After an entertaining start to the Sweet 16 on Thursday, tonight's action tips off with NC State vs Marquette at 7:09. Here is the full schedule and a live look at the current odds for tonight's slate:
7:09 PM: NC State vs Marquette (-7) - Total: 150.5
7:39 PM: Gonzaga vs Purdue (-5.5) - Total: 154
9:50 PM: Duke vs Houston (-4.5) - Total: 134.5
10:20 PM: Creighton vs Tennessee (-3.5) - Total: 144
We have a chance to bet two of the best offenses in college basketball over the total tonight, and aren't thinking twice. Kenpom has Purdue as the #3 offense in the country, the Zags at #7, and both teams have been covering totals throughout March Madness.
The total has gone over in 8 of Gonzaga's last 11 games, while Purdue has gone over in 6 of its last 9 games. Gonzaga is averaging 88 PPG during the NCAA Tournament, while Purdue is averaging 92. We think this game sails over its total of 154 points.
While there are -105 odds available on the over at DraftKings, we like parlaying this pick with Marquette's moneyline to get the price to +162. Our team isn't crazy about the spread here, but do believe the Golden Eagles are a lock to end NC State's cinderella run on Friday night.
Mark Few won’t let Zach Edey get too many easy buckets in a Sweet 16 matchup that is bound to be close heading down the stretch. In that case, look for Edey’s assist total which could give you +120 odds or better for tonight’s game.
Edey has hit this mark in six of his last seven games and has turned up his playmaking ability later in the season, looking for his teammates when catching the ball in the paint.
With Gonzaga’s potential small ball lineup trapping Edey when catching the ball, look for the superstar big man to get three or more dimes in what could be his final collegiate game.
Facing an extremely physical Houston defense, Filipowski should struggle to get easy buckets in this one, deferring to Duke’s shooters at points where Houston has the momentum.
He’s been under his PR mark in both tournament games and we expect that to continue into the Sweet 16 where Kelvin Sampson should gameplan to take away the pick and pop three.
The last time Houston won in the Sweet 16 against an NBA big man was against 1st-seed Arizona and Christian Koloko. Sampson shut him down for just 10 points and Arizona’s other big Tubelis for just 2 points. Expect that same game plan against Duke tonight where they pester Kyle from the tip.
Sticking with this Duke team, we are looking for Jared McCain to light it up from downtown again. An NBA-ready secondary scorer and playmaker, McCain has gone 10/17 from deep this tournament, even getting to the free throw line at a higher rate than usual. Look for these numbers to continue into Dallas for tonight’s matchup.
After Houston allowed Texas A&M’s guards to get hot last game, there was no slowing them down. Outside of the first three games of the season, McCain has hit his PR number against all tournament teams and passed the toughness check with flying colors. Securing 10+ rebounds in six games this season, Jared is a solid bet on Friday night to hit his over.