The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are an in-your-face, nonstop magical mystery tour of college hoops from noon to night that all blurs together into a mash-up of bad beats, buzzer-beater covers and upsets galore. But the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is a real sweet spot for college basketball betting.

The Sweet 16 gives us more time to focus on four matchups per day, and they’re all fascinating at this point in the bracket. With four games set for Thursday’s third round, there’s a few plays we’ve got our eyes on.

The action tips off at 7:09 p.m. with No. 1 Gonzaga a -9.5 favorite over No. 4 Arkansas. We’re also paying close attention to No. 3 Texas Tech as a -1 favorite over No. 2 Duke and No. 1 Arizona as a -1.5 favorite over No. 5 Houston.

Thursday's College Basketball Betting Lines To Back

Arkansas +9.5 over Gonzaga

The Razorbacks didn’t change many opinions with close wins over Vermont and New Mexico State. Arkansas still isn’t viewed as a serious contender despite last year’s Elite Eight run and an impressive SEC resume. Ugly wins or not, the Razorbacks are now 5-1 in their last six NCAA Tournament games with a lone loss to the champion Baylor Bears in 2021.

Gonzaga had problems of its own over the weekend, with Georgia State keeping it too close for comfort in the early going and Memphis grabbing a 10-point halftime lead. The defensive effort has slipped at times. That’s one of the reasons they went 0-2 against the spread in the opening rounds and have covered in just two of their last seven games. Arkansas has experienced, senior guards who can slow it down when needed, run the show and keep everyone composed. This could be a closer game than many expect. We’re on Arkansas +9.5.

Duke +1 over Texas Tech

This is a tough matchup for the Blue Devils. Texas Tech continues to defend at an elite level and the Red Raiders completely shut down a red-hot Notre Dame team in a 59-53 second-round win. They can impose their will on most teams in the country, but they have struggled against elite offensive teams with size and skill.

Texas Tech lost to Kansas twice and wasn’t close in a 69-55 loss to Gonzaga. Mike Krzyzewski has passed this test before, beating Texas Tech 69-58 in a nonconference matchup ahead of the Red Raiders’ National Championship appearance in 2019. The pieces are all there to do it again, with Duke rolling offensively and starting to look like a real title contender. We’re on Duke +1.

Houston +1.5 over Arizona

This has Game of the Week potential written all over it. No. 1 Arizona cruised into the second round before pulling through in an 85-80 overtime win against an upset-minded TCU. The Cougars might have been the most impressive team in the opening rounds all things considered, with an easy win over UAB and a no-drama 68-53 victory over a strong Illinois team.

Now Houston is two wins away from its second straight Final Four appearance, and the Cougars have every right to believe they’ll win this game. Houston is the better defensive team, plays at its own pace and has the pieces on offense to pull away. Arizona is more talented, but the Cougars are playing like the better team at the moment. We’re on Houston +1.5.

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We’re on to the fourth straight day of March Madness college basketball betting, with several electric second-round matchups and a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.

Sunday’s best second-round matchups include No. 3 Wisconsin as a -4.5 favorite over No. 11 Iowa State at DraftKings Sportsbook. We’ve also got our eyes on No. 3 Texas Tech as a -8 favorite over No. 11 Notre Dame, as well as No. 2 Auburn as a -7 favorite over No. 10 Miami.

While we don’t have an official pick, Sunday also gives us a historic final meeting between Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, with No. 2 Duke posted as a -6.5 favorite over the No. 7 Spartans.

Sunday College Basketball Betting Lines To Back

Iowa State +4.5 over Wisconsin

The Cyclones are exactly the type of team that should be able to hang tough with Wisconsin. Iowa State is one of few teams in the country that defends better and with more effort than the Badgers, and there’s just enough to work with on offense. Wisconsin survived in a sloppy showing against Colgate, but this one should have the Badgers’ full attention. Iowa State is coming of an upset win over a very tough LSU squad and will be more than happy to grind it out with the Badgers. We’re on Iowa State +4.5

Notre Dame +8 over Texas Tech

Those First Four teams can be dangerous this time of year. We saw it last season with UCLA carrying the momentum from an overtime win over Michigan State in Dayton, eventually making the Final Four. Notre Dame has looked good enough early in the tournament to think a similar run is possible. The Irish took care of business against Alabama in the first round and will need to be on-point offensively to pull off the upset today. Texas Tech is the best defensive team in the nation, but the Raiders struggle to run away from teams in the second half. We expect the Irish to keep it close for the duration. We’re on Notre Dame +8.

Miami +7 over Auburn

We figured there would be a good opportunity to fade Auburn at some point this month. It looks like the time has come. The Tigers cruised to a first-round win over Jacksonville State, but the No. 2-seeded Tigers haven’t been playing like a top contender since early February. Miami is the slightly better offensive team and competes at a very high level. The Hurricanes have only lost one game by more than four points dating back to Dec. 1, and they’re getting an overrated Auburn team in a great spot. We love the points in this matchup. We’re on Miami +7.

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