2024 Sweet 16 Betting Advice and Strategy
Sportsmemo college basketball handicapper William Burns runs through his NCAA Tournament March Madness Sweet 16 betting preview before action tips off on Thursday! Get betting advice for various Sweet 16 matchups including San Diego State vs UConn and Alabama vs North Carolina! Don’t miss out!
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Clemson Tigers vs Arizona Wildcats
Kicking off the round in style, we've got an unlikely matchup here in Los Angeles. Clemson barely upset Baylor in the last round and look to do it again on Thursday.
Arizona has looked very strong themselves and haven't been really tested yet. This should prove to be their hardest game so far, but I don't see them losing it still.
If the Wildcats can knock down their threes and free throws, they should have no problem advancing to the elite eight on Saturday against the winner of Alabama/UNC.
San Diego State Aztecs vs UConn Huskies
It's a rematch of last year's final. UConn won that game by quite a bit. But, we've got a nearly completely different roster for both teams in this year's edition.
Though I do believe that UConn is still the better side, this game should be much closer than that one. UConn has blown out both the teams they've faced so far and San Diego State blew out Yale in the last round.
I've got UConn advancing but if they play it right, the Aztecs could shock a lot of people here and I wouldn't be surprised.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs North Carolina Tar Heels
After barely hanging on against Grand Canyon in an epic battle, Mark Sears and Alabama look to break even more hearts on Thursday.
Although they haven't really so far in this tournament, UNC has looked vulnerable at times this year. Defense has been their issue and Alabama is one of the best at playing fast in the country.
That could be troublesome for a UNC team that is used to playing fast, but not nearly as fast as the Crimson Tide.
Therefore, I could see this game going either way. If I had to pick one though, I'd probably still lean the way of the #1 seed.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Iowa State Cyclones
One of the most intriguing Sweet Sixteen matchups finishes off an excellent Thursday of games. Illinois has a few guys that can really score the ball on offense like Terrrance Shannon Jr and Marcus Domask.
However, ISU has one of the best defenses in all of college basketball, & it's shown especially in recent games. The Cyclones have allowed 65 points or less in ten consecutive games now.
However, Iowa State struggles on the offensive side at times. According to KenPom, Illinois is the #1 ranked offensive efficiency team in the country.
Though I don't think their defense is good enough to win the championship, I do like Illinois to get through to the elite eight here if I had to pick a team.
NC State Wolfpack vs Marquette Golden Eagles
NC State enters the Sweet Sixteen as the last double digit remaining. They haven't had to win much though, having beaten Texas Tech (#6) and then Oakland (#14) to get here.
Marquette's offense looked better than ever against Colorado and should be able to roll again in this game against an NC State team that relies heavily on DJ Horne and DJ Burns.
I've got Marquette moving on out of this matchup.
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Purdue Boilermakers
Gonzaga played Purdue very tough earlier this season. Although it ended in a 10pt Purdue win, Gonzaga was actually leading by five at halftime.
That was in Hawaii so nobody had home-court advantage in that game and no one will as well in this game with it being played in Detroit.
Purdue lost last year in the first round against a #16 seed. This year they play with that motivation. Zach Edey is a monster and I don't think Gonzaga will be able to stop him quite yet.
Duke Blue Devils vs Houston Cougars
Duke dominated the Dukes of James Madison in the Round of 32. However, this is a completely different challenge for them.