Round of 32: Best Bets, Matchups, & Players to Watch

CoachDay
Mar 21
4 min read

We have made it through the first round, not without some shockers & a little bit of chalk. But hey, that is okay cause we are now set up with a very intriguing Round of 32. The matchups on both Saturday & Sunday have lots of possibilities for big boys to go down; this should be a very fun weekend of basketball ahead. Let's take a look at what we have in front of us.

Saturday's Games

12:15pm

Overview: Both teams lit it up in the Round of 64. Now, of course, Michigan on paper should take this one by 15-20, but watch out now for some more hot shooting from pretty much anyone who steps on the court for Saint Louis. If they can spread the floor enough with the 3s, this one may go down to the wire to start the day.

Prediction: Michigan 91 Saint Louis 80

2:45pm

Overview: Now we have ourselves a coinflip game. If Mikel Brown Jr. is a go for Louisville, this one truly could go either way. The Cardinals have the better offense—there's no doubt about that when fully healthy. But we can never count out Tom Izzo teams in March.

Prediction: Michigan State 77 Louisville 72

5:15pm

Overview: Duke survived a gritty Siena just to face a more athletic & maybe talented version of the same team. TCU will want to muck this thing up & try to keep it in the 60s. The question here is: did Duke's close call serve as a wake-up, or is it a sign of what may be to come?

Prediction: Duke 64 TCU 52

6:10pm

Overview: This has "Houston trip-up" written all over it; don't ask me why, it's just a feeling. A&M has the length & ability to compete. If they get hot from deep, Houston may be in trouble.

Prediction: Houston 76 Texas A&M 74

7:10pm

Overview: My Zags won but looked awful round one. I also fear Texas is that First Four team destined to make a run. Texas draws fouls like nobody's business, which is why I think my boys' run is in danger.

Prediction: Gonzaga 72 Texas 71

7:50pm

Overview: One of my first-round overreactions was that Illinois is going to the Final Four, I mean, this team looked VERY good. They should be able to now take advantage of a tired VCU team that gave it all in their big comeback.

Prediction: Illinois 89 VCU 79

5:45pm

Overview: This is the game of the day; it should be a good ol' fashioned "shooters shoot" type of game. Nebraska, though, feels more likely to play a little defense when it counts down the stretch.

Prediction: Nebraska 77 Vanderbilt 73

9:45pm

Overview: We have the darlings of Round One against one of the most exciting players left in the tournament to end the night. Darius Acuff is on a mission & not letting this Cinderella stay late.

Prediction: Arkansas 91 High Point 72

Sunday's Games

12:10pm

Overview: Purdue continues to look really good. Though Miami does have the ability to give them some trouble here, expect a close game with the ball in the hands of Braden Smith to win the game.