March Madness is picking up speed as we’ve already put the tournament’s First Round of action in the books. The first weekend brought with it more upsets than bettors can care to count, which means that more than half of the nation is sitting on a broken bracket. But all is not lost, as this weekend’s action offers best online sportsbooks players of a perfect opportunity to recover any losses suffered in the First Round.
Sweet Sixteen Madness
We’ve already made it into the Sweet Sixteen round. That means that there are 8 games on deck for players to choose from, 4 on Thursday and 4 on Friday. Although there aren’t as many matchups as there was in the First Round, there’s still a spectrum of odds for bettors to maul over.
There are plenty of interesting matchups on the schedule, from Purdue taking on Kansas Thursday evening, to UCLA facing off against Kentucky Friday night. But even amidst these star-studded matchups, the contest between Michigan and Oregon is gaining a lot of interest from popular sportsbooks.
Michigan vs. Oregon – Thursday, March 23
What: NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen Round, Michigan Wolverines vs. Oregon Ducks
Where: Sprint Center, 1407 Grand Blvd, Kansas City
When: 7:09 pm ET
TV: CBS
Best Online Sportsbooks Line
Oregon Ducks +1 (-110) U 146 ½ (-110) PK
Michigan Wolverines -1 (-110) O 146 ½ (-110) PK
With a 1-point prediction on the spread line, and “Pick-em” odds on the money line, there’s no denying that the best online sportsbooks are predicting an extremely close contest. Both teams have gone on impressive runs to get this far and it won’t be easy picking one over the other.
Oregon Ducks
Coming into this season, the Ducks had high hopes that they would be able to match the success they enjoyed last year. The 2015-16 Oregon Ducks were able to post 31 wins on the season, win the Pac-12 Tournament, and even made it into the Elite Eight. Since the Ducks are currently sitting on 31 wins, it’s safe to say the program feels good about its chances of usurping last year’s success.
The Ducks are the proud owners of a 31-5 record, as well as a 1st place finish in the Conference. Although they would’ve loved to win the Pac-12 tournament back-to-back, Oregon came up short in the championship match against the Arizona Wildcats.
The Ducks will be hoping for a strong performance from Dillon Brooks Thursday evening. Brooks is leading the team in points with his average of 16.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per matchup.
Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines also qualified for last year’s March Madness tournament. But unlike the Ducks, Michigan was unable to advance past the First Four.
This year’s program is sitting on a 26-11 record that ranks Michigan 5th in the Big Ten. Once they made it to the Big Ten Tournament however, the Wolverines took it up a notch, overcoming all opposition to win the Tournament and secure a spot in this year’s March madness.
The Wolverines will turn to Derrick Walton Jr. to lead them to a triumphant victory Thursday. Walton Jr. is currently leading Michigan in points thanks to his average of 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per contest.
