Top 3 NCAA Tournament Betting Picks for Elite Eight
After the Sweet 16 played out, there’s only one remaining one-seed in the NCAA Tournament. That’s the Kansas Jayhawks who will take on the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday.
In the Elite Eight, we’ve got an eight-seeded North Carolina taking on the St. Peter’s Peacocks, and we have a five-seeded Houston Cougars listed as favorites over two-seeded Villanova. The Tournament also features Miami, who are a 1o-seed having to face a one-seed in Kansas.
Oh, and don’t forget that Coach K would be coaching the final game of his career this weekend with Duke playing against Arkansas.
There are plenty of storylines that will take place this weekend. Here are our three favorite prop bets for the Elite Eight.
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Houston vs Villanova: Villanova Over 63.5 Points (-110)
(6:09 pm ET)
The Houston Cougars are a five-seed but a favorite against the Villanova Wildcats to make the Final Four. But what happened to foul shooting playing a role in games. Did we forget this?
Houston is shooting 66.7% from the foul line this season, while Villanova is knocking down 82.6% from the foul line this year. The Wildcats are already scoring 19.3% of points from the foul line and will likely see that number increase against Houston as the Cougars foul at a very high rate.
Houston’s got an aggressive defense that has dominated opponents all year and forced them into bad mistakes. But Villanova turns the ball over just 15.5% of the time, is well-coached, and gets to the line at an average pace to begin with.
Look for Villanova to score plenty of points with the time stopped and for the Wildcats to limit turnovers. Once the Wildcats limit turnovers, shot attempts will be there, and Villanova will get over the team total of 63.5.
Bet: Villanova Over 63.5 (-110) at DraftKings
Arkansas vs. Duke: Duke to win by 6+ (+115)
(8:49 pm ET)
The Duke Blue Devils should have no problems against Arkansas. Arkansas’ offense has been very inconsistent this season, shooting just .304 from deep and .502 from inside the arc on the season. While the Razorbacks won’t turn the ball over often in this game, overall, the shooting from the Razorbacks just won’t be good enough knowing that Duke is holding opponents to .319 from deep and .466 from inside the arc.
On top of that, Duke limits foul shooting on the defensive end very well, and Arkansas, without the foul line, is going to be lost. On the other hand, Duke is shooting .370 from deep and .562 from inside the arc. The Blue Devils are one of the better offenses in the league, and even Arkansas’ defense won’t be able to do enough to get stops.
Duke is going to win by six or more.
Bet: Duke 6+ Winning Margin (+115) at DraftKings
Miami vs. Kansas: Kansas in Race to 10 Points in First Half (-160)
(Sunday, 2:20 pm ET)
The Kansas Jayhawks have been coming out on fire in the first few quarters of the NCAA Tournament. Kansas will ultimately do that again against the Miami Hurricanes.
Miami hasn’t faced a team like Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. Miami has faced really good defenses that don’t have much offense. Kansas is a really good defense with a really good offense. The wide-open looks that Miami has been giving up are going to fall with Kansas shooting them.
So look for Kansas to get out to an early lead and score 10 points before Miami does.
Bet: Kansas in Race to 10 Points in First Half (-160) at DraftKings
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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.