NCAA Tournament Player Props & Bets: Round 2 (Sunday)
The NCAA Tournament is rolling right along with another full day of college basketball on tap. Sunday features eight more second-round games as we narrow the March Madness field down to the Sweet 16. Let’s dive into the best NCAA Tournament player props and picks for today’s action.
We have pinpointed a pair of player props to lock in before you enjoy the games. Note that all betting odds and lines are accurate as of this writing but subject to change. Let’s get to it.
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Sunday's Best NCAA Tournament Props
(Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook)
Aiden Sherrell Over 13.5 Points (-115)
The highest total on Sunday's slate features the second-round matchup between Alabama and Texas Tech. The Crimson Tide should set the tone for a high-scoring shootout, ranking fourth nationally in pace and third in offensive efficiency. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders bring in a top-10 offense themselves. So, let's target a player prop in this barnburner.
J.T. Toppin's season-ending injury has seriously downgraded Texas Tech's interior defense. That shouldn't be too surprising, as the Red Raiders deal with replacing their All-American big man late in the year. Recent games and stat lines give us more clarity on the issues, though.
In Texas Tech's first-round win, Akron big man Amani Lyles put up 26 points in a big performance. The Red Raiders also gave up 18 points and 13 rebounds to Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson in the game prior. Before that, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright tore up the interior with 48 combined points, and even TCU center Xavier Edmonds totaled 20 points in this matchup.
It all sets up well for Aiden Sherrell to have a good game for Alabama. The Tide's big man just had 15 points and 15 rebounds in the first-round victory over Hofstra. He saw his offensive usage increase a bit with Aden Holloway sidelined, which will be the case again today.
Labaron Philon is still the guy for Alabama offensively. However, Sherrell's scoring role in the frontcourt is more important now with Holloway out. The Crimson Tide center is also averaging a solid 13.2 PPG over the past 10 games. He should be higher than that, considering the matchup and the uptick in offensive touches without Holloway.
Motiejus Krivas Over 9.5 Points (-135)
In Friday's first-round win, Arizona center Motiejus Krivas scored just nine points. However, he logged just 22 minutes in the blowout victory against LIU, and the Wildcats didn't need him as much offensively. Krivas should put up more than that today in a favorable spot.
Utah State doesn't have the size or skill in the paint to match up with the 7-foot-2 Krivas. The Aggies are built on their strong guard play, but the frontcourt can be a weakness at times. They got by fine last game, but Villanova doesn't have the bigs to exploit the paint. Yet, Nova's Duke Brennan still had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Holding Krivas in check will be a much tougher task today. Utah State struggles at defensive rebounding, ranking 259th nationally. That's good news for Krivas, who excels on the offensive boards. There should be plenty of opportunities for second-chance points as the Zona center owns a notable height advantage against the Aggies' starting bigs, Zach Keller (6-foot-10) and Karson Templin (6-foot-9).
Though Krivas hasn't cleared 9.5 points in four straight games now, that's a bit of a low bar for him. He's averaging 10.4 PPG this season with at least 10 points in 11 of the last 18 games, scoring 10.2 PPG in this stretch. Arizona may need his offensive presence inside more as Utah State focuses its defense on stopping Jaden Bradley, Brayden Burries, and Koa Peat.