Sweet 16 March Madness Betting Odds Update Plus Two Sleeper Picks

Sixty-eight teams are down to 16, and March Madness betting odds have seen some major adjustments. Many of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament still remain, but three (Baylor, Auburn, and Kentucky) have already been eliminated.

After six days of competition, there is a three-day break this week. The tournament will begin again on Thursday with another four consecutive days of games after which the Final Four will be known.

Here is a breakdown of the updated odds to win the title at New York sportsbooks plus a pair of under-the-radar picks to win it all that will give you quite the bang for your buck.

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March Madness Betting Odds: Analyzing The Favorites

West Region No. 1 seed Gonzaga began the tournament as the odds-on favorite to cut down the nets on the final night, and the Bulldogs remain in that spot with the Sweet 16 on deck. They are as low as a +220 favorite at DraftKings New York and as high as +240 at FanDuel New York. 

Gonzaga backers got a major scare during the second-round game against Memphis. The Tigers built a 12-point lead in the first minute of the second half before Gonzaga came roaring back to win by four points. The Bulldogs have been dominant all season, so that performance likely gave their supporters confidence that they can win tight games in tournament play.

Midwest Region No. 1 seed Kansas is the consensus No. 2 betting favorite and can be found with odds of +425 to +500. The Jayhawks’ path to the Final Four starts with a game against No. 4 seed Providence on Friday and then would require a victory over No. 10 Miami or No. 11 Iowa State.

Next on the odds list at New York sportsbooks is South Region No. 1 seed Arizona, which survived an overtime scare from No. 9 TCU late Sunday night to advance to the Sweet 16. The Wildcats will face No. 5 Houston Thursday night.

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Two March Madness Sleeper Picks

Villanova Wildcats (+1400 at DraftKings and BetMGM)

For some reason, Villanova — the South Region’s No. 2 seed this year — is only on the shortlist of favorites to win the title when it actually gets to the Final Four and everyone is forced to think, “Why haven’t we been on this team all season?”

Veteran coach Jay Wright led the Wildcats to the national championship in 2016 and again in 2018. The Wildcats were in the Sweet 16 last season and are back again this year with a match-up against No. 11 seed Michigan on Thursday night.

The Wildcats are deep, with six players who average at least 8.7 points per game. They are led by senior point guard Collin Gillespie, who along with fellow senior starter Jalen Samuels, were on the 2018 team that won the national championship.

Guard play is imperative to win at this stage in the tournament, and Gillespie may be the best in the nation when it comes to skill and experience. Add to that his 90.2% free-throw percentage and you have arguably the most dependable player still in the field. 

He’s not the only marksman from the free-throw line either. The team’s free-throw shooting percentage of 82.6% leads the nation and is on track to set the NCAA’s all-time mark. That’ll come in handy when it’s time to put a game away in the final minutes.

North Carolina Tar Heels (+2800 at DraftKings)

If you don’t want to lay a shorter price with one of the three favorites, how about taking a look at East Region No. 8 seed North Carolina, perhaps the hottest team in the tournament? 

It’s hard not to like the Tar Heels at this price. They have won eight of their last nine games, and four of their last five have been absolute destructions of teams that made the tournament or were in the tournament.

They beat Duke by 13 on the road at the end of the regular season. They began the ACC Tournament with a 20-point win over Virginia and followed that with a loss to Virginia Tech. In the NCAA Tournament, they blasted Marquette by 32 points and then built a 25-point lead against No. 1 seed Baylor before giving it up and then regrouping to win in overtime.

What’s more, despite being a No. 8 seed, North Carolina is a short 2.5-point underdog in its Sweet 16 matchup against No. 4 UCLA on Friday. The regional final on Sunday would pit the Tar Heels against No. 3 Purdue or No. 15 Saint Peter’s. They would be small underdogs against Purdue and would be big favorites against Saint Peter’s, so you’re not exactly asking this lower seed to move mountains to keep advancing.