This year’s field for the men’s NCAA Tournament in college basketball has quickly gone from 68 teams to 16 heading into this Thursday and Friday’s games. There have been some major upsets along the way as well as some predictable runs by a few of the top seeds in the tournament. The trick to cashing in a few more winning bets at your favorite online sportsbook this week could hinge on the key betting trends for a few of the matchups on the board.
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Going region by region for the Sweet 16 Round, here a few betting trends that could have an impact on the outcome of the games.
South Region
The top matchup in the South Region pits the Big 12’s No. 9 Kansas State Wildcats against the SEC’s No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats. The top four seeds in this region have already been eliminated, so the winner of this game could have a clear path to the Final Four. Kentucky has been listed as a 5.5-point favorite for Thursday night’s game with the total set at 138.5.
Kansas State comes into this game with a spotty 3-4 record against the spread over their last seven games and it failed to cover as a 9.5-point favorite in Sunday’s 50-43 victory against upstart UMBC. The Wildcats are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games against the SEC.
Kentucky is a perfect 5-0 both SU and ATS in its last five games as part of a 9-1 record both ways in its last 10 outings. These Wildcats have now gone 3-0-2
ATS in their last five NCAA Tournament games.
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West Region
No. 4 Gonzaga continues its quest to get back to the Final Four as a 5.5-point favorite over No. 9 Florida State in Thursday’s late game in the West Region. The total line for this game has been set at 154.5.
The ACC’s Seminoles’ run to the Sweet 16 includes back-to-back covers against Missouri as 1.5-point favorites and Xavier as 5.5-point underdogs. Florida State is still just 3-7 ATS over its last 10 games. Before these two wins, it has failed to cover in its previous five NCAA Tournament games.
The Bulldogs made another successful run to the WCC regular season title and the tournament title. With victories against UNC Greensboro and Ohio State in this tournament, their SU winning streak stands at 16 games and they have covered in four of their last six contests. Gonzaga is 4-1 ATS in its last five games against a team with a SU winning record.
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East Region
The Big East’s Villanova Wildcats are the top seed in the East and they have played the part with early round victories against Radford and Alabama by a combined 49 points. They have been opened as 5.5-point favorites for this Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup against the Big 12’s West Virginia Mountaineers. The total has been set at 154.5 points.
West Virginia covered as a double-digit favorite in wins against Murray State and Marshall in its first two games in this tournament, but it is just 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games following an ATS win. It is also 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games against the Big East.
The Wildcats have gone 9-1 SU in their last 10 games with a 7-3 record ATS. They are now 8-2 ATS in their last 10 NCAA Tournament games and they have covered in eight of their last nine games played at a neutral site.
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Midwest Region
Kansas is one of two No. 1 seeds left in the Big Dance and the Big 12’s Jayhawks are listed as 4.5-point favorites in Friday’s matchup against the ACC’s Clemson Tigers with the total set at 143.
Clemson knocked off Auburn 84-53 as a slight 1.5-point underdog to punch its ticket to the Sweet 16. It has now covered in five of its last six games. The Tigers are a perfect 5-0 ATS in their last five neutral-site games and they have a perfect 7-0 mark ATS in their last seven nonconference matchups.
The Jayhawks failed to cover as 4.5-point favorites in Saturday’s tight 83-79 victory against Seton Hall. Kansas is just 3-3 ATS in its last six games closing as a favorite as part of an even 7-7 record ATS over its last 14 games.
