NCAA Tournament Betting Guide March 27th
This NCAA Tournament is bringing the madness! There are four double-digit seeds in the Sweet Sixteen, and three additional teams ranked sixth to eighth, making nearly half of the bracket live underdogs. Here’s hoping one of them can make it to the ball before midnight.
These are the wagers we’re looking at on the opening day of the Sweet Sixteen!
#8 Loyola Chicago Ramblers vs. #12 Oregon State Beavers, Moneyline, Total, and Odds
Moneyline: Ramblers -290, Beavers +235
Spread: Ramblers -7 (-106), Beavers +7 (-116)
Total: O125 -110
Odds to Win NCAA Tournament: Ramblers +1600|Beavers +7000
Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000!
#8 Loyola Chicago Ramblers vs. #12 Oregon State Beavers News, Analysis, and Picks
Tempo isn’t an important part of either of these offenses. The Loyola Chicago Ramblers were ahead of just three teams in the nation in terms of possessions per game, at 64.9. The Oregon State Beavers were only slightly ahead of the Ramblers at 67.8, ranking them 307th. That pace and the Ramblers’ defense should help this game stay under its low total.
Through the opening two rounds, the Ramblers have limited some pretty efficient offenses. Entering the tournament, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets had the 24th ranked offense when adjusted for the opponent. Loyola Chicago limited the Yellow Jackets to 60 points, their lowest point total since losing to Virginia back in February. The Ramblers followed that up with an even better performance against the Nation’s fifth-ranked offense. It was the first time all season that the Illinois Fighting Illini were held below 60 points. Limiting damage from three-point range has been a hallmark of the Ramblers’ success all season, and that hasn’t changed through two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
The Beavers are manufacturing points through free throws and three-point attempts, but neither will fly against the Ramblers. Loyola Chicago ranks 14th in percentage of points from the charity stripe and second in percentage of points from three. However, there are two sides to that coin as the Beavers are also above-average at limiting damage from beyond the arc, which will limit the effectiveness of the Ramblers and their 46th ranked three-point percentage.
Both offenses are methodical and like to take full advantage of the shot clock. Loyola Chicago defense has been effective at limiting offenses all season, and they’ve held better offenses than the Beavers in check. Oregon State should limit the Ramblers’ long-range damage, which will prevent the Ramblers from pulling away. Pace and solid defending should help this one stay under the low total. Nevertheless, we’re expecting the Loyola Chicago to ramble into the Elite Eight. Beavers +7, Ramblers moneyline, and under 125 are the wagers.
#1 Baylor Bears vs. #5 Villanova Wildcats, Moneyline, Total, and Odds
Moneyline: Bears -330, Wildcats +265
Spread: Bears -7.5 (-116), Wildcats +7.5 (-106)
Total: O141.5 -110
Odds to Win NCAA Tournament: Bears +400|Wildcats +3500
Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000!
#1 Baylor Bears vs. #5 Villanova Wildcats News, Analysis, and Picks
There’s a common theme amongst the teams that remain in the NCAA Tournament; seven of the teams left rank within the top-11 of adjusted defensive efficiency. The Villanova Wildcats are not one of those teams. Nova is much further down the rankings at 72nd and has to find a way to limit the third-most efficient offense in the NCAA ranks.
The Wildcats got a pretty fortunate draw through to the Sweet Sixteen. They had a first-round meeting with the Winthrop Eagles; the 100th ranked team in net efficiency. Then drew-in against the North Texas Mean Green, who snuck past the Purdue Boilermakers. That means that the Wildcats’ stiffest competition came against a mid-major program that ranked 71st in net efficiency.
In getting through to the Sweet Sixteen, the Bears got past the Wisconsin Badgers 16th-ranked defensive unit and made it look like child’s play. Baylor has put up at least 74 points in each of their last seven games and is averaging 80.9 points per game during that span. What’s most noteworthy is that five of those teams have a better defensive efficiency rating than Nova.
Few basketball teams can limit Baylor’s offensive production, and the Wildcats definitely aren’t one of them. In that regard, we’re expecting Baylor to put some distance between them and the Wildcats early and never look back. We should also expect this game to work its way over the total as Villanova tries to catch up. Get on Baylor -7.5 and over 141.5.