{"id":265077,"date":"2023-03-20T08:47:28","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T13:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=265077"},"modified":"2023-03-23T10:20:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T15:20:31","slug":"march-madness-alabama-houston-odds-sweet-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/march-madness-alabama-houston-odds-sweet-16\/","title":{"rendered":"March Madness: Alabama, Houston Emerge as Favorites in Sweet 16"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sixteen teams remain in the 2023 NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, aka “March Madness,” after one of the wildest opening rounds in the last 20 years. In the most recent update by DraftKings, Alabama is the betting favorite to win the national championship at +350 odds. Houston is right behind at +360 odds when the Sweet 16 resumes later this week.<\/p>\n
Alabama center Charles Bediako (14), guard Jaden Bradley, and guard Jahvon Quinerly celebrate an opening-round victory against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the 2023 March Madness tournament at Legacy Arena at BJCC in Birmingham. (Image: USA Today Sports<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
With the #15 seed, Princeton became only the third team from the Ivy League to advance to the Sweet 16. For the third consecutive tournament, a #15 seed upset a #2 seed in the opening round. Princeton is the long shot on the board at +18000 odds to win March Madness.<\/p>\n
Alabama Crimson Tide +350<\/h2>\n
Alabama entered the tournament with a 29-5 record and was ranked #1 in the country, according to the final AP poll of the regular season. In the last game of the regular season in early March, Alabama lost to Texas A&M. They haven’t lost since then. They bounced back with three victories in three days to win the SEC conference tournament. Alabama defeated Texas A&M in the SEC championship game with a 19-point revenge win.<\/p>\n
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When March Madness began, Alabama didn’t break much of a sweat in a 21-point win over #16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the opening round. They failed to cover the point spread at -24.5, with most of their starters getting significant rest in the second half. Freshman forward Brandon Miller, Bama\u2019s leading scorer this season, averaging 19.1 points per game, was held scoreless in only 19 minutes of action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Alabama coasted to another easy victory in the second round with a 22-point win against #8 Maryland. Senior guard Jahvon Quinerly led all scorers with 22 points, and Miller bounced back with 19 points.<\/p>\n
Alabama plays #5 San Diego State on Friday in the Sweet 16, and they were installed as a -7.5 favorite.<\/p>\n
When March Madness began, Alabama was second on the futures board at +550 odds to win the championship. After the first round, their odds improved to +450. Heading into the Sweet 16, Alabama took over the top spot on the board at +350.<\/p>\n
Houston Cougars +360<\/h2>\n
The biggest concern for Houston is injuries. Senior guard Marcus Sasser sustained a groin injury in the AAC conference tournament. Head coach Kelvin Sampson gambled by starting Sasser against #16 Northern Kentucky in the first round. Sasser scored five points in 14 minutes but sat out the entire second half with groin tightness. Northern Kentucky put up a decent fight, and Houston only won by nine points. They failed to cover the point spread as a -19.5 favorite.<\/p>\n
In the second round, Houston defeated #8 Auburn by 17 points, even though they trailed by 10 points at halftime. Houston outscored Auburn 50-23 in the second half to advance to the Sweet 16. Sasser scored 22 points in 31 minutes, including five 3-pointers.<\/p>\n
Sasser will get six days of rest before their next game against #5 Miami in the Sweet 16 on Friday. Houston is a -7 favorite, even though they’ve only covered the spread twice in their last eight games.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Houston began March Madness as the consensus favorite to win the tournament at +550 odds. They retained the top spot on the board at +450 odds after their opening-round win. Houston is currently +360 odds to win March Madness, with Alabama holding a slight edge at +350 with 16 teams remaining.<\/p>\n