling 72-71 win over Kansas on Saturday, with Ricky Council IV adding 21 in the contest. This marks the third consecutive year coach Eric Musselman has led the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16.
“I’ve been coaching a long time, that’s as great of a win as I’ve ever been a part of,” Musselman said after the win, per 247 Sports. “Again, because of the history of Kansas, because of some of their veteran players that were part of a championship team last year. A lot of people didn’t think we were going to win our first-round game.”
UConn has proven to be a dangerous scoring team through the first two rounds, averaging 78.5 points on 51% shooting from the field, including 45% from 3-point range. The Huskies have been above-average offensively all season long, ranking No. 14 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency. Arkansas ranks No. 51 in the same metric.
The biggest challenge for the Huskies will be to contain UConn big man Adam Sanogo, who scored 28 and 24 respectively in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
“He’s a super active big,” Arkansas forward Kamani Johnson said, per BOAS. “He’s kind of Oscar (Tshiebwe)-like with his motor in how he crashes the glass and how aggressive and physical he is. He’s super skilled in the post, too. We’ve been watching film on him, and we’re game-planning for it. We’ll be fine.”
It is no surprise that UConn is garnering a lot of interest ahead of their matchup with Arkansas. They rank better in most metrics and enjoyed more success throughout the season. The Huskies have also been arguably the most dominant team in the NCAA Tournament. But fans can’t deny this Arkansas team has looked different since the tournament began and have a certain amount of magic in their current run.
The Arkansas-UConn matchup should provide great excitement, but the Sweet 16 betting report shows most gamblers will be hoping UConn can continue to roll.
Bettors looking to gain more of an edge for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament can also check out OddsShopper tools, including the popular parlay builder!
