Roundtable: How to bet the men's games on Saturday
The first round brought immediate madness and some memorable upsets, but how should you bet Saturday’s games?
Here are our experts Dalen Cuff, Jeff Borzello and Tyler Fulghum to explain which games they’re making their picks on.
Dayton +9.5 v. Arizona, 12:45 p.m. The Flyers play a slow tempo and are efficient on both ends. I think they can force the Cats into a halfcourt game and stay within the number. -Cuff
Gonzaga -4.5 vs. Kansas, 3:15 p.m. This will be a great big man battle with Graham Eke and Hunter Dickinson. The bulldogs have more depth and weapons in the absence of Kevin McCullar. -Cuff
North Carolina -4 v Michigan State, 5:30 p.m. The Spartans are 5-8-1 ATS v teams in the tournament on the year. The Heels are the better team and their superior balance will show here. -Cuff
Michigan State +4 vs. North Carolina, 5:30 p.m. There’s a case to be made that Michigan State is the second-best team Carolina has faced in the last six weeks. The Spartans are old, battle-tested and they have elite guards. If they can deal with Armando Bacot on the glass, they’ll keep this close. -Borzello
Washington State +6.5 vs. Iowa State, 6:10 p.m. This game has a total of 128.5. It’s going to be a rock fight. Neither team wants to play particularly fast and both teams are built on the strength of defense. This sets up as a close, lower-scoring game. -Fulghum
NC State -6.5 vs. Oakland, 7:10 p.m. Why stop now? The Wolfpack have reeled off 5 straight wins as an underdog. Maybe the favorite role confuses them? I think they’re just on a heater that I want to get behind. -Fulghum
Tennessee -6.5 vs. Texas, 8 p.m. Dillon Mitchell is a mildly intriguing defensive option for Texas against Dalton Knecht, but the Longhorns could really struggle to stop the Vols if Knecht’s supporting cast steps up. Max Abmas‘ outside shot wasn’t falling against Colorado State and Zakai Zeigler will make things difficult on Saturday. -Borzello
Tennessee/Texas UNDER 146.5, 8 p.m. Rick Barnes against his former program will be a fun subplot. The Volunteers were one of the few SEC school that didn’t embarrass the conference in the Round of 64. I worry this matchup will be a bit closer and if it is that likely means the Longhorns have dragged this game into the mud. -Fulghum
Creighton -5.5 vs. Oregon, 9:40 p.m. I think Oregon’s postseason run comes to an end on Saturday. Ryan Kalkbrenner is enough to limit N’Faly Dante down low and Creighton has too many weapons for Oregon. Even during the Ducks’ recent run, their defense has been inconsistent. -Borzello
