The stage has been set for the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. It won’t feature teams like BYU, South Carolina, Texas Tech, or, of course, Kentucky following first-round upsets on the opening day of the tournament on Thursday. But it will include several intriguing matchups between college basketball powerhouses like Kansas and Gonzaga.
Just like we did for the first round of March Madness, we’ve found a series of interesting betting nuggets for each game scheduled to be played on Saturday. Read through them below and use them to place your March Madness picks today.
Early games
| Team |  | | Team | Date/Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Arizona | -9.5 | o/u 149.0 | (7) Dayton | March 23, 12:45 PM |
| (4) Kansas | +4.5 | o/u 151.5 | (5) Gonzaga | March 23, 3:15 PM |
| (1) North Carolina | -3.5 | o/u 140.5 | (9) Michigan State | March 23, 5:30 PM |
| (2) Iowa State | -6.5 | o/u 129.0 | (7) Washington State | March 23, 6:10 PM |
All odds courtesy of 
(7) Dayton vs. (2) Arizona – 12:45 p.m. ET
- Arizona was the third-highest-scoring team in the country this season averaging 87.9 points per game, while Dayton had one of the stingiest defences in college basketball allowing opposing teams to score just 66.1 points per game (27th-lowest in the nation).
- Dayton made an average of 9.5 three-pointers per game this season and shot over 40% from behind the three-point line, while Arizona was ranked 127th in the country when it came to defending three-point shots.
- Dayton has been an underdog in six games this season and four of them ended up going under the game total, while Arizona has now played in four straight games that have all gone under the game total.
(5) Gonzaga vs. (4) Kansas – 3:15 p.m. ET
- Gonzaga averaged 84.9 points per game this season, making the Bulldogs the seventh-highest-scoring team in the nation, while Kansas allowed opposing teams to score just 69.3 points per game throughout the year.
- Kansas has been an underdog just six times this season, and the Jayhawks have gone 2-4 against the spread in these games.
- Gonzaga has won in 17 of 21 games this season (about 81%) when it was favoured on the money line by at least -190.
Bet on Gonzaga vs. Kansas
GON -4.5
KAN +4.5
(9) Michigan State vs. (1) North Carolina – 5:30 p.m. ET
- North Carolina went over the game total in nine of its 12 games against non-conference opponents this season, and the Tar Heels have also gone over the game total in eight of the ten neutral-site games the team played this year.
- North Carolina is 5-0 against Michigan State all-time in the NCAA Tournament with the Tar Heels’ last March Madness win against the Spartans coming back in 2009 when UNC beat Michigan State by 17 to win the national title.
- Michigan State played three games against teams with No. 1 or No. 2 seeds in the 2024 NCAA Tournament this season (Purdue twice and Arizona) and went 0-3 against the spread during them, though each of these games was decided by under 7 points.
(7) Washington State vs. (2) Iowa State – 6:10 p.m. ET
- Iowa State has covered the spread in four straight games heading into its matchup with Washington State, including covering the -15.5 spread in its first-round game against No. 15 South Dakota State, and the Cyclones are 11-3-1 against the spread in their last 15 games.
- Iowa State forced opposing teams to commit about 17 turnovers per game on average this season (2nd-best in the nation), while Washington State forced teams to commit just 10 turnovers per game (302nd-best in the country).
- Iowa State has gone under the game total in seven of its last nine games, while Washington State has gone under the game total in six of its last nine contests.
Late games
| Team | | | Team | Date/Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (11) NC State | -6.5 | o/u 146.5 | (14) Oakland | March 23, 7:10 PM |
| (2) Tennessee | -6.5 | o/u 146.5 | (7) Texas | March 23, 8:00 PM |
| (3) Illinois | -10.0 | o/u 148.0 | (11) Duquesne | March 23, 8:40 PM |
| (3) Creighton | -5.0 | o/u 146.0 | (11) Oregon | March 23, 9:40 PM |
All odds courtesy of
(14) Oakland vs. (11) NC State – 7:10 p.m. ET
- Oakland has covered the spread in 23 of the 35 games it has played this season, and the Golden Grizzlies have gone 10-3 against the spread this year during games in which they’ve been the underdog.
- Oakland has gone 15-5 this season against the spread when scoring at least 73 points, which is the average number of points that NC State has given up per game this year.
- NC State went just 17-19 against the spread this season, but the Wolfpack were 7-1 in games in which they were favoured by at least -250 on the money line.
(7) Texas vs. (2) Tennessee – 8 p.m. ET
- Tennessee is one of the better rebounding teams in the country, as the Volunteers averaged just over 39 rebounds per game this season (36th-best in the nation), while Texas only grabbed about 34 rebounds per game this year.
- Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has faced Texas twice since being fired by the school in 2015 and hired by the Volunteers, going 1-1 against the Longhorns with a 2-0 record against the spread.
- Texas went just 3-9 against teams featured in the 2024 NCAA Tournament field this season and finished with a 3-8-1 record against the spread during these games.
Bet on Texas vs Tennessee
TEX +6.5
TEN -6.5
(11) Duquesne vs. (3) Illinois – 8:40 p.m. ET
- Duquesne only has a 14-16 record against the spread this season, but the Dukes have covered the spread in five straight games and 15 of their last 20 contests.
- Illinois put up 84.4 points per game this season (9th-best in the nation), while Duquesne was one of the best defensive teams in the country, allowing just 66.1 points per game to opposing teams (26th-lowest in the nation).
- Duquesne forward Fousseyni Drame, who scored 8 points in the Dukes’ first-round upset of BYU, was a starter for the No. 15 Saint’s Peter team that knocked off Kentucky in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament before eventually advancing all the way to the Elite Eight.
(11) Oregon vs. (3) Creighton – 9:40 p.m. ET
- Oregon has covered the spread in three of its last four games after failing to cover it in nine of its final ten regular-season games, while Creighton has gone 8-2 against the spread in its last ten games.
- Creighton is ranked 17th in the country in team offensive efficiency and 72nd in the nation in team defensive efficiency this season, while Oregon is ranked 85th in team offensive efficiency and 158th in team defensive efficiency.
- Creighton has averaged 10.6 made three-pointers per game this season (tied for 6th-best in the country) and shot the three at a 36.5% clip throughout the year, while Oregon has allowed its opponents to shoot almost 35% from behind the three-point line (245th in the nation).
