Three NCAA Tournament Second Round Picks To Lock In Right Now

A wild opening to to March Madness in the books and it’s time to look ahead to Sunday’s action. Following an opening round of stunning upsets, remaining favorites like Illinois, Baylor, and Houston will look to reach the Sweet 16.

Let’s take a deep dive into the Sunday games with some second round NCAA Tournament picks, including one upset prediction.

There are no easy wins in the NCAA Tournament and the second round should be no different. The Florida Gators are the biggest favorite of the day at +8.5 over Oral Roberts. Let’s take a closer look at a few different games.

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NCAA Tournament Second Round Lines

All lines courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:

No. 8 Loyola Chicago:  +7.0 // O133 // +255
No. 1 Illinois:                -7.0 // U133 // -315

No. 9 Wisconsin:             +6.5 // O137 // +230
No. 1 Baylor:                   -6.5 // U137 // -286

No. 11 Syracuse:           +3.5 // O147 // +140
No. 3 West Virginia:      -3.5 // U147 // -167

No. 6 Texas Tech:            -1.0 // O140.5 // -114
No. 3 Arkansas:             +1.0 // U140.5 // -105

No. 15 Oral Roberts:   +8.5 // O148 // +330
No. 7 Florida:               -8.5 // U148 // -420

No. 13 North Texas:       +6.5 // O126.5 // +235
No. 5 Villanova:             -6.5 // U126.5 // -295

No. 12 Oregon State:  +6.0 // O141.5 // +215
No. 4 Oklahoma State: -6.0 // U141.5 // -265

No. 10 Rutgers:           +6.0 // O141.5 // +215
No. 2  Houston:           -6.0 // U141.5 // -265

NCAA Tournament Second Round Sunday Predictions

No. 5 Villanova (-6.5) Over No. 13 North Texas (South Region)

The Villanova Wildcats seemed to hear the chorus of fans and experts who were picking Winthrop to pull off the upset in the first round. Villanova responded with a sound victory.

They are missing Collin Gillespie after the senior point guard suffered a knee injury that ended his season. Sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl stepped up and took over as the alpha dog in the win over Winthrop. It looks as if the Wildcats have figured out how to play without Gillespie, which probably shouldn’t be too surprising given head coach Jay Wright is one of the best in the nation.

North Texas, on the other hand, looked phenomenal against Purdue. The Mean Green are one of the best defensive teams in the country. They hold their opponents to just 62.5 points per game, which is good for 21st in the country.

However, if North Texas and Villanova get into a grind-it-out game, the Wildcats have the edge. Wright has been in this position before and Villanova is poised for yet another trip to the Sweet 16.

The Pick: Villanova -6.5

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No. 4 Oklahoma State (-6.0) vs. No. 12 Oregon State (Midwest Region)

Oklahoma State is going to have the best player on the floor in any game they play in the NCAA Tournament. Cade Cunningham is coming off of a down game, but he’s that good. He’s the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and he’s one of the most dominant players in the country.

Oregon State is one of the hottest teams in the country, but Oklahoma State is getting better and better with each game. The Cowboys are young, but Cunningham is wise beyond his years.

The Cowboys are 11-4-1 ATS away from home this season. We think the line is telling us something here, so let’s roll with Oklahoma State on this one.

The Pick: Oklahoma State -6.0

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No. 11 Syracuse (+3.5) vs. No. 3 West Virginia (Midwest Region)

Syracuse is almost more dangerous in the NCAA Tournament when they are a high seed. The Orange have a chip on their shoulder after coming into the tournament as an No. 11 seed and that aggressiveness was on display in their opening round victory.

The backcourt duo of Buddy Boeheim and Joseph Girard III is going to be tough for West Virginia to slow down. The two shooters were on fire in their opening-round upset of San Diego State. Boeheim had 30 points on 7-for-10 shooting from three-point range. Coach Boeheim’s son is getting hot at the right time.

West Virginia has a dynamic offense (77.5 ppg), but Syracuse’s 2-3 zone always gives teams problems in the NCAA Tournament. This one should come down to the final minutes. We expect a one possession type of game, so take Syracuse getting the points.

The Pick: Syracuse +3.5

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