The two best days of the year are past us, but the NCAA Tournament matchups are only getting better. We still have a number of games to sort through to find value and ways to make some money while watching the greatest sporting event there is.
Here are a few plays for Saturday’s portion of the Round of 32….
Louisville vs. Michigan State: Michigan State -4.5 (-110) FD
The Spartans didn’t miss a beat in their first round matchup with North Dakota State. They scored 92 points and that was with their leading scorer, Jeremy Fears Jr., contributing just seven points.
As always under Tom Izzo, this is a top-15 defense, allowing 68.4 points per game. What separates Michigan State this year is the offense, as the Spartans are 24th in KenPom offensive efficiency.
Louisville was horrendous down the stretch of its first-round matchup with South Florida. Mikel Brown’s absence was felt when the Bulls put pressure on the backcourt late. Michigan State is going to be physical and make things uncomfortable for the Cardinals guards. That should be the difference in this game.
TCU vs. Duke: Under 140 (-110) Fanatics
One of the biggest storylines on Thursday was Duke’s struggles. The Blue Devils were able to right the ship in the second half, and it began on the defensive end. After allowing 43 points in the first half, the Blue Devils held Siena to 22 points in the second half. Cameron Boozer and Maliq Brown were outspoken that they thought the game would be a cakewalk, and that played a big role in their laziness on defense in the first half. You have to imagine they will come out determined on that end of the court in this matchup.
TCU is a defensive team and wants to play those ugly, slow types of games. The Horned Frogs have allowed 68 or fewer points in five of their last eight games, including Thursday, when they held Ohio State to 64 (the Buckeyes’ fifth-lowest output of the season).
Duke is a better team than Ohio State, but the absences of Patrick Ngongba II and Caleb Foster are detrimental to the offense.
High Point vs. Arkansas: Over 168.5 (-110) Bet365
It’s hard to not expect a shootout in this matchup after what we saw on Thursday, when these teams combined for 180 points in their opening round games.
Arkansas is second in the country in scoring, averaging 90.1 points per game, while High Point is 11th, averaging 86.3 points. Darius Acuff Jr. will be the best player on the court and controls the pace of the majority of the Razorbacks matchups. Both of these teams want to play at a fast pace and will sacrifice some defense to get things going at the offensive end.
It’s the latest game of the night on Saturday, so these teams will be well rested for the matchup.
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