March Madness Sweet Sixteen betting picks & odds | Friday 3/25/22

While Thursday’s slate featured more title contenders, today’s games still have a lot of intrigue. These are the matchups that make March Madness so awesome. In lieu of teams like Gonzaga and Arizona we have teams like Iowa St. and Saint Peter’s. There are going to be eight teams duking it out for four spots in the Elite Eight. It’s the grind, but that’s what this tournament is built on. Here is a pick for each of Friday’s four games.

Saint Peter’s Peacocks vs Purdue Boilermakers

This is the definition of a brain pick. While Saint Peter’s tugs on the heartstrings and their run has been amazing, this 15 seed cannot keep it up. Purdue is a legitimate title threat with NBA talent. What Saint Peter’s is doing is crazy and it would be very “March Madness-y” for them to escape with a win but everything says that is impossible. The Peacocks were a team that limped into the tournament against bad competition and now they have a Sweet Sixteen matchup against the best team in the Big 10. Don’t overthink it.

Purdue has a top five NBA prospect in Jaden Ivey. Simply put, Saint Peter’s has nothing to stop him. Ivey is a large athletic guard that will be able to get to the basket a lot and draw a lot of fouls. The Peacocks do not have a lot of depth and if there is an issue with fouls, this will get ugly. Purdue also has a 7 foot 4 inch center in Zach Edey. Saint Peters’ largest starter is 6 foot 7 inches. That is a crazy difference that will be a huge problem for the Peacocks. It’s time for the cinderella run to end; take the Boilermakers -12.5.

Providence Friars vs Kansas Jayhawks

Surprise, surprise, America’s most disrespected team finds themself in the Sweet Sixteen. Everyone has hated Providence due to their prolificacy for pulling out lucky wins. However, as it turns out, winning close games is a very useful skill. While Kansas is the better team and this line is fair, Providence plays close games and shouldn’t have too much trouble covering the number.

The Kansas Jayhawks are a legitimate title threat. They have one of the best players remaining in the tournament in Ochai Agbaji. His blend of athleticism and shooting ability is a matchup nightmare. However, Providence loves to muck a game up and make it hard to score. They will play at a slow pace and keep Kansas from getting comfortable. This is a battle between two great coaches and two good teams. Kansas is better, but Providence has an extra gear that allows them to keep games close. Take Providence and the points in what should be a close game.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs UCLA Bruins

This is going to be the game of the day. These are two blue blood programs who have a lot of history. Recently, North Carolina has dominated UCLA and has five straight wins against them. While both teams have changed since those games, UNC has the momentum right now. They came into the tournament as a struggling eight seed but have surprised thus far. After a dominant round one win against Marquette, UNC knocked off last year’s tourney winner Baylor in a thriller. They have the hottest scorer in the tournament with Brady Manek. This game will be ugly at times but with Manek, they have a guy who can score at will. He is averaging 27 points per game through the first weekend and should be the best player on the court.

UCLA was a surprise Final Four team and they may be better this season. They play amazing defense and although they can go long stretches without scoring, they still have an offense who can get hot. That being said, UNC has more shot makers and overall talent. In a game that will almost certainly be close, that will be the difference. Take UNC plus the points in what should be an extremely entertaining game.

Iowa St Cyclones vs Miami Hurricanes

Both of these teams have clawed their way to the Sweet Sixteen. It makes sense, Iowa St is an 11 seed and Miami is a 10. They both had mediocre seasons where they snuck into the tournament and now are playing their best basketball. Neither of these teams would’ve expected to be here but here they are. One of these teams will make the Elite Eight and have a legitimate title shot. That’s what makes March Madness so crazy.

Ultimately, Miami has the coaching edge and that should be the difference. Jim Larranaga has had success in NCAA March Madness dating back to his shocking Final Four run with George Mason. He clearly knows how to win in this tournament and in this game where there isn’t a lot to separate the two teams, coaching will be the difference. Iowa St has gotten by two teams who had terrible shooting nights so if Miami doesn’t have an awful night from three, they will win this game.

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