March Madness Odds, Lines & Picks for 2nd Round Games

Now that Thursday and Friday are over, it’s time to focus on the round of 32. We’ve got some great games on this weekend’s docket. Here are two interesting matchups that we’ll get to see on Sunday so you can place your bets against their March Madness Odds.

Men’s College Basketball March Madness Betting Preview for Must Wager 2nd Round Games

(3) Purdue Boilermakers vs (6) Texas Longhorns Betting Analysis

This will be a great strategic matchup between two of the top coaches in the game. Purdue’s Matt Painter may be the best X’s and O’s coach in the country. Chris Beard, the first-year Texas coach, is one of the top defensive minds in basketball.

Painter will have to try and solve the “no middle” defense of Texas. Texas has some long, athletic defenders that could give Purdue some issues.

In their first-round matchup, Purdue’s size was too much for Yale to handle. Texas handled ACC Tournament champion Virginia Tech, as all five starters scored in double figures for the Longhorns. This was the first time that Texas had won the first-round game in their last eight tournament appearances.

Texas is led by Andrew Jones. The inside-outside threat had 21 points against Virginia Tech. Jones has been an inspiration for the Longhorns, as he has come back better than ever from a bout with cancer.

Purdue All-American Jaden Ivey is a force. He can take games over late, and he can shoot from the outside or take the ball to the rim.

Purdue is obviously the better offensive squad, while Texas plays great defense. Purdue struggles on the defensive end, so Texas should be able to put points on the board. We’ll see if the Texas defense has what it takes to shut down the size and speed of Purdue.

Purdue is a 3.5-point favorite heading into Sunday’s matchup. While we see this one being tight most of the way, we think Purdue will pull away late and will end up with a 76-70 win over the Texas Longhorns.

(3) Texas Tech Red Raiders vs (11) Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Analysis

Speaking of defense, Texas Tech can play some too. Chris Beard left the Red Raiders to take the Texas job, and his assistant Mark Adams took over. Adams carried on the tradition of playing defense, and the Red Raiders have been one of the best defensive teams in the country.

Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish squad wasn’t supposed to be here. After defeating Rutgers in the play-in game, they went on to beat Alabama to get to the round of 32. This will be Notre Dame’s third game in five days, so this could affect the play of the Irish.

While Montana State had no answer for the defense of Texas Tech, they also couldn’t stop the Red Raiders from scoring. Notre Dame will play much better defense than Montana State, and the Irish will have some ways to put points on the board against the Raiders.

The Red Raiders are favored by 7.5 points. Their defense can be overwhelming. We see them winning the game, but we’re not sold that they cover the spread against a pesky Notre Dame squad.