Sweet 16 Betting Odds, Predictions, and Preview: 2024 March Madness

The highly anticipated 2024 March Madness Sweet 16 tips off with four intriguing matchups on Thursday, followed by four more on Friday. Below is the schedule for all eight NCAA Tournament regional semifinal matchups, as well as the live odds for each team, starting with Arizona vs Clemson.

Check out our Sweet 16 betting odds, predictions, and preview.

Read more: North Carolina vs. Alabama Odds, Predictions | Marquette vs. NC State Odds, Predictions | Madness Betting Promos

Thursday’s Sweet 16 Schedule and Odds

• Arizona vs. Clemson | 7:09 p.m. ET | CBS
• Connecticut vs. San Diego State | 7:39 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
• North Carolina vs. Alabama | 9:39 p.m. ET | CBS
• Iowa State vs. Illinois | 10:09 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV

Friday’s Sweet 16 Schedule and Odds

• Marquette vs NC State | 7:09 p.m. ET | CBS
• Purdue vs. Gonzaga | 7:39 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
• Houston vs. Duke | 9:39 p.m. ET | CBS
• Tennessee vs. Creighton | 10:09 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV

Betting Guides and Tools: How to Bet on March Madness | Implied Probability Calculator | Best Parlay Apps

West Region: (2) Arizona vs (6) Clemson

Arizona is the second-heaviest favorite in its Sweet 16 matchup after UConn. The Wildcats boast Pac 12 Player of the Year Caleb Love, a former North Carolina Tar Heel, and an imposing frontline led by Oumar Ballo. Clemson is the underdog for the third game in a row, but the Tigers blew out a talented New Mexico team in the Round of 64, and they led 3-seed Baylor from start to finish last Sunday.

Love and the Wildcats face a tough defensive team that should be able to keep this one close early, but ultimately, Arizona’s elite shotmaking will prevail.

Prediction: Arizona to advance

Best bet: Clemson first half (+4 at time of publishing)

East Region: (1) Connecticut vs (5) San Diego State

If there’s one game where it’s hard to make a case for the underdog, it’s Thursday night’s rematch of last year’s national championship game. San Diego State is an excellent defensive team, and Aztecs forward Jaedon Ledee will likely get his, but the Huskies are an easy pick to not only win, but cover the big spread in this matchup. Connecticut plays with the toughness of a scrappy, undermanned mid-major despite having one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country. That quality makes the Huskies as close to a lock as you’ll see in a Sweet 16 game.

Prediction: Connecticut to advance

Best bets: Connecticut (-10.5 at time of publishing)

West Region: (1) North Carolina vs (4) Alabama

The clash between the Tar Heels and the Crimson Tide promises to be easily the highest-scoring matchup of the Sweet 16, if not the rest of the tournament. UNC is a good defensive team, but guards RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau, and the Heels love to run when presented the opportunity, and Alabama will do just that. The Tide shoot as many 3-pointers as any team in the country, and if those shots are falling, they could absolutely pull the upset over the top seed in the West. But it’s hard to trust a team that gives up as many points as Alabama to make a deep run.

Prediction: North Carolina to advance

Best bet: North Carolina (-3.5 at time of publishing)

East Region: (2) Iowa State vs (3) Illinois

Defensive-minded Iowa State is on a tear that started with a dominant run to the Big 12 Tournament Championship in which the Cyclones blew out Kansas State, Baylor, and Houston. Iowa State also won its first two NCAA Tournament games by 10 points apiece but faces a tough test on Thursday against Illinois. The Fighting Illini won the Big 10 Tournament Championship thanks to a dominant showing by senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr., who has scored at least 26 points in five straight games. Between Shannon and fellow senior guard Marcus Domask (also a first-team All-Big 10 selection this year), Illinois has the shotmakers to challenge Iowa State.

Expect this one to come down to the final minutes, with Illinois pulling the “upset” thanks to some last-minute heroics from Shannon and/or Domask.

Prediction: Illinois to advance

Best bet: Illinois moneyline (+105 at time of publishing)

South Region: (2) Marquette vs (11) NC State

The biggest Cinderella story left in the tournament is ACC Tournament Champion NC State. The Pack handled 6-seed Texas Tech in the first round and survived a Round of 32 overtime showdown with 14-seed Oakland to set up a Sweet 16 battle with star point guard Tyler Kolek and Marquette. The Golden Eagles have entered back-to-back NCAA Tournaments as a 2-seed and are seeking their first trip to the Elite 8 since 2013. Marquette-NC State will likely be decided by how well Marquette handles NCSU big man DJ Burns, who’s been dominant throughout March.

Marquette’s superior guard play gives this team the edge, but another upset by the Wolfpack, which took down Duke and North Carolina en route to the ACC Tournament Championship, shouldn’t shock anyone.

Prediction: Marquette to advance

Best bet: NC State (+6.5 at time of publishing)

Midwest Region: (1) Purdue vs (5) Gonzaga

Purdue center Zach Edey, who is on his way to his second consecutive Wooden Award, led the Boilermakers to blowout wins over Grambling and Utah State. This team looks unstoppable thanks to the combination of the 7-foot-4 Edey dominating the paint and strong 3-point shooting, but Edey and Co. face a tough test against Gonzaga. The Bulldogs took some time to jell this season, but they’re playing well right now, with two 20-point victories in the NCAA Tournament. In veteran bigs Graham Ike and Anton Watson, Gonzaga has the bodies to at least challenge Edey inside.

If Purdue’s 3-point shots are falling, it’s hard to see this team losing, but Gonzaga is coming off a rout of Kansas and looks plenty capable of at least keeping this game close. The Bulldogs also should enter this game with some confidence after hanging with Purdue in November, long before they started playing their best basketball.

Prediction: Gonzaga to advance

Best bet: Gonzaga (+5.5 at time of publishing)

South Region: (1) Houston vs (4) Duke

Houston’s experience at guard makes Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars a threat to win it all, but they’re not unbeatable. Duke has a high ceiling of its own thanks to dangerous 3-point shooters Jared McCain, Tyrese Proctor, and Jeremy Roach. The biggest question for the Blue Devils is how they’ll handle Houston’s physicality (related: how physical will the refs in Dallas let the Cougars play?).

If Duke can match Big 12 Player of the Year Jamal Shead and the veteran Cougars’ intensity and keep Houston off the offensive glass, it has a real chance to reach the Elite 8 in Year 2 under coach Jon Scheyer. That feels like a lot to ask, though, especially given that the Blue Devils will have to contend with a pro-Houston crowd in Dallas.

Prediction: Houston to advance

Best bet: Houston (-3.5 at time of publishing)

Midwest Region: (2) Tennessee vs (3) Creighton

Like the 2 vs, 3 matchup in the East, Tennessee-Creighton looks like a toss-up on paper between two teams with plenty of offensive firepower. Creighton has to be one of the only squads with three guys who average 17 points per game, while Volunteers forward Dalton Knecht is one of the top scorers in the country at 21 points per game.

Tennessee, which won the SEC regular season with a record of 14-4, has an eight-man rotation, while the Bluejays rely on just six players. The Vols’ depth advantage could be the difference in a close game, especially with Creighton coming off a double-overtime win over Oregon last Saturday. It’s hard to bet against a prolific 3-point shooting team like Creighton, but give me Tennessee to get just enough stops — and enough clutch scoring from Knecht — to pull this one out.

Prediction: Tennessee to advance

Best bet: Over (143.5 at time of publishing)