The NCAA Tournament continues into the third round on Friday, and we offer our Sweet 16 player props and best bets based on the best March Madness odds.
As the NCAA Tournament heats up with the Sweet 16, Friday's action includes two March Madness odds favorites taking the court. The Purdue Boilermakers, with March Madness MVP odds favorite Zach Edey leading the way, will take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs, and the Houston Cougars play a surging Duke Blue Devils squad.
Kicking off Friday's slate will be the Marquette Golden Eagles as they look to end the Cinderella run of the NC State Wolfpack. Closing out the evening will be the Tennessee Volunteers vs. the Creighton Bluejays in what's widely considered the most evenly-matched game of the Sweet 16.
To accompany our Sweet 16 expert picks, here are our Sweet 16 player props and be st bets for Friday (college basketball picks based on odds from our best March Madness betting sites; Pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Friday's March Madness best bets
- Kam Jones Over 2.5 made 3-pointers (+100 via FanDuel) ????
- Graham Ike Under 7.5 rebounds (-114 via FanDuel) ???
- Jamal Shead Over 6.5 assists (+100 via FanDuel) ????
- Dalton Knecht Over 20.5 points (-113 via FanDuel) ???
Not intended for use in MA
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Friday's March Madness schedule and odds
(Odds via bet365)
- NC State vs. Marquette picks | Spread: Marquette -6.5 | Total: 151
- Gonzaga vs. Purdue picks | Spread: Purdue -5.5 | Total: 154. 5
- Duke vs. Houston picks | Spread: Houston -4 | Total: 134.5
- Creighton vs. Tennessee picks | Spread: Tennessee -3 | Total: 144
Friday's March Madness player props
Best odds: +100 via FanDuel
Not only is NC State the worst team left in the NCAA Tournament on paper, but Marquette is playing some of its best basketball of the season heading into the Sweet 16. The Wolfpack are in for a tough matchup, especially against Golden Eagles sharpshooter Kam Jones.
Jones has been Shaka Smart's most reliable trigger man from behind the arc all season, leading the team in 3-pointers per game (2.6) and 3-point percentage (41.4%). He's been out of his mind through the first two rounds of the tournament, too. Jones has gone 9-for-20 shooting from deep in March Madness thus far, and he's hit at least three 3-pointers in seven of h is last 11 games.
NC State is going to struggle while trying to slow down his pace. The Wolfpack are 76th in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, and they allow ACC opponents to hit 7.3 threes per game while shooting 36.2%. That's why this outlier price at FanDuel is too good to pass up. The same prop is -130 at DraftKings, which implies a 56.62% probability of it hitting, according to our odds calculator.
Best odds: -114 via FanDuel
Regardless of the outcome of the game, Gonzaga's frontcourt is in for a long night against Edey. The Boilermakers big man doesn't just dominate the glass, but his sheer size leads to plenty of fouls for defenders. That could scream trouble for Bulldogs big man Graham Ike.
Ike, Gonzaga's leading rebounder (7.3 per game), has struggled with foul issues in 2023-24. He played just 21 minutes after racking up three fouls during the Bulldogs' win over Kansas. Ike encountered a similar problem during the Bulldogs' loss to Saint Mary's in the WCC Championship game. He was called for four fouls and played just 19 minutes.
Beyond the foul issues, he's also going to be competing with Edey for boards. The 7-foot-4 big man is averaging 12.1 rebounds per game, and the Boilermakers allow the fourth-fewest rebounds per game in the country to opponents as a result (29.3). He's been on another level in the tournament too while averaging 17.5 per game.
Best odds: +100 via FanDuel
Despite a near trip up in the Round of 32 against Texas A&M, No. 1 seed Houston remains a Final Four odds favorite. That's in large part due to the play of All-American point guard Jamal Shead. While Shead is known more for his dominant defensive play than his offensive prowess, he's one o f the country's best set-up men.
Shead leads the Cougars with 6.4 assists per game, and that pass-first play style has resulted in him registering at least seven assists in seven of his last 10 games. He's averaging eight apples per outing during that stretch and has taken it up to 9.5 per game in the NCAA Tournament.
For as good as Duke has been, the Blue Devils allow 12.5 assists per game (46th most in the country). That's part of the reason Shead's odds are -115 at our other best sports betting sites. With the +100 odds at FanDuel though, a $10 bet would lead to a $10 profit if he hits the Over.
Best odds: -113 via FanDuel
In what may be the best game of the Sweet 16, Tennessee is going to need All-American Dalton Knecht to play his best game of the NCAA Tournament. A potent scorer, Knecht is averaging 21.1 points per game during 2023-24 an d shooting 39.1% from 3-point range.
He's one of the most versatile scorers in the country, with the ability to attack the rim or pull up from anywhere on the court. Knecht is difficult to stop for a Creighton defense that allows plenty of opportunities inside the arc. The Bluejays give up the sixth most 2-pointers per game in the country (21.9). And while their 3-point defense is better, they allowed Big East teams to shoot 34.3% from deep.
Knecht is such a threat to take over games that this same prop is as short as -135 at DraftKings. Those odds imply a 57.45% probability he finishes with 21 points.
College basketball best bets made Thursday at 11:55 a.m. ET.
Here are our best March Madness betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUS1000 | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- BetRivers Promo Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetRivers Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Related pages
- Best Live Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)