Sweet 16 action in the NCAA Tournament wraps up on Friday night with a blockbuster schedule in the East and Midwest Regions. The lineup includes St. John’s vs. Duke, Alabama vs. Michigan, Michigan State vs. UConn, and Tennessee vs. Iowa State. Who will join Arizona, Iowa, Purdue, and Illinois in the Elite Eight?
Here are my predictions for St. John’s vs. Duke and Michigan State vs. UConn.
St. John’s Red Storm vs. Duke Blue Devils odds
Money line: St. John’s +240 / Duke -300
Spread: St. John’s +6.5 (-106) / Duke -6.5 (-114)
Total: Over 140.5 (-115) / Under 140.5 (-105)
St. John’s Red Storm vs. Duke Blue Devils best bet: St. John’s +6.5 (-106)
St. John’s is scorching hot. Head coach Rick Pitino’s crew has won 21 of its last 22 games after ousting Kansas in the second round, improving to 30-6 for the season overall. Not unlike Duke, St. John’s is outstanding at both ends of the court. The Red Storm score 81.1 points per game and allow just 69.4 while coming up with 7.8 steals per contest. They are among the best in college basketball in turnover margin, too. Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor (16.3 ppg) is the leader of a physical frontcourt that can bang with anyone in the country — including Blue Devils star Cameron Boozer. Duke is certainly a legitimate title contender, but it messed around with Siena in the first round and struggled with TCU for a half last weekend. Also, don’t forget that Pitino is an unbelievable 12-1 all time in Sweet 16 games.
Michigan State Spartans vs. UConn Huskies odds
Money line: Michigan State +105 / UConn -125
Spread: Michigan State +1.5 (-105) / UConn -1.5 (-115)
Total: Over 135.5 (-105) / Under 135.5 (-115)
Michigan State Spartans vs. UConn Huskies best bet: Michigan State ML (+105)
Bet against Michigan State in March Madness at your own peril. Granted, doing the same with UConn is a similar risk — but this year’s UConn squad is not quite as dominant of a juggernaut as the ones that cut down the nets in 2023 and 2024. The Huskies have not been playing at their peak level in recent weeks, either. After starting the season 22-1, head coach Dan Hurley’s squad went 7-4 in its last 11 games prior to the NCAA Tournament — including a 20-point blowout loss to St. John’s in the championship game of the Big East Tournament. This feels like a toss-up showdown between two blue bloods. Head coach Tom Izzo and Michigan State — led by Jeremy Fears Jr., Jaxon Kohler — have good value as slight underdogs.