Four double-digit seeds will have to see tickets to the Sweet 16 when the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament ends on Monday.
These include matchups between two teams. No. 11 UCLA – a school with 11 national championships – meets No. 14 Abilene Christian – coming off its first tournament win at the Division I level. No. 13 Ohio faces No. 5 Crayton in the same area, and No. 10 Maryland meets No. 2 Alabama in the East Region.
Gonzaga is the only team Double digit friendly What should be another day full of fabulous finishes.
Sporting News presents their picks for the second round of sports:
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March Madness picks, predictions for round 2
No. 1 Gonzaga (-14.5) vs. No. 8 Oklahoma (West)
Oklahoma advanced to the second round without second-leading scorer Da’Vion Hamilton, who is out after testing positive for COVID-19. The Sunniers still have Austin Reeves, and Brady Manek may be an X-Factor player in the game if he continues to warm up from 3-point range. Gonzaga, however, presents a lot of problems at the offensive end, and the Bulldogs were dialed in with their first-round game. Don’t be surprised if Oklahoma goes early, but Gonzaga would leave behind a big game from Corey Kispert in the second half game.
pick up the: Gonzaga
No. 5 Crayton (-6) vs. No. 13 Ohio (West)
Can Blue Jas stop taking another hot Cinderella? Marcus Zagrowski credited a first-round win against UC-Santa Barbara with 17 points, but he also facilitated with eight assists. He is every bit as important as Ohio guard Jason Preston, who nearly had a triple-double in a first-round win against Virginia. Crayton scores 36.4 percent from 3-point range. Ohio is at 35.9. It will come down to a few shots from there in both directions, and look for the Bobcats to get those one more time from Ben Vander Plass ahead in a tight one.
pick up the: Ohio
No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 6 USC (-1.5) (West)
Cons Underdog? USC brings an interesting challenge with 7-foot center Evan Mbale, and his brother Isaiah Mobley is another consistent scorer. Eastern Washington outscored the Jehawks, but that was due in large part to 3-point shooting in the first half. Kansas got 35 points off the bench in the first round. That depth matters. The Jayvaks were 2-5 S / U this season, but they broke that trend to get back into the Sweet 16.
pick up the: Kansas
No. 2 Iowa (-5) vs. No. 7 Oregon (West)
Oregon advanced to the second round in a competition. The senior trio of Eugene Omorui, Chris Duterte and LJ Figueroa have average double figures, and they pose an interesting challenge for Iowa. The Hawkeyes have an experienced tournament team, led by SN Player of the Year Luca Garza, and will continue hot shooting behind Jordan Bohannon and Joe Viscamp. Iowa returned to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
pick up the: Iowa
No. 1 Michigan (-5.5) vs. No. 8 LSU (East)
This is going to be a popular upset pick, knowing the Wolverines are without Isaiah Liver and facing a top-10 scoring offense led by Cameron Thomas, who scored 27 points in the first round against St. Bonavanture. Michigan counters with Hunter Dickinson, and if the 7-foot-1 center stays out of trouble, the Wolverines should have enough to hold the Tigers late. The Wolverines are 5–1 against SEC opponents in the tournament since 2008 and a lot of them were hot.
pick up the: Michigan
No. 4 Florida State (-1.5) vs. No. 5 Colorado (East)
Colorado scored 96 points and 16 points in their first-round win against Georgetown, but the Buffalo need to face Florida State on the glass if they get a chance. There were just five offensive rebellions in their first-round victory in the semi-finals, and MJ Walker had one night. If they continue to struggle, the state of Florida will be in trouble. Colorado is the best free-throw shooting team in the country. It makes the difference downstairs in a little disturbing.
pick up the: Colorado
No. 11 UCLA (-5) vs. No. 14 Abilene Christian (East)
Abilene Christian is playing with home money after shocking Texas in the first round in a 53-52 thriller, and the Wildcats have the fourth-best scoring defense in Division I. Abilene Christian would need to shoot better than 3-point range after just 3. 3 of 18 against Longhorn. UCLA guards Johnny Jujang and Jamie Jacuzz Jr. have averaged 45 points per game. It still seems strange to call Bruins a sleeper.
pick up the: UCLA
No. 2 Alabama (-6) vs. No. 10 Maryland (East)
This is another Big Ten-SEC second-round performance. Maryland hit 9 of 18 in 3-point range in their first-round matchup, and they are likely to have a chance against the Crimson Tide. Herbert Jones has also become a problem on the interior for Maryland. It will be tight, but we’ve been sticking with our pick since selection Sunday. Maryland will keep it tight enough to cover, but we are switching our pick from Selection Sunday.
pick up the: Alabama
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