Sweet 16 Opening Odds and Betting Trends Worth Watching
After an action-packed opening two rounds, the NCAA Tournament is down to the Sweet 16. All four 1 and 2-seed teams remain and the highest-seed remaining is NC State (11).
While March Madness doesn't feel the same without a true Cinderella story, the lack of small schools has resulted in some tight Sweet 16 spreads, with only 1 game opening with a team favorited by double-digits (UConn) and 6 games with a spread of 5-points or less.
Opening Odds for Every Sweet 16 Game
Below are the opening odds for all eight Sweet 16 games. Note, we are showing the best available odds for each team's moneyline.
Clemson Tigers vs Arizona Wildcats
Spread: Arizona (-7.5)
Total: 146
Moneyline: Clemson (+260) | Arizona (-265)
San Diego State Aztecs vs UConn Huskies
Spread: UConn (-10)
Total: 136
Moneyline: SDSU (+425) | UConn (-500)
Alabama Crimson Tide vs North Carolina Tar Heels
Spread: North Carolina (-4.5)
Total: 173.5
Moneyline: Alabama (+158) | North Carolina (-175)
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Iowa State Cyclones
Spread: Iowa State (-2.5)
Total: 146
Moneyline: Illinois (+115) | Iowa State (-128)
NC State Wolfpack vs Marquette Golden Eagles
Spread: Marquette (-6.5)
Total: 150
Moneyline: NC State (+240) | Marquette (-275)
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Purdue Boilermakers
Spread: Purdue (-5)
Total: 170
Moneyline: Gonzaga (+170) | Purdue (-194)
Duke Blue Devils vs Houston Cougars
Spread: Houston (-4.5)
Total: 134
Moneyline: Duke (+155) | Houston (-180)
Creighton Blue Jays vs Tennessee Volunteers
Spread: Tennessee (-2.5)
Total: 143.5
Moneyline: Creighton (+130) | Tennessee (-143)
Betting Trends to Watch in Sweet 16
Favorites dominated the round of 32, which was good for bettors and bad for bookmakers. Here are some key trends we saw play out over the first 2 rounds of the 2024 NCAA Tournament:
Favorites are 30-22 ATS and double-digit favorites are 14-3 ATS.
In the round of 32, favorites went 15-2 straight-up and 11-5 ATS.
The top 4 seeds are 26-4 straight-up and 21-9 ATS.
Public bettors backed favorites and are 38-13 ATS.
One Key Betting Trend for Each Sweet 16 Game
We are getting to the point in the season where betting trends can be hard to come by. All of these teams are hot. Nevertheless, our team dug into the trends for every game, and every team, to identify a key betting trend for each matchup.
The total has gone under in 7 of Clemon's last 9 games and 5-straight games for Arizona.
UConn is 8-1 ATS in their last 9, while SDSU is 2-6 in their last 8.
Alabama is 1-7 and an underdog this season, North Carolina is 8-1 in their last 9 games as a favorite.
The total has gone over in 5-straight Illinois games and 7-straight neutral-site Illinois games.
Marquette is 7-0 in theirs last 7 games as a favorite, but NC State is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.
Gonzaga is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 against the Big 10, Purdue is 10-1 straight-up in their last 11 against the WCC.
The total has stayed under in 7 of the last 10 for both Duke and Houston.
Creighton is 5-1 ATS in their last 6, and 8-2 ATS in their 10.
Are these betting trends an indicator as to what our best bets for the Sweet 16 will be? Be sure you bookmark this page and check back later in the week for our official picks.