We’ve made it through the first round, and now it’s time to focus on the round of 32. We’ll see eight second-round games on Saturday, and then we’ll see another eight on Sunday.
While Saturday’s action will have some very good games, we’re really looking forward to the Sunday slate. Here are two games that we’re looking forward to watching on Sunday.
We’ll give you a brief breakdown of each, and then we’ll give you our predictions so can get ready to bet against their March Madness Odds. Enjoy another weekend of watching great college basketball action!
NCAA Tournament Second Round Games Betting Previews: TCU v Arizona and Miami v Auburn
(1) Arizona Wildcats vs (9) TCU Horned Frogs
Arizona comes into this one on a roll. The Wildcats have won six-in-a-row, including the Pac 12 Tournament. In winning those six, they’ve also scored at least 81 points in each of the games.
Even though they’ve been missing starting point guard Kerr Kriisa, the Wildcats haven’t missed a beat. Kriisa could see limited action on Sunday against TCU.
Speaking of TCU, Jamie Dixon’s squad is a hard-nosed, inside-oriented group. In their first-round win, their defense and offensive rebounding skills dominated Seton Hall.
The Horned Frogs are 10th in the nation in defense, and it showed on Friday, as they held Seton Hall to 28% shooting from the floor. They also were dominant on the boards in that win.
Arizona tends to turn the ball over more than they should. This could play into the hands of TCU. While Arizona is the more athletic squad, TCU is a more tough and physical group, so this will be a big contrast of styles.
Arizona will want to get the ball up and down the floor, while TCU will want to grind out each possession and will want to force Arizona to slow things down on the offensive end.
Arizona is favored by 9.5 points. They can put up points in bunches, but can they do it against TCU? The Horned Frogs played one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
They can adapt to any style. TCU is 7-2-1 against the spread in their last 10, while Arizona is 4-3 against the spread in their last seven.
While we like Arizona to win the game, we don’t see them covering the spread in this one.
(2) Auburn Tigers vs (10) Miami Hurricanes
Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers have exceeded expectations this season. While many thought they’d be a tournament team, they didn’t see them being this good. Led by Freshman sensation Jabari Smith, the Tigers have played some great basketball.
They didn’t have many issues disposing of Jacksonville State in their first-round matchup.
They’ll run into Jim Larranaga’s Miami Hurricanes. Larranaga knows how to win in the NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t too long ago that he took the Cinderella George Mason squad to the Final Four.
The Hurricanes have had some great victories this season, including a huge win against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. They grinded one out against the higher-seeded USC Trojans on Friday.
Miami struggles shooting from the outside, and Auburn will take advantage of this. Miami also struggles to rebound the ball. Auburn’s length and athleticism will give them a huge advantage in this department as well.
The oddsmakers have made the Tigers a 7.5-point favorite in this one. While we see Miami playing a good first half, we think Auburn pulls away in the second half and wins this one by at least 10 points.