Welcome to the second weekend of the 2021 NCAA men’s tournament, which continues its unique schedule after the first round started a day later than usual. Instead of Sweet 16 revealing its traditional start date on Thursday, games will start on Saturday. Both Saturday and Sunday will have four games alternating with each other, while there will be two Elite Eight games each on Monday night and Tuesday night.
Below is our ranking of the eight Sweet 16 games, from most to least assistable. All times are Eastern and all betting odds are provided by BetMGM.
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Florida State (East)
Sunday, 5 pm, CBS
Michigan -2.5, O / U 143.5
The Wolverines are the last surviving team of the Big Ten, despite not having Isaiah Livers for the tournament. Eli Brooks hit 8 out of 15 in three in the first two games of the Wolverines tournament and will count on him to maintain that winning streak. FSU won his two tournament games by 28 combined points, while Anthony Polite scored 22 in the Seminoles’ victory over Colorado in the second round.
No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 5 Villanova (South)
Saturday, 5:15 PM, CBS
Baylor -7, O / U 140.5
Baylor bombed Wisconsin in the second round, as three players had at least 16 points and the Bears turned the ball just four times. Villanova defeated Winthrop easily in the first round and defeated North Texas by 23 in the second round, despite the absence of point guard Collin Gillespie. Both teams are extremely efficient in attack and Baylor leads the country with a percentage of 3 points. The end may not be a bad move here.
No. 6 USC vs. Nº 7 Oregon (West)
Sunday, 9:45 pm, TBS
USC -2, O / U 139
Well, we have a guarantee that a Pac-12 team will lose in Sweet 16. The conference’s undefeated series will end anyway, as these two face off. The USC won the regular season clash 72-58 on February 22 and is a favorite for two here after each team had an incredibly impressive second round victory over a midwestern opponent. The Ducks have five competent scorers on their starting lineup, while the offensive focus of the USC is on Evan and Isaiah Mobley.
No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 11 UCLA (East)
Sunday, 7:15 pm, TBS
Alabama -6.5, O / U 145.5
UCLA is looking for its fourth tournament win since being selected for a play-in game on Selection Sunday and would be the ninth place in the 11th place to reach Elite Eight with a victory. Alabama beat Maryland 19 in the second round by hitting a staggering 16 out of 33 out of three. Crimson Tide reaches the fourth highest number of three in the country at 30 per game, while UCLA gives up more than 20 attempts per game. The Bruins will struggle if Alabama can replicate its shooting performance in the second round.
No. 8 Loyola Chicago vs. No. 12 Oregon State (Midwest)
Saturday, 2:40 pm, CBS
Loyola Chicago -6.5, O / U 125.5
Loyola closed Illinois in the second round to make Illini the only No. 1 seed not to advance to Sweet 16. The Ramblers’ defense is the best in the country and has been in a remarkable run since the 76-71 loss to Indiana Declare in January, 10. Loyola gave up 60 points or less in 19 of the 20 games since that defeat. Oregon State would tie an NCAA record as the lowest seed to reach Elite Eight with a win and have won each of their last four games by nine points or more.
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 11 Syracuse (Midwest)
Saturday, 21:55, TBS
Houston -6, O / U 140
Will Houston be the first team in the tournament to have a response to the Syracuse zone and a way to counter Orange’s strong shot of three? The key to success may lie in the offensive glass. Houston is the second best offensive rebound team in the country by KenPom.com, while Syracuse is the 340th in the country in percentage of the opponent’s offensive rebound. Orange guard Buddy Boeheim has scored at least 25 points in each of the team’s last four games and Syracuse is 9-2 when they go to 20 or more.
No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 15. Oral Roberts (South)
Saturday, 19h25, TBS
Arkansas -11, O / U 159
Can Oral Roberts afford to go into a shootout with Arkansas? The Razorbacks are the fastest and most powerful offensive team the Eagles faced in the tournament, and ORU gave up almost 76 points per game in 2020-21. The Eagles have also faced star players Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor in every minute of the tournament so far. Arkansas’s 68-66 victory over Texas Tech in the second round was the first time the Razorbacks have failed to score 70 points since their February 2 victory over the state of Mississippi.
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 5 Creighton (West)
Sunday, 1:10 pm, CBS
Gonzaga -13, O / U 158
Is this another easy victory for the supposed favorite of the tournament? Gonzaga never felt threatened against Oklahoma in the second round, despite a hot start from the Sooners. If Creighton wants to pull the zebra, he will have to kick well from the field and the free throw line. The Blue Jays are one of the worst free-throw teams in the country with 65%.
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