8 Expert Picks
Will UConn finally be challenged in the NCAA Tournament? ...
Greene Better Outside The Bandbox
Jared Jones Could Be A Thing
Reasonable Number For These Two
Clemson outscored Alabama by fifteen points in the final thirteen minutes of their first matchup to win by eight. …
Connecticut might be better than last year.
Best Team In Country With A Home Game Into The Final 4
The Illini have shown they can win at any pace. ...
Past Picks
This may have been my favorite of the Sweet 16 matchups. Both teams are Final Four caliber, and there will be plenty of star power in this one. Tennessee has the best player in Dalton Knecht, but Creighton has arguably the best trio in the country in Baylor Scheierman, Trey Alexander, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. I expect a hard-fought, close game throughout and I'm going to take the points here.
Tennessee has one of the top defenses in the country. However, their offense has shot below 40% in five of their last six games. The Blue Jays offense has been more consistent and they’re shooting 85% from the free throw line over their last three games. Creighton is good defensive rebounding team to keep the Volunteers off the glass, holding them to one shot while also having experienced guards to matchup. Greg McDermott is also 16-4 ATS in March over the last three seasons.
Gonzaga makes their 9th straight Sweet 16 appearance. The Boilermakers won the first meeting by 10-points early in the season. Purdue may have some regression after their 106-point outburst against the Aggies, but they’ve been consistent on both ends of the court all season. The Bulldogs are playing better team basketball this time of year, but it feels like Purdue has something to prove last losing to a 16 seed last season. The Bulldogs have also struggled facing above average defenses and this Purdue defense is playing at an elite level.
Shaka Smart is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since being with VCU. The Golden Eagles offense looks better with a healthy Tyler Kolek but they were down at half to Western Kentucky and went to overtime against the Buffaloes. NC State have won seven straight, the only double-digit seed left and the better rebounding team. The Wolfpack protects the ball better and have the guards to matchup along with DJ Burns, Mohamed Diarra, and Ben Middlebrooks to go up against Oso Ighodaro downlow.
Houston blew a 13-point lead to the Aggies in their last game. Duke blew out the Dukes, shooting 50% from three. However, Duke’s offense has been more consistent than the Cougars as it can go stagnant for a decent amount of time. Houston also allowed 26 offensive rebounds to the Aggies with four starters in fouling out. Duke’s defense has improved over the season as they guard the perimeter well and the Cougars often fall back on shooting threes.
My simulations have the Mariners winning 61 percent of the time which implies this line should be -156 with George Kirby vs. Nick Pivetta.
The A's got pounded 8-0 yesterday and it's going to be something similar to that today. Ross Stripling is pitching and he looked good last year but his surrounding cast brought him down in 2024. He had a terrible spring with a 8.38 ERA in five starts with 30 hits in 19 innings, and 20 runs given up. He allowed three home runs. Solid price with Cleveland to win.