(USA TODAY Sports) After higher-seeded teams struggled to close out the round of 64 on Friday, favorites returned to prominence on Saturday in the round of 32. March Madness consumed Saturday from noon to night with top-seeds reclaiming the bracket. Here is a recap of Saturday’s sports betting action and a preview of today’s eight games on the hardwood.
Revenge of the Chalk
The proverbial glass slipper all but shattered on Saturday as tournament brackets were dominated by higher seeds. In all eight games, favorites prevailed outright, with only two not covering the spread. Only Auburn won as a lower seed, with the other seven victors out-seeding their opponents on Saturday.
LSU began the action, defeating Maryland 69-67 but failing to cover the 3-point number, after blowing a 15-point second-half lead. Second-seeded Kentucky defeated Wofford 62-56 — barely covering the 5.5 spread when Wofford fouled down four as time was ready to expire, and Tyler Herro sunk both to provide the cover.
Two-seeded Michigan put the clamps on Florida — holding the Gators to a mere 49 points — en route to a 64-49 victory and comfortable cover of the (roughly) 6.5-point closing number. Florida became the eighth opponent to be held below 50 points by the Wolverines.
The fabled Ja Morant of No. 12-seeded Murray State raced out of the gates versus Florida State (4) shooting 5-5 from three-point range. Unfortunately, the hot start was not enough as FSU drubbed the aforementioned Morant and company 90-62 and easily covered the 4.5 number. Morant remains a certain early pick in the NBA draft while the Seminoles head back to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.
Brandon Clarke dazzled with five blocks, five dunks, and 36 points in Gonzaga’s 83-71 victory over nine-seeded Baylor. The Bulldogs were unable to overcome a 14-point spread despite leading at halftime 39-23. The Zags will square off with Florida State next Thursday in a matchup of 1 and 4 seeds.
In a Big Ten showdown, two-seed Michigan State clobbered ten-seeded Minnesota 70-50 and easily covered 10.5. The Spartans made it six straight outright wins for top seeds and four of six ATS.
Purdue (3) ran away with an 87-61 victory over defending-champ Villanova (6) in yet another cover for a favorite — this time a 3.5-point spread. The Boilermakers moved on to the Sweet 16 completing the run for favored seeds on Saturday.
While being favored by 2.5 points, the fifth-seeded Auburn Tigers secured the only victory for a lower seed on Saturday — defeating No. 4 Kansas 89-75 and extinguishing the flames of the streaking high seeds.
Sunday Preview
The committee rebounded greatly on Saturday. Seven of the eight victors held higher seeds than their opponents. Will Sunday bring more of the same?
The action kicks off with Tennessee (2) favored by eight points on FanDuel Sportsbook against Iowa (10). Per KenPom, both teams rank within the top fifteen in adjusted offensive efficiency — a fact that supports the lofty 155.5 O/U. Look for scoring as Tennessee attempts to right the ship after struggling in their opening matchup against Colgate.
The state of North Carolina will be abuzz as both of its perennial top one seeds are in action as big favorites on Sunday. Duke meets UCF (9) as a 13-point favorite while the Tar Heels see Washington (9) as 11.5-point favorites. Both teams looked sharp in the first round and hope to continue their respective path towards a potential fourth meeting in the NCAA Championship game.
FanDuel Sportsbook inserts Texas Tech (3) as a four-point favorite against sixth-seeded Buffalo. The Bulls blew past Arizona State in the opening round while Texas Tech held on to cover late against Northern Kentucky. The victory over Arizona State marked only the second tournament victory in Buffalo’s history as the mid-major looks to earn their first Sweet 16 appearance.
Both Virginia (1) and Virginia Tech (4) enter Sunday as large favorites against Oklahoma (9) and Liberty (12) respectively. Virginia is laying 11 points while the Hokies look to extinguish the Liberty’s Flames as an 8.5-point fave. Oklahoma devastated Ole Miss in the opening round, 95-72, while Liberty overcame a ten-point deficit with seven minutes left to upset fifth-seeded Mississippi State. Hope remains for an all-Virginia National Championship Game, of course at least one road is likely to have to go through a North Carolina-based squad.
Finally, third-seeded Houston looks to overcome a very game 11-seed in the Ohio State Buckeyes. Favored by 5.5 points, the Cougars impressed in a 84-55 victory over Georgia State and look to revive the Houston from the 80’s with a Sweet 16 appearance.
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Lastly, in a matchup of a 12 and 13 seed that assures one double-digit seed surviving to play another weekend, Oregon faces UC-Irvine as a 4.5-point favorite after both teams upset their opponents in the opening round. Highly regarded in the pre-season, the Ducks look to continue a five-game winning streak that took them through the Pac-12 tournament and a dominant victory versus Wisconsin in the round of 64. As the only Californian school remaining, UC-Irvine looks to build upon their upset victory over Kansas State in the first round and punch their ticket to the Sweet 16.
Quick Links
Don’t forget to check out Casale’s NCAA Tournament breakdown.
Follow @RGSportsBetting on Twitter — we’ll be covering the tournament from various Atlantic City, N.J. sportsbooks.