March Madness Betting Predictions for South Bracket

March Madness Lines for the South Region Bracket: Sweet 16 Betting Prediction

MyBookie College Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis | 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness

The opening two rounds of March Madness are in the books, with the surviving teams now getting a few days off before the action begins again on Thursday. When it does return, we will be into the Sweet 16, where those remaining teams will be starting to seriously consider a run that taken them to the National Championship. While many of you will have your brackets filled and have an idea of who you believe will be moving on into the Elite 8, It think it’s still worth taking a look at the upcoming games, if only to give them one more look before making a decision on how to wager in this round. We are going to do that now, starting with the 2 upcoming games in the South Region, so let’s get right to it.

#1 Houston Cougars Vs #4 Duke Blue Devils

Given that Houston came into the tournament as one of the favorites to win it all, as well as being a #1 seed to boot, it is no real surprise to see them here. They cruised through the opening round, beating Longwood 86-46, but things got a little trickier in Round 2. In that one, they were forced to go to OT to get past Texas A&M, eventually running out 100-95 winners in a total shootout. Despite that one being a close call, Houston is still favored in the Sweet 16 and are a 3 ½ point favorite over Duke.

You can’t talk about March Madness without invoking the name of the Duke Blue Devils, especially in the Coach K era. They are not quite the powerhouse they were back then, but make no mistake about it, this is still a very dangerous team. Duke blew past Vermont in Round 1, winning 64-47 before totally steamrolling James Madison in the second round with a convincing 93-55 win. This, though, will be their toughest test by far.

The Round 2 scare might just wake up the Cougars, so look for them to win and move on in this one. I think they cover, too.

March Madness Money Line to Win Houston vs Duke
Las Vegas Odds NCAA Basketball Tournament

#11 NC State Wolfpack Vs #2 Marquette Golden Eagles

The Wolfpack are proving to be the Cinderella story of the tournament and are now the lowest seeded team remaining in March Madness. They got things rolling with an upset of Texas Tech (80-67) in the opening round, but they then needed OT to get past #14 seeded Oakland in the previous round. Given all of that, it is no real surprise that they come into the Sweet 16 as a 6 ½ point underdog.

The Golden Eagles had a comfortable passage through Round 1, beating Western Kentucky by a score of 87-69. They did not have it quite so easy in Round 2, though, allowing Colorado to hang around before sealing the 81-77 win. Not the most convincing victory, to be sure, but it’s all about surviving and moving on at this point.

It has been fun to watch NC State get to this point, but all good things come to an end at one time or another. I like Marquette to pick up the pace and dispatch the Wolfpack, and I would not be surprised if it was a double-digit margin of victory.

March Madness Money Line to Win NC State vs Marquette
Las Vegas Odds NCAA Basketball Tournament