March Madness returns for action on Thursday night with the Sweet 16, and the Sports Gambling Podcast Network will break down the action with our March Madness picks and bets for March 29!
The opening game of this round is in the South Region, with (11) NC State and (2) Marquette meeting in Dallas. The next tip is the rematch of a Maui Invitational game between (1) Purdue and (5) Gonzaga in Detroit.
In the nightcap, (1) Houston and (4) Duke will battle for a place in the Elite 8. The final contest on Thursday is (2) Tennessee and (3) Creighton playing to advance to the MidWest Region final.
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Preview: March Madness Upsets, Picks, and Bets for March 29, 2024
(11) NC State vs. (2) Marquette
Location: Dallas, TX
Spread: Marquette -7
Total: 151
Time: 7:09 PM ET
Network: CBS
The only darling left in the field of mostly chalk is North Carolina State, who has gone on a tear that teams dream of. They weren’t considered for an at-large bid and had to run the table in the ACC tournament.
We see what the ACC has done here, so it looks more impressive now than when it happened. Clemson, UNC, Duke, and NC State made up a quarter of the Sweet Sixteen, representing the ACC.
Marquette wisely waited out a Tyler Kolek injury during their conference tournament, and it looks to have paid dividends. He ran circles around Colorado to outlast the Buffaloes.
I like NC State’s size down low to bother Marquette enough to get the cover. Kolek shouldn’t be able to get to his left hand down in the post as much as he did against Colorado, so this will hinge on the shooting of Joplin and Jones.
NC State with the points to cover. Good teams win. Great teams cover.
The Pick: NC State +7
(1) Purdue vs. (5) Gonzaga
Location: Detroit, MI
Spread: Purdue -5.5
Total: 154.5
Time: 7:39 PM ET
Network: TBS/truTV
Purdue erased all doubts against the lower seeds, quickly going from a punch line to a contender in the NCAA Tournament. Edey had a 20/10 double-double at halftime against. Utah State. Lance Jones has added athleticism on the wing that Purdue needed, and the other guards have grown considerably since last year. They’ve gotten over the hump (the first weekend).
Gonzaga beat Kansas to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the ninth year in a row. An absolute factory, Mark Few, is running there.
These teams met in Maui at the beginning of the season, but be careful in your takeaways from that game. Gonzaga had a five-point lead at halftime but lost by 10. Gonzaga had some growing of their own to do this year, replacing Drew Timme.
Neither team defends what the other wants to do well. Gonzaga would prefer getting out in transition, and Purdue wants to get into the post from half-court sets.
The contrast in styles should be interesting to watch. The key for the Zags will be to make Edey’s teammates beat you. Purdue will have to defend across the board.
Siding with the over in this one as I can see a little bit of a struggle to stop the offenses. We should see some free throws down the stretch as well.
The Pick: Over 154.5
(1) Houston vs. (4) Duke
Location: Dallas, TX
Spread: Houston -4
Total: 134.5
Time: 9:39 PM ET
Network: CBS
This is a four-course meal of a slate. The games get heavier as the night goes on. Houston showed every bit of their guts in their win against the Aggies. Duke put on a shooting clinic against James Madison and shut the door on the Cinderella potential early.
Houston will have a large home crowd and a big advantage defensively. The Cougars are a little banged up in the front court, and that would matter more against a tougher opponent. Filipowski isn’t the guy that will make them pay for it.
Houston’s guards should win the matchups against the Duke backcourt. If the Blue Devils win this game, they will push the pace offensively. However, they will have to shoot lights out if they do it.
Backing the de facto home team and Kelvin Sampson to get the job done. It might be easy to take the points against a team that went to OT and banged up, but I’m siding with the favorite.
The Pick: Houston -4
(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Creighton
Location: Detroit, MI
Spread: Tennessee +3
Total: 144
Time: 10:09 PM ET
Network: TBS/truTV
These matchups don’t let up. If you don’t have two screens, then good look at choosing which game to tune in to. Creighton and Tennessee should be an absolute battle led by a Player of the Year finalist in Dalton Knecht.
The problem is that it has seemed to be Knecht or bust for the Volunteers’ offense. The task gets more difficult for the Volunteers on the other side of the ball. They will have to stop four players capable of scoring 20 points with good three-point shooting efficiency.
There have been coaches that are working on getting over the hump this postseason, but Rick Barnes remains a fade here. I won’t be trusting the Volunteers to play on five on offense for 40 minutes. At least Oregon tried it with two on five with Dante and Cousinard.
The Pick: Creighton ML
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