2024 NCAA Tournament Odds, Picks & Predictions: Round 2 (Saturday)
March Madness is here and it's time for one of the most exciting tournaments in all of sports. There are a lot of powerhouses looking good leading up to the tournament and potential Cinderella stories. It all starts on Round 2 Day 1, so let's look at some important matchups for today.
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Best Bets For The NCAA Tournament First Round (Friday)
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 5 Creighton (-5) / O/U 146 (-110/-110)
The Ducks were one of the early upsets of the day as the 11 seed was able to beat six-seeded South Carolina. Oregon is in the top third in points per game, but it was a shock that they could put up 87 against a South Carolina defense that only allowed 67 per game this year. Jermaine Couisnard has had these explosive offensive outputs; he put up 39 against Arizona on March 2nd and finally got to 40 in Round 1. While you have to worry about Couisnard at guard, N’Faly Dante has been one of the best bigs in the country recently, averaging 20 points and 9.8 rebounds over his last five.
The revenge game factor is in play as Creighton faces their former coach Dana Altman. For Dante, he'll match up with Ryan Kalkbrenner, who defends very well and has great feet to fight his way to the basket. The Blue Jays know how to move the ball, with Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman being two guards who can shoot from anywhere and are smart enough to know how to be aggressive and when to facilitate.
The Ducks will not roll over the Jays as they did on Thursday. Dante won't dominate the boards with Kalkbrenner protecting the rim. Creighton is offensively smart. They don't turn the ball that much, and they know when to find the pass around to find the best shot and be aggressive.
Pick: Creighton -5 (-110)
No. 14 Oakland vs. No. 11 NC State (-6) / O/U 144.5 (-110/-110)
We have an 11 vs. 14 seed, just as we all predicted. NC State was one of the hottest teams coming into this tournament. They finished the regular season 17-14 but won five straight to win the ACC tournament and upset No. 6 Texas Tech to advance. They were efficient in Round 1, with four players scoring in double-digits, but the highlight was Ben Middlebrooks putting up 21 points in 23 minutes. The defense has been incredible during this run; they've kept Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas Tech to under 40% shooting.
Oakland pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Day 1 when they took down Kentucky. The Golden Grizzles are 66th in the country, averaging 8.6 threes per game, but they were unreal, hitting 15, including Jack Gohlke, who had ten. Gohlke is 37% from deep, while Blake Lampman is 36.9%, so they'll need to be efficient from behind the arc as they don't have anyone big enough to post under the basket.
Oakland was a great story for Day 1, but a hot team is always dangerous in this tournament and that’s what NC States is.
Pick: NC State -6 (-112)
No. 5 Gonzaga (-4.5) vs. N0. 4 Kansas / O/U 151.5 (-112/-108)
Gonzaga is always in contention to win a national title, but they don't have that buzz like normal. They lost in the WCC finals and struggled in their non-conference schedule, which includes losses to tournament teams like Purdue, Washington, UConn, and San Diego State. No one can deny they are fantastic shooters with a 56.8% effective field percentage, but they have trouble grabbing points in the paint. The defense also struggles to put pressure on the defensive end and force turnovers.
That lack of post presence could be a problem for the Bulldogs when Kansas has the best center in the country, Hunter Dickinson. Kansas nearly allowed the biggest upset of Day 1 as they narrowly escaped with a win against Samford. The absence of Kevin McCullar looked like it was going send this team home, but they had the next man up mentality with all five starters scoring in double-digits, and they shot 60.3% from the floor.
The Jayhawks are playing back-to-back Bulldogs, and their 18 turnovers almost forced that upset. The Zags’ softer defense should help Kansas keep that number low. Even with the results of the last game, this should be a closer spread.
Pick: Kansas +4.5 (-115)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Saturday: