Thursday Sweet 16 Betting Preview

The No. 11 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers have their sights set on another upset win on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament as they meet up with the No. 9 Nevada Wolf Pack in a Sweet 16 matchup in the South Region.

At Bovada Sportsbook the Ramblers are a 1.5-point underdog after also being listed as the underdog in their first two tournament wins over the Miami Hurricanes and Tennessee Volunteers. The Ramblers were 6-1 against the spread as an underdog this season and overall they have won 12 straight at 9-3 ATS.

Nevada is coming off an upset win over the Cincinnati Bearcats as a 9-point underdog. Being the underdog might have made Nevada a better pick here, as the Wolf Pack are a disappointing 4-6-1 ATS in their last 11 when favored.

In the other South Region matchup, the No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats face the No. 9 Kansas State Wildcats as a 6-point favorite. Kentucky has dominated in the Sweet 16, having won eight straight while going 7-1 ATS. The team also enters Thursday 9-1 SU and ATS in its last 10 games overall.

Kansas State was 7-9 SU and 8-8 ATS as an underdog this season. Kentucky and Kansas State met up in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament and Kentucky won 56-49 as a 6-point favorite.

In the West Region on Thursday, the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines tip off against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies as a 3-point favorite. Michigan has won 11 straight at 9-2 ATS, but when favored by 3 points or less the Wolverines are only 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games.

The Aggies crushed the North Carolina Tar Heels 86-65 as a 7-point underdog in the Round of 32. They have never made it past the Sweet 16, but this might be their year as they are a solid 6-1 SU in their last seven vs Big Ten opponents.

Closing things out on Thursday in the West Region is the No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs the No. 9 Florida State Seminoles as a 5.5-point favorite.

Gonzaga has a 16-game winning streak going but is only 6-10 ATS. The Bulldogs are also a lame 2-4-1 ATS in their last seven Sweet 16 games, which includes a pair of SU losses as the favorite.

Florida State has covered the spread in both of its tournament wins so far, but the Seminoles are still only 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games. In their last nine as an underdog, they are 3-6 SU and 4-5 ATS.