March Madness Betting Preview: 2015 Sweet 16 Odds, Picks, Scores

Frank Doyle picked all four of the winners in Thursday’s Sweet 16 action and went 3-1 against the spread. Check out who he likes for Friday’s games.

UCLA (11) vs. Gonzaga (2)

Odds: Gonzaga -8.5, Total 144

The last time these two teams got together, Gonzaga went into UCLA and spanked the Bruins 84-74 in mid-December. The bad news for UCLA is that the Bulldogs have only gotten better since then. Gonzaga, the best shooting team in the nation at 52.4 percent, has the experience to roll through the Bruins again and on the Elite Eight.

Sports Interaction NCAA Tournament Odds

Sports Interaction Live Betting Odds

Sports Interaction NCAA Tournament Prop Odds

How the Ones have Done: A Historic Look at the No. 1 Seeds

Pick: Gonzaga 78, UCLA 67

NC State (8) vs. Louisville (4)

Odds: Louisville -2.5, Total 129.5

This line seems a little fishy. The Wolfpack snapped a 1-5 skid with a 74-65 victory at Louisville last month and has been on an 8-2 run since, also going 7-3 against the spread. Louisville just hasn’t been a good bet all season. The Cards are just 12-19-2 against the number this season and really, they’ve already overachieved in the Tournament. With seven freshmen on the roster, their time is coming, but they aren’t ready for this yet.

Pick: NC State 67, Louisville 62.

Utah (5) vs. Duke (1)

Odds: Duke -5, Total 134.5

If anyone was worried Duke’s freshman centre Jahlil Okafor would shrink in the big spotlight, so much for that. Okafor has topped 20 points in each of his first two Tournament games after averaging 18.1 points per game during the regular season. Duke will need him to be just as dominant inside against Utah 7-foot big man Jakob Poeltl. That’s the most significant matchup in this one. I like Duke to get through, but it’s going to be tight.

Pick: Duke 75, Utah 74.

Michigan State (7) vs. Oklahoma (3)

Odds: Michigan State -1.5, Total 133

If you’re looking for strong team traits in the NCAA Tournament you’re going to look for a squad that takes care of the ball, strong defence, experience, scoring options from inside and outside, and good coaching. That’s what you have in Michigan State. The only bugaboo with the Spartans has been their free-throw shooting lately. If they start hitting from the charity stripe, look out.

Pick: Michigan State 64, Oklahoma 59.

 Thursday’s previews and picks:

Wichita State (7) vs. Notre Dame (3)

Odds: Wichita State -2, Total 137

At the beginning of the Tournament, popular consensus was that Kentucky could have a tough time getting out of the Midwest if the Wildcats ended up playing the Irish. You don’t hear as much of that talk now. The Shockers have everything going right now after upsetting Kansas while Notre Dame has won its last five postseason games by an average of just 6.4 points. The Irish are cutting it close lately and will need to step it up to move on to the Elite Eight. Call this your coin flip.

Pick: Notre Dame 68, Wichita St. 67.

North Carolina (4) vs. Wisconsin (1)

Odds: Wisconsin -6, Total 144

The North Carolina Tar Heels could be without forward Kennedy Meeks (knee) Thursday against Wisconsin and that could be the difference. Meeks checks in at 6-foot-9 and 270 pounds and averages 12 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. If he’s out with his knee sprain, the Badgers will have a much easier time establishing their inside-out-offence. Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes are licking their chops.

Pick: Wisconsin 71, North Carolina 63

West Virginia (5) vs. Kentucky (1)

Odds: Kentucky -13.5, Total 136.5

There’s no reason to think the Wildcats won’t be able to keep their unbeaten roll going against West Virginia. The Mountaineers have stuck around with some tough teams this season – beating the likes of Kansas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas – before dropping Maryland last weekend. Still, they haven’t seen anything like Kentucky yet. WVU might hang around and cover the big number, but an upset is unlikely here.

Pick: Kentucky 78, West Virginia 68

Xavier (6) vs. Arizona (2)

Odds: Arizona -11.5, Total: 137.5

The Arizona Wildcats have won 13 straight games and actually opened as 9.5-point favorites, so that tells you where the early money went. However, Xavier fans are starting to come in strong at Sports Interaction with 63 percent of the bets now on the Musketeers at +11.5. Can they keep it that close? I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wildcats get out to a solid lead and work the bench a bit in the second half. That could help Xavier keep it close.

Pick: Arizona 69, Xavier 60.