NCAAB March Madness Sweet Sixteen East & West Betting Odds

The Madness returns on Thursday night when the eight teams remaining in the East and West regions fight it out for the four available spots in the Elite Eight.

Unlike on Friday night where there are three huge favorites out of four, online sportsbooks are handicapping most of Thursday’s games very tight, with Michigan State, UCLA, and UConn all moneyline favorites of -200 odds or less. All betting odds provided by Betway.

No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Kansas State Odds - 6:30PM, March 23rd

Kansas State has arrived in the Sweet Sixteen thanks in large part to undersized guard Markquis Nowell, who has been putting together a strong argument for Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament with 44 points and 23 assists through two games. Keyontae Johnson is also bubbling under the surface for this Kansas State team as a big-time contributor, so he’s another player to watch.

Nowell has been flashy and efficient through the first two rounds, but Michigan State was able to fluster Marquette’s Tyler Kolek in the second round, forcing the guard to make uncharacteristic turnovers and get himself into foul trouble. Kolek is similar to Nowell in both size and skill, so the Spartans, who are 17-4 straight up as favorites this season, may have the blueprint to get the win here. It never hurts to have a veteran coach like Tom Izzo in your corner either.

No. 4 UConn vs. No. 8 Arkansas Odds - 7:15PM, March 23rd

For Arkansas, a spot in the Elite Eight will depend largely on whether or not Ricky Council IV and Davonte Davis can continue to play at the elite level they’ve been playing at through two rounds. Council is averaging 19.5 points per game while Davis had his best game of the season in the second round, going for 25 points and eight boards.

The Hogs are a great defensive team, ranking in the top 40 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric, and the fact that they defend the three-point line so well could spell trouble for UConn, who have relied on shooting the deep ball at a 44 percent clip or better in their first two tournament games. If the Huskies are going to make good on their favorite status here, skilled big man Adam Sanogo will have to have another massive showing here against a very guard-heavy roster for the Hogs.

No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 9 FAU - 9:00PM, March 23rd

It’s been said before and it’ll be said again: defense wins championships. It’s as true in college basketball as anywhere else, and Tennessee has got defense in spades. The Volunteers are the top team in adjusted defensive efficiency, and their performance in holding Duke to a season low 52 points last round proves their defensive credentials.

The only question here is whether or not Tennessee can get enough shots to fall to take advantage of their defensive prowess. They were able to get a 27-point performance from rotational player Olivier Nkamhoua last round, and if they can get another similar performance from someone else, they should be fine. It will be crucial to stifle FAU’s Johnell Davis, however, as his performances have been solid indicators of Florida Atlantic’s success this season.

No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 3 Gonzaga

Probably the toughest game to call on the entire Sweet Sixteen slate, UCLA comes into the game as ever so slight favorites. This one has all the makings of an instant classic, as the nation’s most efficient offense in Gonzaga goes up against the nation’s most efficient defense in UCLA. Bulldogs star Drew Timme and UCLA leading scorer Jamie Jaquez Jr. will be an interesting matchup to watch as well.

The performances of Timme for Gonzaga, or Jaquez and veteran point guard Tyger Campbell for UCLA, are likely to decide this one. These teams are so evenly matched that it seems like fate that this one will come down to the final few possessions of the game and which team can execute their game plan better.