Top NCAAB Pick: Kansas +4.5 (-115) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)

Just reaching the NCAA Men’s Tournament was the first goal for every school that made up this year’s field. But for the 16 victors on Thursday, just being there is no longer good enough, and the goal now is to beat the odds to reach the Sweet 16 round next week.
With top-rated sportsbooks setting the stage and the NCAAB odds fluctuating, the excitement and anticipation are palpable as teams vie for a coveted spot in the next round.
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Saturday, March 23, 2024 – 03:15 PM ET at Delta Center
They may not be the caliber of teams that Mark Few and Bill Self have put on the floor in Gonzaga and Kansas, respectively, uniforms in the past, but don’t be surprised if the winner of Saturday’s showdown between the Bulldogs and Jayhawks eventually makes it to the Final Four.
First Time for Zags & KU to Dance
The best thing about this contest is it gets the midafternoon spotlight in its own little time slot. The bad news – potentially – is the two games in Salt Lake City are the two early games on Saturday, especially the Dayton-Arizona match that tips before this one.
A quick check of the NCAAB odds finds Gonzaga bettors needing to lay 4-4.5 points, with the scoreboard total set at a lofty 151.5, the highest of all 8 Saturday games.
This is their first meeting in the NCAA Tournament. They met in Fort Myers in November 2020 as college hoops gingerly came out of the pandemic, and Gonzaga posted a 102-90 win as 4-point chalk. Kansas scored an 86-60 win at home in 1988 in the only other meeting.
Offensive Showdown
Neither team had trouble scoring in their 1st-round wins, Gonzaga cruising 86-65 past McNeese State while Kansas withstood a late flurry from Samford in a 93-89 final.
This one should be intense and remain close the whole way, making it a relatively easy decision for me to take the Jayhawks as rare underdogs.
NCAAB Pick: Kansas +4.5 (-115) at BetOnline

Washington State Cougars vs. Iowa State Cyclones
Saturday, March 23, 2024 – 06:10 PM ET at CHI Health Center Omaha
Whereas Gonzaga and Kansas bring national followings to their matchup, Iowa State and Washington State will probably only attract viewers flipping channels at halftime of the Michigan State-North Carolina game.
Defensive Battle Expected
That’s too bad since the Cyclones and Cougars offer a solid defense, you know, for the more sophisticated fans who appreciate that part of the game.
BetOnline believes Iowa State will play the better defense of the two, and has installed the Cyclones as 7.5-point chalk with Saturday’s lowest scoreboard target: 128.5.
First-Ever Meeting
Count me among those who were expecting – hoping? – Iowa State to meet its neighbor Drake in the second round. Kyle Smith’s Cougars upset those plans by rallying from 8 down midway through the second half to beat Drake 66-61 as small underdogs.
T.J. Otzelberger’s crew made everyone look smart who made Iowa State their pick with a tip-to-buzzer 82-65 win over South Dakota State, just enough to cover the -16.5 opening spread.
Iowa State was really the only Big 12 team that impressed me on Thursday, and I’m expecting the Cyclones to impress me once again in Round 2.
NCAAB Pick: Iowa State -7.5 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Duquesne Dukes vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Saturday, March 23, 2024 – 08:40 PM ET at CHI Health Center Omaha
Thursday was a great day to be an 11-seed. All three No. 11s prevailed, one of them the Duquesne Dukes who pulled off a sizeable upset at top sportsbooks as +9.5 against BYU.
Those same books are making the Dukes an even larger underdog in their 2nd-round matchup against Illinois, the No. 3 seed in the East Region, in one of the final games on Saturday’s card.
Illini Use Big 2nd Half in Opener
Keith Dambrot had the Dukes ready to go from the start in an early game on Thursday. Duquesne brought the defense early in the collision with BYU, jumping out to a 9-0 lead and answering every challenge the Cougars made.
Jakub Necas gets a gold star for 12 points, 6 boards and 3 blocks off the bench. The 6-8 Czech freshman was forced into extra court time when Fousseyni Drame ran into early foul trouble.
While Duquesne found itself up 9-zip early, Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini were on the other end of a 9-nothing score early in their matchup with Morehead State. Illinois finally got things together in the second half for the 85-69 win and cover, with Marcus Domask’s triple-double (12 pts, 11 reb, 10 assists) the key factor.
First Meeting Since 1988
It has been more than 35 years since the teams met, Illinois claiming a 112-81 win in that December 1988 contest. If that seems like a long time ago, remember that Duquesne’s last NCAA tournament game before Thursday was in 1977, with its last win in 1969. That could be the Dukes’ last win for another 55 years, but they will get the cover on Saturday.
NCAAB Pick: Duquesne +10.5 (-110) at BetOnline

*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.