Dogs Nipping in the Sweet 16
by Perry of
BetWWTS
Dogs are a bettor's best friend. Heading into the Sweet 16, let's take a look at the underdogs vying for a berth in the Elite Eight.
Not surprisingly, the teams getting the most points are playing against No. 1 seeds. The top dog among the eight pups is No. 13 Bradley, who will face No. 1 Memphis in the Oakland bracket (Thursday, 7:27 p.m. ET, CBS).
The Braves, who play in the newly respected Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), are listed as 6.5- to 7-point dogs against the Tigers, champions of Conference USA (C-USA).
Bradley is 22-10 straight up (SU) overall and 11-7 SU versus conference foes this season. In the first two rounds, they knocked off No. 4 Kansas as 7-point dogs and No. 5 Pittsburgh as 5-point pups.
While they are getting the most points among underdogs in the Sweet 16, the Braves have the second-best betting record among teams still in the tournament. Overall, they are 19-10-1 against the spread (ATS).
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The second-biggest dog in the Sweet 16 is No. 5 Washington, who will tip off with No. 1 Connecticut in the Washington D.C. bracket (Friday, 9:57 p.m. ET, CBS). The Huskies are listed as 6- to 6.5-point dogs.
Washington went 26-6 SU overall and 13-5 SU against Pac-10 opponents. Among their key victories, the Huskies beat UCLA twice and covered the spread both times as favorites.
To get to the Sweet 16, they knocked off No. 12 Utah St. 75-61 and covered as a 6-point chalk, then beat last year's tournament finalist, No. 4 Illinois, 67-64 as a 1.5-point dog. Washington is 7-1 ATS in its past eight games.
Also listed as a 6- to 6.5-point pup is LSU, who will face No. 1 Duke in the Sweet 16 of the Atlanta bracket (Thursday, 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS).
The Tigers were 25-8 SU overall and 14-2 SU in the SEC. Key victories this season came against fellow Sweet 16 survivor No. 6 West Virginia, and recently eliminated No. 2 Tennessee. In both cases they were victorious against the number.
LSU also lost a couple of close games to Ohio St. and UConn, but beat the spread as road underdogs. To get to the Sweet 16, they have had a relatively easy ride having beaten No. 13 Iona 80-64 as 7.5-point favorites and No. 12 Texas A&M as a 4.5-point chalk.
The Tigers have not been a great betting team recently having gone 4-11 ATS in their past 15 games. Although in many of those losses, they were heavy favorites.
The only underdog facing a No. 1 seed that's not getting many points is Boston College. The No. 4 Eagles face No. 1 Villanova in the Minneapolis bracket (Friday, 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS). BC is listed as a 2.5-point dog.
The Eagles are 28-7 SU overall and went 11-5 SU in what was their inaugural year in the ACC. They knocked off UNC twice during the season, beating the spread as dogs in both cases. They also lost two close games to Duke but covered as 5-point dogs.
To get to the Sweet 16, BC barely got by No. 13 Pacific 88-76 in double OT and cruised past No. 12 Montana 69-56. They covered as favorites in both games.
The Eagles are 8-2 ATS in their past 10 and have one of the best betting records among teams still in the tournament, having gone 18-12 ATS.
The team with the worst betting record in the Sweet 16 is No. 3 Gonzaga, who will take on No. 2 UCLA in the Oakland bracket (Thursday, 9:57 p.m. ET, CBS).
The Bulldogs, who went 13-19 ATS this season, are 3-point dogs versus the Bruins, who actually have the best betting record among the Sweet 16 at 20-11 ATS.
Most of Gonzaga's trouble against the number has come at home where they are 3-12 ATS. On the road, they are 6-4 ATS.
The other three dogs in the Sweet 16 are West Virginia, Wichita St. and Georgetown.
The No. 6 Mountaineers will be 5-point pups when they tip off with No. 2 Texas in the Atlanta bracket (Thursday, 9:40 p.m. ET, CBS). WVU covered the spread as favorites in their first two tournament games.
The No. 7 Shockers will be 2-point dogs versus No. 11 George Mason in the Washington bracket (Friday, 7:27 p.m. ET, CBS). This is the only game in the Sweet 16 where a higher seed is a dog against a lower seed.
At 17-9-2 ATS, the Patriots have one of the best betting records among teams still playing.
And finally, the No. 7 Hoyas will be 3-point dogs when they tip off with No. 3 Florida in the Minneapolis bracket (Friday, 9:40 p.m. ET). The Gators have a solid betting record of 17-11-1 ATS.
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