Sweet 16 for NCAA Tournament Betting Action

After four days of fast and furious action in men’s college basketball betting the field of 68 teams for this year’s NCAA Tournament has been pared down to the Sweet 16. While there were some big upsets along the way, the Bovada top four favorites (Florida, Michigan State, Louisville, and Arizona) to win this year’s national title have all moved on to the next round.

Florida came in as the No. 1 seed for the entire tournament and it opened as a +525 favorite to lay claim to this year’s national title on the initial betting odds. It will now face No. 4 seed UCLA this Thursday in the South Region of the Sweet 16. The other matchup in that region is an unlikely pairing between No. 11 Dayton and No. 10 Stanford. The Flyers stunned No. 6 Ohio State 60-59 as 6.5-point underdogs last Thursday to pull off the first big upset of this tournament and this past Sunday the Cardinal upended No. 2 Kansas 60-57 as 6.5-point underdogs on that betting line.

Arizona is the top seed in the West and it has certainly played the part in its first two games. The Wildcats will now face No. 4 San Diego State in the final game on this Thursday’s slate. The other matchup in that region pits No. 6 Baylor against No. 2 Wisconsin. The Bears rolled over No. 3 Creighton 85-55 on Sunday as 3.5-point underdogs to advance to the Sweet 16.

Friday’s games will start things off with No. 11 Tennessee squaring off against No. 2 Michigan in the Midwest Region. The big showdown in that region is a classic rivalry between No. 8 Kentucky and No. 4 Louisville. The Wildcats squeezed past No. 1 Wichita State 78-76 on Sunday to set up the most intriguing matchup in the next round. Kentucky closed as a 4.5-point underdog on the Bovada NCAA Tournament betting odds in its victory over the previously-undefeated Shockers.

Virginia earned the No. 1 seed in the East, and after posting two routine wins over Coastal Carolina and Memphis it will now face No. 4 Michigan State in the final game on Friday’s slate. The first game in this region on Friday is between No. 7 Connecticut and No. 3 Iowa State. The Huskies hammered No. 2 Villanova 77-65 on Saturday night to advance to the Sweet 16 after closing as 4-point underdogs on the betting lines for that game.