Does anybody have a Warren Buffett bracket left at this point? I can’t imagine most people had a 10 seed and an 11 seed going head to head in the sweet 16. I picked a couple upsets here and there, but not in my wildest dreams did I think any team at 10 or lower was moving on to the Elite 8. Now that Stanford and Dayton are playing each other in the South region, at least one unpredicted and arguably Cinderella team is in like Flynn, but it still remains to be seen if either one can move all the way to the Final 4. As you might expect from two such closely seeded teams who have both been underdogs in every match so far, the money line on this game is damn close. Stanford is the current favorite at -162, which may owe as much to the fact they’ve been in the dance 16 times as the fact that Chasson Randle averages 18 points a game and nearly 40% from three point range. He was a little cold against Kansas by comparison – only 13 points and no 3’s, but expect him to rebound from that performance. Don’t count out Dayton at +142 by any means though. They’ve only been to one Final 4 in their history, but they’re now two games away from one of the greatest runs in tournament history. With 7 returning seniors, Dayton’s biggest strength is experience, which is what allowed them to garner upsets against Ohio State and Syracuse thus far. There’s only one line with a fairly sizable spread tonight, and that’s 1 seed Arizona playing 4 seed San Diego State out in the West. Even though UCLA got a surprising upset over the Wildcats in the Pac-12 conference finals, they’ve been rolling ever since, knocking off Weber State 68-59 and Gonzaga by a lopsided 84-61 margin. Sometimes it’s better to take that L before tournament play. That -350 line for Arizona feels pretty safe, but San Diego State shouldn’t be completely ignored at +290. New Mexico State and North Dakota State may not scream tough competition, but we shouldn’t forget NDSU knocked off Oklahoma in OT before falling to the SDSU Aztecs. You never know if a parlay with the Aztecs might pay. Florida is also a fairly decent favorite over the aforementioned UCLA in the South region, with a -200 line favoring the Gators and a +170 going to the Bruins. It’s not a huge mathematical upset for a 4 seed to beat a 1 seed, but if their game against Arizona proves anything, it’s that UCLA has the tools in the shed to knock off favorites. Jordan Adams averages 17 points and 5 rebounds per game, and teammate Kyler Anderson almost 15 points and 9 rebounds – plus he’s almost .500 from the 3 point arc. Baylor may have something to say to Wisconsin too as the +150 money line dog playing the -170 favorite. A lot of people underestimated Baylor before they got to the Big 12 conference finals, but after beating both Nebraska and bracket favorite Creighton (in lopsided 85-55 fashion), they’re now poised to make that magic run all the way to the four finalists of the Madness. Please remember that all previews are for entertainment purposes only, and if you choose to wager on college basketball or any other sport, please only bet what you can afford.
