NCAA Tournament Second Round Best Bets
Oregon +5.5 vs Creighton
Dana Altman is a bet-on coach in the Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments. He’s 16-5-1 ATS in NCAA play since taking over at Oregon in 2010, and in-game adjustments and preparation are the reasons for his success. The Ducks are playing differently than they did for most of the season, mostly due to the emergence of 6-11 senior N’Faly Dante, who has averaged 20.6 points and 8.6 rebounds in the past five games. Altman is also getting strong play from freshman guard Jackson Shelstad and senior guard Jermaine Couisnard, who scored 40 points in a first-round blowout of South Carolina. Trey Alexander, Ryan Kalkbrenner and the Bluejays will probably grind out the win, but I’ll take the points in a close game.
Second Round Best Bet: Oregon +5.5
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Oakland +6 vs North Carolina State
It’s risky to rely on the Golden Grizzlies’ hot 3-point shooting to continue in the second round, when Cinderellas typically get knocked out. Oakland made 15 of 31 3s in the upset of Kentucky, with Jack Gohlke sinking 10 of 20. Trey Townsend, the top player in the Horizon League, and DQ Cole also hit big shots. Defense is the other half of the story, and Oakland is a difficult team to prepare for on short notice because of coach Greg Kampe’s zone that throws half-court offenses out of rhythm. The Wolfpack, who won five games in five days in the ACC tournament, played Thursday with no signs of fatigue but maybe that starts to show.
Second Round Best Bet: Oakland +6
Gonzaga -4 vs Kansas
Without their most valuable player, Kevin McCullar, the Jayhawks were lucky to survive the first round and should hit the end of the road here. With little depth to work with, Kansas coach Bill Self was forced to play four starters for 35 or more minutes against Samford. The Zags, who are more efficient on offense and solid on the defensive end, have better guards and Graham Ike is a horse in the low post who can match up with Hunter Dickinson. Gonzaga coach Mark Few has reached the Sweet 16 in eight straight tournaments — and make it nine.
Second Round Best Bet: Gonzaga -4
