It's crunch time in March Madness as the tournament is down to the Sweet 16 and the guys have a few picks to get you set for the weekend.
But before college, let’s talk a little NBA and, well, Kyle Lowry is still a Raptor. After much talk about Toronto trading the face of the franchise, Lowry will now have to re-focus and lead this team back to the playoffs. They certainly have their work cut out for them against one of the top teams in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns. The Suns surprisingly dropped a game to the Magic on Wednesday, but keep in mind they've lost two in a row just once this season when they fell to Denver twice and Oklahoma City. Joe has a spread for this one.
The Houston Rockets take the court against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight and Joe is eyeing the total for a bet on this game. If you're an old school basketball fan who likes defense and teams that can grind it out, this game isn't for you. These two teams rank 23rd and 28th in points allowed this season, combining to give up an average of 230.9 per game.
After hitting his player prop bet on Wednesday's Guys & Bets, Joe is going back to the well with a points + rebounds prop and he's looking at Jonas Valanciunas for this bet. The Grizzlies big man is averaging 15.9 points and 12.4 boards per game and his total tonight is set at 27.5. See which side of the total Joe bets on.
In the Midwest Region, No.2 Houston is facing No.11 Syracuse and that is where Iain is looking for his bet. Houston needed a late rally to overcome Rutgers in the second round, as they finally found their stroke. Syracuse brings exactly what you'd expect them to: a tough zone defense and a team that will grind you. The question is, can they play their way against Houston and stop Quentin Grimes? Grimes dropped 22 against Rutgers including 5-9 from three-point land. Don't sleep on Tramon Mark for Houston as he could be asked to do more depending on how serious the hip injury is to DeJon Jarreau.
In the East Region it's the top-seed Michigan Wolverines meeting up with a Florida State Seminoles squad primed for an upset. Michigan has just looked off without Isaiah Livers running the show. Yes, Hunter Dickinson can get the job done, but the supporting cast of Eli Brooks and Chaundee Brown and others will have to contribute. It will be a tough task against a Seminoles team that only gave up 53.5 points per game during the regular season and this FSU team can tear it up from downtown as well as they were eighth in the country shooting 39 percent from deep.
Is it midnight for Cinderella? Oral Roberts, the No.15 seed will try to keep their magical run alive against No. 3 seed Arkansas. The Razorbacks have sort of flown under the radar during March Madness. They squeaked past Texas Tech 68-66 in the last round, but haven't generated a lot of talk thus far. For a team that finished second in the SEC during the regular season, this isn't a team to sleep on moving forward. It's a big spread in this game and Iain is looking at that for his bet.
One of the darlings of March Madness has been the UCLA Bruins and they will face their stiffest opponent yet in the Sweet 16: the Alabama Crimson Tide. Bama have rolled through their first two opponents, beating Iona by 13 and Maryland by 19. The Crimson Tide are just deadly from beyond the arc having gone 16-33 from three-point land against the Terrapins. Alabama led the NCAA this season with 320 three-pointers made and will live and die with the 3-point shot. Ninja has been betting on Bama all tourney, see if he keeps riding the Tide.
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