March Madness 2023 Sweet 16 Betting Preview

The Sweet 16 is already here after a week of crazy first and second-round games. We have eight games to look at in this round so let’s get right into it.

The No. 7 seed Michigan St. Spartans were able to make the No. 2 seeded Marquette look like a first-round game as they won by nine points in that second-round matchup. Now they find themselves as the favorites by two points against another higher seed in No. 3 Kansas St., who just beat No. 6 Kentucky. Kansas St. has been scoring at a high clip of 76 points per game so far in the tournament while Michigan St. has managed 70.5. Recent game history would say the over on points looks good here.

Arkansas just knows how to win in the tournament. They came into March Madness with little hope of a long run in many people’s eyes but a trip to the Sweet 16 was well earned. Both of these teams may be underseeded at 8 for Arkansas and 4 for UConn. UConn is the favorite in this game but it may prove to be tough to stop the Arkansas Razorbacks, who have built up some momentum after a big upset over No. 1 Kansas. Arkansas moneyline is set at +150.

One of the tournament’s Cinderella teams will take on No. 4 Tennessee in this matchup as Florida Atlantic are 5.5-point underdogs. Tennessee is the biggest favorite on Thursday after a big win over No. 5 Duke. Florida Atlantic upset Memphis in the first round by one point and then beat No. 16 Farleigh Dickson, so it seems fair they are fairly large underdogs in this one. It would be a great story if Florida Atlantic is able to pull of a win here.

One of the most-anticipated Sweet 16 matchups is Gonzaga vs UCLA. Gonzaga has commonly been a one or two seed in the tournament but only got a No. 3 this year. It seems they are out to prove the bracket makers wrong as they have been rolling so far. UCLA is a slight favorite in this game but it projects to be a close and competitive game. There is history between these two teams dating back to when Jalen Suggs hit a game-winner from half court in 2021, knocking UCLA out of the tournament.

San Diego St. is another one of those teams who has made it to the Sweet 16 through an easier path, so it is hard to say how they will play against a No. 1 seed. They played Charleston in round one and Furman in round two. Oddsmakers believe that they will be a heavy underdog against Alabama. Alabama scored a tournament-high 96 points in their first game and San Diego St. scored 75 in their last game, so we could see fireworks in this contest.

In round two Miami was able to complete an upset over No. 4 Indiana in an impressive 16-point win. Houston has been rolling themselves with two double-digit wins so far. This game is not expected to be that close but Miami could surprise some people in this Sweet-16 matchup. Both of these teams are fun to watch and we could see a closer game here than anticipated.

Princeton, the tournament’s darling, will now take on Creighton in the Sweet 16. In round one Princeton did the unthinkable by beating Arizona who a lot of people had winning the entire tournament. They continued that momentum by shocking No. 7 Missouri by 15 points in the round of 32. In this game Princeton is 10-point underdogs to No. 6 Creighton. That makes Princeton the biggest underdog of the Sweet 16.

This game is going to be fun. It is the highest-projected total out of all the Sweet 16 games and each team so far has had an 80-point game in the tournament. Many people thought that Texas deserved a No. 1 seed and they are out to prove that they can win the championship. Xavier stands in their way and could prove to be a harder matchup than Texas is anticipating. Don’t expect the Longhorns to take them lightly though.