NCAA Tournament 2024 Sweet Sixteen Teams, Matchups and Odds

Time to dance into the Sweet Sixteen, and all the top 1 and 2 seeds remain in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The top teams in the South and Midwest regions remain with No. 1's Houston and Purdue and No. 2's Marquette and Tennessee all advancing. In the East and West regions, top seeds No. 1 Connecticut and No. 2 Iowa State out of the East and No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Arizona out of the West are still dancing with a shot to reach the Elite Eight next weekend followed by the Final Four April 6 in Glendale, Arizona. 

I’ve chipped in some Sweet Sixteen coverage in Forbes, and provide the betting lines and TV coverage for March Madness and the biggest betting event of the year for the leading online sportsbooks. The thousands of March Madness contests and bracket pools keep fans more interested and engaged, and especially this year with all eight top 1-2 seeds still alive and just one longshot still in the tournament (No. 11 NC State). 

The Four Regional cities hosting Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games March 28-31, and then the Final Four include:

- East: TD Garden (Boston)
- South: American Airlines Center (Dallas)
- Midwest: Little Ceasars Arena (Detroit)
- West: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles)
Final Four April 6 & 8 - State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona) 

Sweet Sixteen Matchups, Odds, TV Schedule

Betting lines, odds and over/under game totals by region courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook. Odds are subject to change, including on props and live betting. All times Eastern. 

Thursday, March 23 

East

No. 1 Connecticut (-9.5) vs. No. 5 San Diego State | Total 135.5 | 6:30 p.m. | TBS
No. 2 Iowa State (-2) vs. No. 3 Illinois | Total 145.5 | 7:15 p.m. | CBS 

West 

No. 1 North Carolina (-4) vs. No. 4 Alabama | Total 173 | 9:00 p.m. | TBS
No. 2 Arizona (-7) vs. No. 5 Clemson | Total 152 | 9:45 p.m. | CBS 

Friday, March 29  

South 

No. 1 Houston (-3.5) vs. No. 4 Duke | Total 133.5 | 9:00 p.m. | TBS
No. 2 Marquette (-6.5) vs. No. 11 NC State | Total 150 | 9:45 p.m. | CBS 

Midwest 

No. 1 Purdue (-4.5) vs No. 5 Gonzaga | Total 154 | 9:00 p.m. | TBS
No. 2 Tennessee (-2.5) vs. No. 3 Creighton | Total 144 | 9:45 p.m. | CBS 

Sweet Sixteen Picks

I've been quite selective in my March Madness bets this year, and more limited after suffering perhaps the worst bad beat of the tournament with Oregon (+5.5) losing to Creighton 86-73 in double overtime in the Round of 32. The Ducks never trailed the pointspread and only early in the game by 5 points. Leading 62-58 with the ball and less than one minute remaining, Oregon missed a shot and fouled a Creighton player with 28 seconds left in regulation. He made both free throws, and then Oregon's player was quickly fouled and he missed the front end of the 1-and-1. Creighton made a jumper and tied the game 62-62 with 13 seconds left and Oregon couldn't get the game winning shot or points.

The end of the first overtime was tied 71-71 to solidify the worst bad beat of the tournament for bettors who had the Creighton-Oregon game total under 148.5. Ugh. I did chip-in some underdog winners on Friday if you followed on X with James Madison and Texas A&M outright and UAB, but still missed some others. 

So on to the Sweet Sixteen, and here are some early Picks and Opinions. 

Pick: Purdue (-4.5) vs. Gonzaga 
Pick: Arizona/Clemson Under 151.5
Opinion: Alabama (+4.5) vs. North Carolina 

In the 2017 NCAA Tournament, 12 of the top 16 teams seeded by the committee made the Sweet Sixteen. That was the second most in the past 20 years, per the NCAA. But in this year's 2024 NCAA Tournament, 12 of the top 16 seeds have made it to the Sweet Sixteen again, including all the power conferences. 

4 - ACC
3 - Big East
2 - Big 12, Big Ten, SEC
1 - Pac 12
1 - Mountain West
1 - West Coast

Odds To Win 2024 NCAA Tournament And Championship

+210: Connecticut
+500: Houston
+600: Purdue
+800: Arizona
+1200: Tennessee
+1300: North Carolina
+1500: Marquette
+2000: Iowa State
+2500: Duke, Creighton, Gonzaga
+3200: Illinois
+3600: Alabama
+7500: San Diego State
+8500: Clemson
+12000: NC State 

As noted previously in March Madness coverage, 20 of the last 21 National Champions have finished in the Top 20 in both offensive and defensive adjusted efficiency. Auburn fit the profile but was eliminated in the opening round leaving the following teams still alive: 

Connecticu (2, 11 off/def)
Houston (15, 1)
Arizona (9, 9) 
Purdue (3, 16)
North Carolina (17, 6)
Marquette (19, 20)

Close: 

Duke (8,22)
Tennessee (30, 3)
Creighton (11, 23) 

Check back for more stats, odds, updates and information you can bet on. 

FairwayJay is recognized as a leading sports betting analyst providing insights and information you can bet on here at OSGA. Follow him on X (Twitter) @FairwayJay for more sports betting news and insights.