The Sweet 16 tips off Thursday with a primetime East Region matchup between the sixth-seeded BYU Cougars (26-9) taking on the second-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide (27-8) inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
BYU is a surprise entrant into the Sweet 16 this season. The Cougars replaced their coach, Mark Pope, and multiple starters from last year’s team. Still, the school advanced beyond the first round for the first time since 2011 with victories over VCU and Wisconsin.
Alabama was expected to be playing in the NCAA Tournament’s second week. The Crimson Tide made a Final Four appearance last season, and the team’s top scorer – senior guard Mark Sears – opted to return for another run at college basketball’s ultimate prize.
Will BYU continue its sweet run beyond the Sweet 16, or can the Crimson Tide roll over the Cougars? We’ll cover that and provide our three favorite player prop bets for Thursday’s East Region semifinal.
The Crimson Tide’s fortunes are tied to senior leader Mark Sears’ performances. This season, he’s averaging a team-best 18.6 points and 5.0 assists per game, both figures that place him among the top 55 in the country.
He’s continued his solid production in the postseason, averaging 17.0 points and 6.5 assists during the NCAA Tournament.
With the season on the line, bettors should expect Sears will finish with at least 25 total points and rebounds to cover his player prop bet as Alabama seeks back-to-back Elite Eight appearances.
Richie Saunders stepped into the leading role for BYU this season in a big way. The 6-foot-5 forward is averaging a team-best 16.3 points and 1.1 steals for the Cougars, helping the school reach its sixth Sweet 16 appearance.
He’ll need to replicate that offensive performance for BYU to advance. The junior scored 41 points in his team’s two tournament wins thus far, and he’s posted 20 or more points in six of his team’s last 10 games.
Expect him to continue pushing the Cougars offensively, covering this player prop bet on Thursday.
Senior center Clifford Omoruyi is going back to his stomping grounds. The former Rutgers player is a starter for Alabama this season, but his averages have dropped significantly from his time with the Scarlet Knights.
Still, the 6-foot-11 Nigerian has produced when needed this season. He’s averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest in the NCAA Tournament, including a double-double against Saint Mary’s in his last outing.
Expect him to continue his upward trend, recording at least eight rebounds against BYU on Thursday to cover his player prop bet.
We’ve got breaking news: Alabama and BYU can score points. Both schools rank among the top 30 offenses in the country this season, and the Crimson Tide finished for the second consecutive season as the NCAA’s highest-scoring team.
Expect the Crimson Tide to win this high-scoring affair with a final combined score just over the 175.5-point mark.