March Madness continues on Sunday with day two of the Round of 32.
There are eight games on the schedule and the victors will move on to the Sweet 16 portion of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday and Friday next week.
Absent from Sunday’s schedule of games will be the No. 1 seed from the East Region, Purdue, after it was shocked by No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday. In fact, FDU became the second No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 in NCAA Tournament history, after scoring the 63-58 victory as a 23.5-point underdog. The Knights will be big underdogs again (+12.5) in their second-round matchup with Florida Atlantic.
Aside from the FDU-Florida Atlantic matchup, all of the other seven games on the docket Sunday have relatively tight point spreads, so it should be an exciting day of college hoops.
| Team |  | | Team | Date/Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (3) Xavier | -5 (-110) | o152 (-110) | (11) Pittsburgh | March 19, 12:10 PM |
| (3) Kansas State | +1.5 (-110) | o145.5 (-110) | (6) Kentucky | March 19, 2:40 PM |
| (2) Marquette | -3 (-110) | o141 (-110) | (7) Michigan St. | March 19, 5:15 PM |
| (4) Connecticut | -3.5 (-110) | o129.5 (-110) | (5) St. Mary’s | March 19, 6:10 PM |
| (3) Baylor | –1 (-110) | o146 (-110) | (6) Creighton | March 19, 7:10 PM |
| (9) Florida Atlantic | -12.5 (-110) | o149.5 (-110) | (16) Fairleigh Dickinson | March 19, 7:45 PM |
| (4) Indiana | -1.5 (-110) | o146.5 (-110) | (5) Miami-Florida | March 19, 8:40 PM |
| (3) Gonzaga | -4.5 (-110) | o157 (-110) | (6) TCU | March 19, 9:40 PM |
(3) Xavier vs. (11) Pittsburgh (+5, 152 o/u)
Time (ET): 12:10 p.m.
Odds to win tournament: Xavier (+4000), Pittsburgh (+15000)
Xavier trailed No. 14 Kennesaw State by 13 points in the second half of its tournament opener, but the Musketeers rallied and staged a comeback to avoid a big upset. They’ll be looking to build on that positive momentum on Sunday and continue to do what they do best – sharing the ball. Xavier led the Big East this year with an average of 19.2 assists per game.
Pitt will be playing its third NCAA tournament game on Sunday after dispatching Mississippi State in the First Four and then Iowa State in the first round of the tournament. The Panthers were slight underdogs in both of these matchups and easily covered the spread. But more impressive is the fact that Pitt held Iowa State to just 41 points and 23.2% shooting from the field.
Betting stat to know: The Panthers are 23-7 against the spread in their last 30 games overall.
Best bet: Pitt +5 (-110).
(3) Kansas State vs. (6) Kentucky (-1.5, 145.5 o/u)
Time (ET): 2:40 p.m.
Odds to win tournament: Kansas State (+3500), Kentucky (+2500)
Kansas State came away with a 77-65 victory over Montana State in its tournament opener, pleasing its bettors that took the squad to cover the 7-point spread. The major strength of this team is its perimeter defence, holding opponents to just 30.1% shooting from beyond the arc (15th in the nation).
Kentucky looked shaky at times in its opening 61-53 win over Providence but rebounding proved to be the major difference in the game. Oscar Tshiebwe grabbed 25 rebounds in the contest to set a new school NCAA Tournament record as the Wildcats outrebounded Providence, 48-31. They should have the advantage on the glass again in this matchup with K-State, which ranks 109th in the country with an average of 35.5 rebounds per game.
Betting stat to know: Kentucky is just 3-13 against the spread in its last 16 neutral site games.
Best bet: I think this one will be too close to call, so why not throw a sprinkle on the long +850 odds that the game will be tied at the end of regulation and enjoy the late-game drama.
Tied at the end of regulation (+850)
(2) Marquette vs. (7) Michigan State (+3, 141 o/u)
Time (ET): 5:15 p.m.
Odds to win tournament: Marquette (+1400), Michigan St. (+3500)
Michigan State took care of business against USC in its tournament opener by covering the 2.5-point spread with a 72-62 victory. The Spartans held the Trojans to just 28 points in the second half, so they should be feeling pretty confident heading into a tough game against Marquette. They’ll continue to live and die with the three-point shot, which they’ve hit at a rate of 39.4% to rank third in the nation.
Marquette must be licking its lips after watching the No. 1 seed in the East Region, Purdue, bow out early. Sure, there’s still some tough competition on its side of the bracket, but the Boilermakers departing early could make the Golden Eagles’ path to the Final Four a little bit easier. A convincing 78-61 win and cover as a 10-point favourite over Vermont in the opener is a good start for the Golden Eagles, who convert two-point field goals (58.8% – third in the nation) as well as Michigan State capitalizes on its three-point opportunities.
Betting stat to know: The under is 4-0 in Marquette’s last four games overall and 6-0 in the Golden Eagles’ past six neutral site games.
Best bet: Under 141 points (-110).
(4) Connecticut vs. (5) St. Mary’s (+3.5, 129.5 o/u)
Time (ET): 6:10 p.m.
Odds to win tournament: Connecticut (+1600), St. Mary’s (+4000)
Iona actually had a two-point lead over Connecticut at halftime in the tournament opener, but the Huskies kicked it up a notch in the second half to claim a lopsided 83-67 victory and cover the 9-point spread. Bettors shouldn’t look too much into the jittery start and should be confident that the Huskies team that showed up in the second half will be present again on Sunday.
After looking at the betting splits from many online sportsbooks, it was apparent that the majority of bettors pegged Saint Mary’s to be on the wrong end of the dreaded 5-seed-vs.-12-seed upset in the first round. The Gaels proved the betting public wrong, though, and came away with an 83-67 win after holding VCU to just 36.7% shooting from the field.
Betting stat to know: The Huskies are 17-6 against the spread in their past 23 NCAA Tournament games, and 6-1 against the spread in their last seven games overall.
Best bet: Huskies -3.5 (-110).
| Team | | | Team | Date/Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (3) Xavier | -5 (-110) | o152 (-110) | (11) Pittsburgh | March 19, 12:10 PM |
| (3) Kansas State | +1.5 (-110) | o145.5 (-110) | (6) Kentucky | March 19, 2:40 PM |
| (2) Marquette | -3 (-110) | o141 (-110) | (7) Michigan St. | March 19, 5:15 PM |
| (4) Connecticut | -3.5 (-110) | o129.5 (-110) | (5) St. Mary’s | March 19, 6:10 PM |
| (3) Baylor | –1 (-110) | o146 (-110) | (6) Creighton | March 19, 7:10 PM |
| (9) Florida Atlantic | -12.5 (-110) | o149.5 (-110) | (16) Fairleigh Dickinson | March 19, 7:45 PM |
| (4) Indiana | -1.5 (-110) | o146.5 (-110) | (5) Miami-Florida | March 19, 8:40 PM |
| (3) Gonzaga | -4.5 (-110) | o157 (-110) | (6) TCU | March 19, 9:40 PM |
(3) Baylor vs. (6) Creighton (+1, 146 o/u)
Time (ET): 7:10 p.m.
Odds to win tournament: Baylor (+2200), Creighton (+2200)
Much like Connecticut, Baylor also got off to a slow start and trailed at the half of its tournament opener with UC Santa Barbara. However, the Bears poured it on in the second half to cover the 10.5-point spread and come away with a 74-56 victory. They boast an elite offence, ranking second nationally in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, but the Bears rank just 98th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Creighton opened the tournament with a 72-63 win over NC State and covered the 5.5-point spread. Ryan Kalkbrenner erupted for 31 points in the victory, so Baylor will have to find a way to contain him in this matchup. The Bluejays were very efficient from the free throw line against NC State, converting on 17 of their 19 attempts. Their defence, which ranks 14th in adjusted defensive efficiency, will be tested against Baylor’s offensive power.
Betting stat to know: bet365 opened this game with a 144.5-point total, but it was quickly bet up to 146 points.
Best bet: Race to 20 points – Baylor (-125).
(9) Florida Atlantic vs. (16) Fairleigh Dickinson (+12.5, 149.5 o/u)
Time (ET): 7:45 p.m.
Odds to win tournament: Florida Atlantic (+3000), Fairleigh Dickinson (+30000)
Both of these teams are riding high after massive victories for their respective programs.
Nicholas Boyd scored a go-ahead layup with two seconds remaining to seal a 66-65 victory over Memphis in the first round to give the school its first ever NCAA Tournament win.
As previously mentioned, FDU is just the second No. 16 seed to knock off a regional top seed ever in the tournament after its 63-58 win over Purdue. After being spotted 23.5 points by oddsmakers in its tournament opener, the Knights are only getting 12.5 points from bet365 in their next game. FDU is allowing opponents to shoot 55% in effective field goal percentage, ranking 346th in the nation. Ouch.
Betting stat to know: FDU is 4-0 against the spread in its last four games overall and the under is also 4-0 during that span.
Best bet: FDU 1st half spread – FDU +7.5 (-110). The Knights should ride the momentum of Friday’s huge win over Purdue to at least have a competitive first half against Florida Atlantic. If you believe in FDU being this year’s Cinderella team, you could back the Knights at +650 on the moneyline.
Fairleigh Dickinson 1st half spread +7.5
(4) Indiana vs. (5) Miami-Florida (+1.5, 146.5 o/u)
Time (ET): 8:40 p.m.
Odds to win tournament: Indiana (+4000), Miami-Florida (+6000)
Miami was neck and neck with Drake on Friday before closing out the Bulldogs on a 7-0 run to seal a 63-56 victory. All-American Isaiah Wong shot just 1-of-10 from the field in the victory and was held to just five points, so the Hurricanes will need much more offence from him in order to prevail in this matchup.
Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds to propel Indiana to a 71-60 win over Kent State in round one. In fact, the senior became the only player in 25 years to have at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, and five assists with zero fouls in any Division I game (NCAA Tournament or regular season).
Betting stat to know: The under is 6-0 in Miami’s past six NCAA Tournament games and 7-2 in the team’s past nine neutral site games.
Best bet: Under 146.5 points (-110).
(3) Gonzaga vs. (6) TCU (+4.5, 157 o/u)
Time (ET): 9:40 p.m.
Odds to win tournament: Gonzaga (+1200), TCU (+3500)
Gonzaga prevailed 82-70 over Grand Canyon but failed to cover the massive 15.5-spread after a mediocre first half. However, the Bulldogs outscored GCU, 42-34, in the second half to secure the victory.
TCU squeezed past Arizona State, 72-70, thanks to a last-second layup to earn the right to face Gonzaga. The Horned Frogs are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country (30.8% – 336th), but they rank 41st in the country in opponents’ three-point percentage (31.1%) while also holding opponents to a respectable 68 points per game.
Betting stat to know: The Horned Frogs are 0-6 ATS in their last six games following a win, while the Bulldogs are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a loss against the spread.
Best bet: Gonzaga -4.5 (-110)
