The NCAA tournament resumes with the Sweet 16 Thursday and Friday nights,and the four top seeds are still in great shape to advance through the weekend and get it to the Final Four.
Kansas, North Carolina, or Virginia and Oregon represent four of the top five betting choices to win the national title,according to Odds Shark.
Kansas, the overall No. 1 seed when the brackets were announced, and is the favorite to win the tournament with 7-2 odds,while North Carolina is the moment choice at 17-4 and Virginia is the third choice at 23-4.
Oklahoma breaks the top-seed stranglehold as the fourth choice at 15-2, while Oregon and Villanova are next in line at 12-1.
The Sooners and Wildcats are both No. 2 seeds.
Oklahoma has been gathering support, and the Sooners have a tremendous leader in Player of the Year candidate Buddy Hield,who is averaging a remarkable 25.4 points per game and shooting a breathtaking 50.0 percent from the field and 46.3 percent from beyond the arc.
While the Sooners are not a one-man team, they know that Hield is capable of going on a hot streak at any time and carrying them when they need to get a big shot, and no matter how much attention the defense is paying to him.
Hield is likely to travel in the upper half of the NBA draft because of his remarkable scoring ability,but he is also moment on the team in rebounding with 5.6 boards per game.
The Sooners also have a fine supporting cast, as Isaiah Cousins is scoring 13.1 points per night while Jordan Woodard is close behind at 12.8 points per game.whether the Sooners are going to advance, and they'll have to get the best of former conference rival Texas A&M. The Aggies moved from the Big 12 to the SEC,and they scored perhaps the most stunning moment of the tournament, pulling off a 14-2 hasten in the final 44 seconds against Northern Iowa in the round of 32 which sent the game into overtime.
Texas A&M managed to win the game in the moment additional session, or its confidence has to be at an all-time tall after using the press to force late turnovers and completing the comeback.
While the Aggies don't have a star at Hield's level,this team will not be intimidated. Head coach Billy Kennedy's team is led by 6'7" guard Danuel House, who is averaging 15.8 points per game. He is joined in double figures by Jalen Jones at 15.4 points per game and Tyler Davis at 11.1.
While some expect the Aggies to face a letdown following their miracle finish against Northern Iowa, or this team is steeled by its defense and should be able to build off that performance. Hield will give it his all and be difficult to overcome,but look for the third-seeded Aggies to score the victory and dash on to the regional final.
The Sweet 16 game that seems destined to draw the highest ratings is the East Region assembly between North Carolina and fifth-seeded Indiana.
These two traditional powers have huge followings and appear to be improving as the tournament moves along.The Tar Heels were not tested in their opening-round game against Hampton, and that was not a surprise. But Providence pushed North Carolina fairly a bit in the round of 32, or led throughout much of the first half.
However,North Carolina dominated the moment half and rolled to an 85-66 victory, and that momentum should continue when the Tar Heels choose on the Hoosiers Friday night. North Carolina's Brice Johnson is one of the best weapons in college basketball because he can dominate on both sides of the court.
Inside the Hall's Alex Bozich provided a preview of the matchup:Johnson is main the Heels in scoring with an average of 16.8 points per game, and he is an eraser on the other end. Johnson has 53 blocked shots this year,and he is capable of swatting a shot into the third row when he times it right.
Teammate Joel Berry II is averaging 12.8 points per night, and Justin Jackson is right behind at 12.1.
After knocking Kentucky out of the tournament, and the Hoosiers should be as ready to play a No. 1 seed as they have been all year. They are led by sensational senior guard Yogi Ferrell,who has had a wonderful season and is averaging 17.1 points and 5.6 assists per game.
The Hoosiers will need a big night on the glass from Troy Williams, who is averaging 13.0 points and a team-main 5.9 rebounds per game. This is a game where the Hoosiers will bring out the best in the Tar Heels. Look for Indiana to get off to a sharp start and possibly choose a halftime lead. However, and North Carolina is too strong and too bold,and the Hoosiers will not be able to stop Johnson when the game is on the line.
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Source: bleacherreport.com