The Sweet 16 has a chance to be, sorry to steal a line from the next round, ‘elite.’

Only one of the eight games set for Thursday and Friday possesses a double-digit spread.

Here’s a look at all of the notable trends for each of the eight Sweet 16 contests.

 

Thursday

No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 2 Arizona (-7.5; Over/Under 151.5)

Clemson won outright as an underdog twice last week.

The Tigers are 8-1 against the spread as an underdog this season and they won six of those games outright, with wins over Alabama, Baylor, and North Carolina included.

Arizona has been a favorite of seven or more points for a majority of the season, and is 17-12 ATS in those games.

Both teams are 8-2 to the under in their last 10 games. Clemson conceded over 70 points once in its last eight wins, while Arizona won five of its last six by holding teams under 70.

 

No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 1 UConn (-11.5; O/U: 136)

UConn is 13-7 ATS as a double-digit favorite this season.

San Diego State has only been an underdog seven times and the highest spread against the Aztecs was 6.5 in a game it won outright against Gonzaga on December 29th.

UConn is 6-1 to the under in its last seven, while SDSU is 9-4 to the under in its last 13.

However, UConn games rarely have a total beneath 140 points. The Huskies are 2-3 to the over with a total under 140. The over is 8-10 in SDSU matchups, where the total closed under 140.

 

No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 North Carolina (-4; O/U: 173.5)

Alabama is the best team to the over left in the tournament at 25-9.

The Crimson Tide’s up-and-down, volatile style lends itself to high-scoring games. The last six totals for Alabama games closed above 170 and the over went 4-2.

The highest over/under for a UNC game this season was 164 for its December 16th win over Kentucky, who plays at a similar pace to the Tide.

The Tar Heels are 7-3 ATS in games where they were a favorite of four or fewer points. Alabama is 2-6 ATS as an underdog this season. Those losses came against Tennessee, Arizona, Purdue, Auburn, Kentucky and Florida, all of whom made the NCAA tournament.

 

No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Iowa State (-1.5; O/U: 146.5)

Illinois has the No. 1 offense on KenPom. Iowa State owns the top-rated KenPom defense.

You’ll hear that a ton during any preview for this game.

The Illini have the second-best record to the over in the Sweet 16. Iowa State is 17-19 to the over for the season and 8-2 to the under in its last 10.

Iowa State has only been a favorite of lower than two points one other time this season. Illinois is 4-2 ATS as an underdog.

 

Friday

No. 11 NC State vs. No. 2 Marquette (-6.5; O/U: 151.5)

NC State is 6-3 ATS as an underdog, but it is 6-0 ATS as a dog of seven or more points. That could be significant if money comes in on Marquette. NC State won three of those games outright against Duke, UNC, and Clemson

Marquette is 11-5 ATS as a favorite of at least seven points and it is 4-2 ATS across the Big East and NCAA tournaments.

The Golden Eagles are 8-11 to the over when the total closed at 150 or higher, but they cruised past the total against Colorado in the second round.

NC State has not hit the over all season when the total closed above 152 points.

 

No. 5 Gonzaga vs. No. 1 Purdue (-5.5; O/U: 154)

Purdue covered both of its spreads last weekend, but it is 3-5 ATS in its last eight.

The Boilermakers covered a 5.5-spread against Gonzaga in November, a game that didn’t come close to hitting the total of 153.5, but it’s worth noting that game was part of the Maui Invitational.

Gonzaga has only been an underdog four times this season. The Zags lost by double digits to UConn and Purdue, but beat Kentucky outright.

 

No. 4 Duke vs. No. 1 Houston (-4; O/U: 134.5)

Duke is 13-21 to the over and hit the over just once in its last seven games.

That is still in play against Houston, even with the lowest total of the eight Sweet 16 matchups.

The over was a perfectly even 12-12 in Houston games when the total closed under 135 points.

The under is 5-0 in Duke games that closed with a total under 140 points, including the first-round win over Vermont.

 

No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 2 Tennessee (-2.5; O/U: 144)

The under is 8-1 in the last nine Tennessee games, but the over is 5-3 in the last eight Creighton contests.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is 0-10 ATS in his career when his teams are a single-digit favorite in the NCAA tournament. The Vols failed to cover in the second round as a 6.5-point favorite against Texas.  Barnes is 4-16 ATS in the NCAA tournament as a whole since 2010.

It should be another banner week for NJ sports betting and PA sports betting.