And just like that, we’re down to the Elite 8 in the men’s NCAA tournament. So what are the bets to make?
Here are our experts Jeff Borzello, Tyler Fulghum and Mackenzie Kraemer with more on the bets they like most.
Alabama -3.5 vs. Clemson (-155). Clemson’s NCAA tournament opponents have run incredibly cold from 3, some of it due to the Tigers’ defense and some due to variance. But a combined 14-for-75 (18.7%) against a team that allowed ACC opponents to shoot 35.6% from 3 feels like it could regress to the mean at some point — and the Tigers have also allowed at least nine 3-pointers in eight of their 11 losses. If there’s a team to test Clemson deep, it’s Alabama, which ranks in the top-25 nationally in 3-point rate and 3-point percentage. — Borzello
Alabama vs. Clemson OVER 164.5. This is the lowest total in an Alabama game in over a month. Clemson opponents have shot just 19% from three in the tournament, but don’t expect Alabama to continue that cold-shooting trend. — Kraemer
Alabama vs. Clemson (+130). The Tide have to play at tempo and make threes to win. Their reliance on making threes while not defending at a high level are concerning I think Clemson will be able to get their tempo (bottom 100 in nation) as it’s easier to slow down a game than speed it up. PJ Hall‘s presence will be huge trying to exploit the weak interior defense of the Tide. The Tigers have rolled the tide earlier this year in Tuscaloosa and think they can do it again. — Cuff
UConn -8.5 vs. Illinois (-110). The Huskies are just too good right now. Illinois has been very impressive in this tournament but UConn has won its three games by an average of almost 30 points per game. Look for Illinois’ struggles at the free throw line to hurt them in this matchup. — Fulghum
UConn vs. Illinois OVER 154.5 (-115). Simply put, it’s the two best offenses in the country. Both teams will look to get points on the break, both teams will look to score quickly against unsettled defenses, and both teams had lapses on Thursday night getting back to defend in transition. — Borzello