2022 March Madness Sweet 16 Betting Guide Picks & Predictions

The March Madness action didn’t disappoint in last week’s opening rounds, setting the table for another unpredictable weekend as teams enter the Sweet 16 and look to battle through the regional final for a trip to the Final Four.

No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga is still the favorite to win it all at top sportsbooks, with odds of +240 after the Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over Georgia Southern and Memphis. Kansas now has the next-best March Madness betting odds at +550, which is up from +850 before the tournament tipped off. Arizona is third entering its Sweet 16 matchup with Houston with +600 odds, while the No. 5 Cougars round out the top of the college basketball betting board at +750 odds.

It’s already been an amazing first two rounds of upsets and Cinderella runs, with the college basketball futures odds looking much different than they did last week.

Let’s take a look at the updated betting odds for every team in the Sweet 16, separated by region, ahead of Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

West Region NCAA Tournament Winner Odds

All odds current as of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.

West Region Favorites

There were very few surprises on betting apps in the opening rounds of the West region. The top four seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 and it’s no surprise that Gonzaga carries the shortest college basketball odds to win the West Region at -175.

No. 2 Duke is next at +430 after surviving a scare against Michigan State in the second round. No. 3 Texas Tech is just behind the Blue Devils at +440, despite the fact that the Red Raiders are currently favored at -1 for Thursday’s third-round game against Duke in San Francisco. That means while oddsmakers give Texas Tech the slight advantage in that matchup, they also believe Duke has a slightly better chance to knock off No. 1 Gonzaga in a hypothetical Elite Eight matchup.

West Region Sleepers

No. 4 Arkansas is an afterthought to win the region, with odds of +1000. That’s slightly improved from +1400 after the Razorbacks handled their business in close wins over Vermont and New Mexico State. Arkansas sports betting fans, take note.

Very few are picking Arkansas to upset Gonzaga in their Thursday night matchup to start the Sweet 16 in San Francisco. The Bulldogs are -8.5 favorites and -425 on the moneyline. But Gonzaga failed to cover in its first and second-round games and is now just 2-7 against the spread over the last nine games. The Bulldogs also trailed Memphis by 10 points at halftime before squeaking out a four-point victory.

If you’re looking for a play in this region, all the value is on Arkansas at the moment.

South Region NCAA Tournament Winner Odds

All odds current as of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

South Region Favorites

No. 1 Arizona is through the opening weekend and favored to advance out of the South region with two more wins, listed at +135 odds. The Wildcats survived an overtime scare against No. 9 TCU during an 85-80 win in Sunday’s second-round matchup.

Now the Wildcats are set to face No. 5 Houston in one of the most intriguing games of the weekend. The Cougars are getting plenty of respect from oddsmakers after last year’s Final Four run, with Houston listed second behind Arizona at +230 to take the region. The Wildcats are just a -2 favorite for Thursday night’s game in San Antonio, where Houston is looking to keep the momentum going after knocking off No. 12 UAB and No. 4 Illinois.

South Region Sleepers

No. 11 Michigan was priced much shorter than the seed suggested, going off with the sixth-best odds to win the region at +1800. Now the Wolverines are down to +1000 and they made the oddsmakers look good by ripping off wins over Colorado State and upsetting No. 3 Tennessee. But it doesn’t get easier this weekend against a No. 2 Villanova team that isn’t getting a lot of hype.

The Wildcats are currently third to win the region at +240, just slightly behind Houston (+230). Villanova had no trouble beating No. 15 Delaware and No. 7 Ohio State in business-like fashion, and the Wildcats are now -5 favorites for the third-round matchup against Michigan.

Midwest Region NCAA Tournament Winner Odds

All odds current as of publication, courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

Midwest Region Favorites

No. 1 Kansas was already favored to win the region before the tournament started. Those odds have gone significantly shorter thanks to all the chaos throughout the Midwest region in Rounds 1 and 2. Kansas went from +175 to -180 as a heavy favorite to make it to the Final Four in New Orleans.

While Kansas was impressive in wins over Texas Southern and Creighton, those odds are a bigger reflection of the Jayhawks’ new-and-improved path. No. 12 Richmond knocking off a red-hot Iowa team in Round 1 helped Kansas avoid a potentially-scary matchup with the Hawkeyes, while No. 2 Auburn and No. 3 Wisconsin will also be watching from home after upset losses.

Although No. 4 Providence is the top remaining seed behind Kansas, the Friars now have the longest odds to win the region at +600. The Jayhawks are listed as -7.5 favorites for Friday’s game against Providence.

Midwest Region Sleepers

Few expected a third-round game between No. 10 Miami and No. 11 Iowa State, but that’s the beauty of March Madness. Things never go according to plan. Handicappers give the Hurricanes a slight edge with +500 odds in the Midwest, while Iowa State is right there at +550. Both will be hoping for an upset in the Kansas-Providence game, but the Jayhawks will likely be waiting in the Elite Eight.

We wouldn’t be opposed to wagers on either team given how good they looked over the weekend. Miami knocked off No. 7 LSU and No. 3 Wisconsin and the Cyclones took out No. 6 USC and No. 2 Auburn. Miami is currently a -1.5 favorite against Iowa State, and the winner could absolutely pull off another upset in the regional final to punch their ticket to the Big Easy. Those odds aren’t bad at all given the talent on both sides.

East Region NCAA Tournament Winner Odds

All odds current as of publication, courtesy of DraftKings.

East Region Favorites

The top two seeds are long gone and the East easily earned the distinction for most chaotic region over the weekend.

No. 3 Purdue was going off at +550 a week ago, but the Boilermakers are now the favorite at -125 after No. 1 Baylor and No. 2 Kentucky suffered upset losses to North Carolina and Saint Peter’s. However, No. 4 UCLA is still around and looking very pesky at +210. The Bruins are coming off a Final Four run as a play-in team last season and are -2 favorites for Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup with North Carolina in Philadelphia.

East Region Sleepers

How ‘bout those Tar Heels? How ‘bout those Peacocks?! No. 8 North Carolina pulled off a big-time upset over No. 1 Baylor after nearly blowing a 25-point lead, but Saint Peter’s won the weekend with its 85-79 overtime win over No. 2 Kentucky. The Peacocks did it again Saturday with a 70-60 win over Murray State.

North Carolina gets the more-favorable matchup against No. 4 UCLA, but the slim -2 point spread shows the Tar Heels have earned everyone’s respect. The Bruins were not impressive in an opening-round win over Akron but bounced back strong against St. Mary’s. Oddsmakers still give North Carolina a decent chance at the upset, listing them at +390 to take the region.

Does Saint Peter’s have two more stunning upset wins in store? Handicappers say no chance. The Peacocks’ odds to make it to the Final Four are more than three times longer than any remaining team in any region, with Saint Peter’s listed at +3200 to advance out of the East. The Peacocks opened as +12.5 underdogs for Friday’s Sweet 16 game against Purdue.

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