March Madness NCAA College Basketball Saturday Betting Picks, Probabilities, Odds and Predicted Scores

After what's felt like an eternity March Madness is set to return to our screens in the form of the much anticipated Sweet 16, and we've got the best picks, betting plays and sportsbook odds coming at you from every angle!

The action gets underway with four massive games on Saturday, and is set to keep us entertained all weekend. Of course, the the best way to add to the excitement is by having some skin in the game by throwing some cash down on our suggested plays below. Good luck!

If you're thinking of tailing any of these picks below then make sure you check out all of the best March Madness betting promos to maximize your winnings!

Oregon State vs. Loyola Chicago

Prospector Sam ⛏️

Ah, the classic 8-12 matchup we so often see and read about. Pleasure to have it back, wouldn’t you say? In all seriousness, this game is actually really simple for me, and it turns on how you (and, theoretically, they), answer one question; how long can Oregon State keep this shit up. Over the last month they’re 8-1, winning the Pac 12 Championship (which is apparently more impressive than it seemed) and pulling off two big upsets in the tournament. That includes a current run of 5 straight wins against Tournament teams.

BUT, this is also a team with multiple losses to Arizona, and who lost to Wyoming, Portland and Stanford. Call my cynical, but I like Loyola to end this run of glory and win comfortably. The Beavers biggest asset is their height, with Roman Silva clocking in at 7’1” and Warith Alatishe a 6’7” rebounding machine. They dominated the Cowboys on the boards, taking almost 20 more rebounds which was the major difference in the game. On top of that, they’ve shot fairly well in their two tournament games, hitting about 50% of their shots with that strong inside game. Unfortunately, they are absolutely not going to get that kind of luxury here.

Loyola isn’t the most talented team, but they are extremely well drilled defensively and will prevent Oregon State from the easy rebounds and buckets that Oklahoma State and Tennessee gave up with lazy play. More importantly, the Beavers conveniently hid the fact that they turned the ball over 20 damn times on Sunday, which is going to kill them against a Loyola team who slows down the game and limits total possessions.

Assuming Krutwig can be half the player inside that he was against Illinois, the Beavers are going to have to shoot well from deep to win, and they aren’t exactly a great 3-point shooting program. Maybe I’m just completely blind to how good the Pac 12 and their mid level teams are, but I think Loyola presents a major issue for how Oregon State wants to play and they will be in huge trouble if they cool off even a little bit. I trust the consistent defense of Loyola here, and I think they win this one comfortably, in the 10-point range.

💰 Sam's Pick: Loyola -6.5

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DimersBOT 🤖

Sister Jean and the Loyola squad have fast become one of the best stories of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, and now head into the Sweet 16 as favorites against Oregon State. The play here according to our model is the total points to go OVER parlayed into Loyola at the moneyline.

💰 DimersBOT's Pick: o125.5
📈 52% probability

‍‍‍Click the predicted score below for more probabilities and predictions ⬇️

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Villanova vs. Baylor

Prospector Sam (19-11 ATS) ⛏️

I’m going to skip the build up and jump straight to the answer here. Giving up 7 points in this game is tough, but it's absolutely worth it. Baylor’s guards are deadly, and they make up for a lack of size by killing you from every angle with skilled shooters. Villanova is without their best guard, Collin Gillespie, and are going to rely on Jeremiah Robinson-Earl heavily to make up the difference. But this team just isn’t the same one that was in the top-10 for most of the year without Gillespie, and they got a nice break facing North Texas in the second round, who looked completely outmatched by the talent level they were facing, in stead of Purdue.

Baylor will not face the same issues, and will exploit Villanova’s limited guard quality and thinner depth by passing them to death and getting open shots and easier buckets on good cuts. Baylor still didn’t show me that they are the same team they were pre Covid, but they were good enough against Wisconsin to make me feel like they can handle lesser opposition well. Without Gillespie, Villanova qualifies as “lesser” and the Bears should handle them easily.

💰 Sam's Pick: Baylor -7

 

Ian Gold from the House Edge Podcast🥇

Villanova would be seriously outmatched in the backcourt if they still have Collin Gillespie. Heck, they’d be seriously outmatched in the backcourt if Randy Foye came out of retirement. Baylor’s backcourt is phenomenal on offense and defense, and has yet to show its A-game. Villanova benefited from an absolute cakewalk to this point, but is Bear Bait in the Sweet 16. This one isn’t going to be pretty.

💰 Ian's Pick: Baylor -7

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 DimersBOT 🤖

Our model is fading Ian and the Prospector in this one, taking the Villanova Wildcats to cover the spread. The Wildcats have made light work of their two opponents so far this tournament and should be too good to lose in a blow out here.

💰 DimersBOT's Pick: Villanova +7
📈 60% probability

‍‍Click the predicted score below for more probabilities and predictions ⬇️

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Oral Roberts vs. Arkansas

Prospector Sam (19-11 ATS) ⛏️

I told you earlier I was going to pick my spots rather than going after every game, and I’m going to do it here. I have no fucking clue what to do with this line. Oral Roberts is extremely hot, and if they continue to shoot the ball like they have the first two games, then they have a shot both to cover and to win.

They also were the 4^th placed team in the Summit League this season, so everyone needs to chill the fuck out with how this team was “clearly underseeded.” Oh really? You’re going to tell me the team who lost to UM Kansas City and North Dakota deserved a 12 seed? Get the hell out of here. Good for them for taking a swing and coming out alive in the last two games, but they’re also liable to go cold and get blasted by 30. And this matchup presents a couple of huge problems. For one, Arkansas is athletic as hell and are going to be able to contest shots. More importantly, ORU is going to have no element of surprise here.

The Golden Eagles will have been thoroughly scouted and gameplanned for, especially because Arkansas already faced and beat this team by 11 earlier in the year. So don’t get all excited by the 11-point line, just because this team has taken down a couple of big programs so far. That said, I have no fucking clue if ORU is going to stay hot, and if they shoot the ball like they have then they will absolutely cover this spread. To me, it just feels like a game to walkaway from and enjoy.

💰 Sam's Pick: Abstain

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DimersBOT 🤖

Prospector Sam has taken the easy route here and abstained from making a pick (weak). DimersBOT on the other hand never shies away from a bet and is Oral Roberts to cover the spread. 

💰 Pick: Oral Roberts to cover
📈 58% probability

Click the predicted score below for more probabilities and predictions ⬇️‍

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Syracuse vs. Houston

Prospector Sam (19-11 ATS) ⛏️

You already know I’m not picking this game, but I’ll give you my breakdown anyway and you can choose what you like. The Syracuse team I watched all year has no business being here. But the Syracuse team of the last 3 weeks can beat anybody. It’s a testament to just how crazy of an advantage the Zone is when its working right, especially against teams who have never seen it before. On top of that, Syracuse is also getting a big boost from Quincy Guerrier’s shooting and from solid inside minutes out of Edwards and Braswell.

Oh, and Buddy Boeheim shooting like he’s the second coming of his coach, Gerry McNamara, helps a bit too. So all that is to say, good luck figuring out what this team will do, especially on the offensive end. If they hit threes at the clip they have been, or even close to it, they probably win. West Virginia is a hell of a team and Sean McNeil hit 7 of 13 threes, and they still didn’t have enough to beat the Orange. The real story of this game, though, as I’ve been saying for a while, is how fucking fast Houston figures out what to do against the Zone. SDSU never did, and WVU only found some openings because the zone was stretched due to McNeil’s insane range. Now, we get a Houston team that has been strong all year, but will be facing a defense that’s completely new to them, and filled with athletes who have absurdly long wingspans (something ‘Cuse specifically recruits for).

Maybe Houston shows up and blows the doors of Syracuse, because they have the talent to do it on their best day and are a very solid team. On the other hand, they barely even deserved to make it to this round, and looked lost offensively when facing a Power Conference level opponent in Rutgers. So fuck it, I may be jinxing them but I’m rolling with Syracuse to not only cover but win. I talked myself into it, and I truly believe that, as long as they shoot the ball decently well, they are going to beat a Houston team that will struggle offensively. Take the Orange in a favorable matchup.

💰 Sam's pick: Syracuse +6 (and ML)

 

Ian Gold from the House Edge Podcast 🥇

Rutgers is going to be kicking themselves at home in Piscataway, because there are very few reasons Syracuse is playing Houston. Speaking of which, I’m finding few reasons why this would be a -6.5 point advantage towards Houston given what we’ve already seen in this tournament. The Syracuse zone is back on the big stage, giving opponents fits, and they’ve found the hottest hand going in Buddy Boeheim. I like Syracuse to advance to the Elite 8, and love the value +220.

💰 Ian's pick: Syracuse ML

DimersBOT 🤖

Syracuse pulled off a big upset over West Virginia last round and will come into this clash full of confidence. Similarly to Prospector Sam, our data suggests they're the more likely side to cover in this one.

💰 DimersBOT's pick: Syracuse to cover

Click the predicted score below for more probabilities and predictions ⬇️

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